X-RARE Osage Nation 4.66" Shaman's Charmstone w/150+ Petroglyphs Missouri. COA

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X-RARE Osage Nation 4.66" Shaman's Charmstone w/150+ Petroglyphs Missouri. COA:
$7250.00

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Ancient Art, Antiques, & FineCollectibles

NativeAmerican Osage Nation Shaman’s Charm Stone

AnEstimate 150+ Incised & Painted Petroglyphs

SpiritAnimals, Buffalo, Elk, Birds, & Mythical Creatures

ARecord of Shaman’s Many Vision Quests

WoodlandPeriod: Great Plains of Missouri

c.500 BC—600 AD

Bay Note:

I certify that this ancient artifact waslegally collected on private land with the owner's permission in Missouri, duringthe mid-20th century, and has been in a private collection since thattime. It was a surface find and no caves, graves, or mounds weredisturbed. This is an opportunity to legally own stunning, ancient NativeAmerican artifact that is estimated to be about 2,000-years-old!

Item:Osage Grooved Shaman’s Charmstone with an Estimated 150+ Petroglyphs

Length: 4.66" (118 mm)

Base Width: 1.86” (47mm)

Thickness: 1.62"(41 mm)

Weight: 27.1 oz. (768 gr. or 1.69 lb.)

Tribe: Osage

Est. Date: c.500 BC—600 AD

Find Location: Missouri

Certificate of Authenticity: “Bannerstone Tom” Registry Number: 14-0024. Thomas E. Shenk, 03/08/2014.

Condition:As found, museum quality, with 150+ original stone pictographs (calledpetroglyphs) incised and painted onto the stone. Much of the black painted pictographs on therough, hardstone surface is no longer visible, thus making it difficult todetermine the shape of the image they painted.NO repairs or restorations.

This superb, museum qualityCharmstone/Divining Amulet is about 4.66” long and was discovered in the late1800s in Missouri, and has been in a family collection until recently. It documents an Osage Shaman’s Vision Questsand/or the Creation Legends of the Osage.

For the advanced collector of the rarest, Native American artifacts!

As one of the RAREST Osage Nation charm stones inexistence, this brown, conglomerate, hard-stone artifact still has remnants ofa blackish paint from the pigments used to on this divining stone. This black paint is most noticeable along thesides of the charm stone, where it appears to show a graphic image of amythical creature and/or the deity “Maun,” the “Earth Maker.”

Each Osage village had a number of “waeghi,” or headmen, who acted as shaman and leaders in such matters as war,religion, administration, and medicine. Thischarm stone would have been made and blessed by one of them, and included in hisMedicine Bundle for his personal use only.Shaman did not share their sacred paraphernalia.

Although the spirits appeared to shaman intheir vision quests in either human or animal form, they could sometimes appearin strange forms that are more difficult for us to interpret andunderstand. Each vision was a highlypersonal experience, and although it would have been interpreted and explainedby a shaman, its full significance might only ever be known to thevisionary. Over 150+ of the petroglyphson this charm stone exhibit mythical, human, bird, and animal characteristics,but their exact meaning is unknown.

Congratulations! As you read my English translation of thepictographs/characters on this Native American, Osage People charm stone, you are among the first people in the worldto read them, as the petroglyphs on this charm stone have never been documentedor deciphered before—in any language!

DETAILS

Some historians have estimated the Osagepopulation on the Great Plains in Missouri, before first contact with Europeansat between 4,000 and 6,000; whatever their number, it was sufficient for themto maintain control over most of what is modern-day Missouri, Arkansas,Oklahoma, and Kansas.

This Osage Shaman’s charm stone has anestimate 150+ tiny, incised and painted, stone carvings (petroglyphs) on allsides of the tear-drop shaped Shaman stone!The incised petroglyphs are exceedingly small—most less than 3mmlong! They all seem to reflect on a Plain’sIndian, Shaman’s Vision Quests, as it depicts him riding horses and buffalo,with dozens of Spirit Animals and mythical creatures surrounding the Shaman, whois in a trance and Astro-traveling. {Seebelow for details.}

A spiritual people, the Osage Indians ofthe Central Plains were excellent hunters and fierce warriors. Their religious beliefs were based on Wah-kon-tah, (also“Wakan Tanka”) the Great Spirit—also the Great Mystery Spirit or Great Power.In one Creation legend, the Osagesbelieved that the People of the Sky (Tzi-sho) met with the People of theEarth (Hun-Kah) to form one tribe, the Children of the Middle Waters (NeeOh-kah-shkahn).

The Osage were a highly spiritual peoplewho worshipped a single deity— “Maun,” the “Earth Maker” or “Creator.”Theirs was a clan-based society, with each clan springing from a benevolentspirit animal related to the Creation of the World.

The Osage lands were a place of great,ritual ceremony and spirit quests. Variouschroniclers and eyewitnesses have stated that few Osage stood less than 6 feetin height, while many reached a well-proportioned 6½ or 7 feet tall. In his Historyof Early Reynolds County Missouri, James E. Bell attributes their height,strength, and physical courage to tribal marriage practices. “The … mightiestwarriors got the tallest and strongest girl—plus all her sisters.”

As one of the RAREST Osagecharm stones in existence, this brown, conglomerate, hard-stone artifact stillhas remnants of a blackish patina from the pigments used to on this diviningstone. This black paint is mostnoticeable along the top and base areas where it appears to show a graphicimage of a mythical creature and/or the deity “Maun,” the “EarthMaker.”

This charm stone would have been part of aShaman’s Medicine Bundle that contained tokens representative of specific aspectsof the vision. The idea of the shamanic journey as envisioned by the Plainsshamans, is one of a continual quest for sources of power.

Each Osage village had anumber of “wa eghi,” or headmen, who acted as leaders in such matters aswar, religion, administration, and medicine. Ahereditary position, headmen were looked to for guidance and direction and wererequired to possess courage, kindness, compassion, impartiality, and theability to always light the proper course by personal example. Although the wa eghi were not chiefsper se—a distinction that would later confuse and confound Europeanarrivals—they were singly and collectively responsible for maintaining theorder of the community.

In Plains ideology, the Sacred Journey islikened to a spinning hoop and everything in nature and in man is conceived ascircular in motion and in form. This philosophyis sometimes referred to as the “Sacred Hoop.”

This concept of circular motion is reflectedin the items their shaman utilized during their vision quests. This charm stone is tear-shaped with asuspension groove, or “top hat” carved in the pointed top that is about 24 mmwide. {See photo # 9}

This groove would have allowed a smallvine or similar string-like object to be tied around the top of the charm stoneand allow it to swing and twist randomly back and forth at the will ofsupernatural forces. Skilled shamanwould assess its rotation or swing to answer “yes-no” questions or interpret thesemotions and decide on an appropriate course of future action. {See photo # ?}

Although the spirits appearedto shaman in their vision quests in either human or animal form, they couldsometimes appear in strange forms that are more difficult for us to interpretand understand. Each vision was a highlypersonal experience, and although it would have been interpreted and explainedby a shaman, its full significance might only ever be known to thevisionary. Several of the petroglyphs onthis charm stone exhibit human, bird, and animal characteristics, but their exactmeaning is unknown.

Before Europeans came to the Americas,Osages obtained food by hunting, gathering, and farming. Osages hunted wildgame such as bison, elk and deer. There were two bison hunts a year, one in thesummer and one in the fall. The goal of the summer hunt was to obtain meat andfat. The purpose of the fall hunt was to obtain food, but also to get the thickwinter coats of the bison for making robes, moccasins, leggings, breechcloths,and dresses. Although only the men hunted, the women did the work of butcheringand preparing the meat, and tanning the hides.

Note:The word "Missouri" often has been construed to mean"muddy water," but the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of AmericanEthnology has stated it means "town of the large canoes," andauthorities have said the Indian syllables from which the word comes mean"wooden canoe people" or "he of the big canoe."

Osage Petroglyphs & Pictographs

In general, petroglyphs are pictogram andlogogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising,picking, carving, or abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use termssuch as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ofthe technique to refer to such images. Petroglyphs are found world-wide, andare often associated with prehistoric peoples. {Courtesy of Wikipedia}

What makes this Shaman’s charm Stoneincredibly RARE is its large number of an estimate 150+ pictographs. Some graphics are larger, faintly painted charactersof mythical creatures—some as large as 57mm long—while the vast majority ofcharacters are much smaller, incised characters that are smaller than 3mm!

These petroglyphs can be seen on all sidesof the charm stone or amulet. The Osagehad no written language that we know of, but they did use both pictographs andpetroglyphs that have been found on the walls of the hills caves where theirShaman went to communicate with the Earth Maker and other spirits.

Osage shaman are thought to have experiencedthese visions after prolonged periods of thirsting and fasting, and by sleepdeprivation. Reportedly, some shaman alsoused the regular influence of smoke offerings and even psychotropic drugs to: influence supernatural beings; bring aboutsuccessful hunting and fishing; influence forces of nature to benefit thetribes; and to intervene in human affairs to heal and protect.

During vison quests, Osage Shaman would usethe smoke from their pipes (which they always carried) to “make the breathvisible.” and thus enable the person’s “nagi” to travel in visible formto meet their Spirit Animals and be shown some of the secrets of the spiritworld.

Based upon the large, horned animalpetroglyphs, I have identified various animals and the human stick-figuressurrounding them and I believe an Osage Shaman may have used this charm-stoneas a powerful divining tool to predict or to bless a future hunting parties onmultiple occasions. As stated above, Ibelieve a Shaman would have divined the unknown by hanging it from a vine andthen accessing its rotation or swing to: answer questions, ask for guidancefrom the Great Spirit, or predict the future.

Before Europeans came to the Americas,Osages obtained food by hunting, gathering, and farming. Osages hunted wildgame such as bison, elk and deer. There were twobison hunts a year, one in the summer and one in the fall. The goal of thesummer hunt was to obtain meat and fat. The purpose of the fall hunt was toobtain food, but also to get the thick winter coats of the bison for makingrobes, moccasins, leggings, breechcloths, and dresses. Although only the menhunted, the women did the work of butchering and preparing the meat, andtanning the hides.

Petroglyphs Deciphered

Note: I assume all responsibility for theinformation contained in this description and for the English translation andtranscription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters. Furthermore, I prohibit the furtherdissemination of this information in any written, video, or electronic formatwithout my expressed, written approval.Thank You!

Experts believe that Osage pictographs andpetroglyphs made by shaman on their personal objects in their Medicine Bundles oftenrepresented a complex, supernatural world that are not easily understood bymodern man. Therefore, some of thepetroglyphs depicted on this charm stone are not easily translated into singlenouns, verbs, or modifiers.

At first, these marks appear to be justtiny dings or differential weathering. Theyare slightly darker in color than their surrounding lighter colored stone. But under 10x—20x power magnification, onecan clearly see tiny, pictographic, stick figures and characters that are imagesof people, animals, fish, stars, and unidentified objects or mythical beings. The images range from about 57mm long to<2mm long! INCREDIBLE!!

Here are just a few of the petroglyphs onecan see under 10x magnification:

·The largest image was painted inblack on this charm stone measures about 57mm long. Although faded with time and naturalweathering, I believe it may be the image of the mythical Great Spirit, who isdepicted here with outstretched wings. Wah-kon-tah,(also “Wakan Tanka”) the Great Spirit—also the Great Mystery Spirit or GreatPower. In the shaman’s language, Wakan Tanka is referred to as “TobtobKin.” A direct translation of this is “Four-Times-Four Gods.” The Osage held that the magenta blossoms ofthe Redbud Tree were emblematic of the eternal renewal of all life and containedthe life force of the tree. They usedash from Redbud wood as a sacred paint, and it was likely the paint they usedon this sacred charm stone. {See photo # 5}

·Shaman riding on horned bison, who isshown walking to the right in this photo. To the Osage, the shaman WAS these animals,and not merely a human impersonation of the animals. {See photo # 10}

·Shaman in the middle of a ring ofSpirit Animals during a Vision Quest. {See photo # 10}

·In the same photo, there is a tiny shamanwho is less than 2mm tall! He is circledin this photo and is clearly pictured with an elaborate, braded, top-knot stylethat was unique to each shaman. Hair wasconsidered to be the seat of the “soul” or “spirit.” He is shown riding on the back of ananimal. {See photo # 10}

·A depiction of a shaman in elaboratecostume, who is holding a rattle in his hand.

·And there are an estimated 150+ otherpetroglyphs incised into this fabulous charm stone.

I am unable to decipher the other symbolson this charm stone, as they are not clear enough to make a positive identification.

Congratulations! You have just read my English translation ofthe pictographs/symbols on this Native American, Osage People charm stone! Youare among the first people in the world to read them, as the petroglyphs onthis charm stone have never been documented or deciphered before—in anylanguage!

REFERENCES

·Shamanism in North America,Norman Hunt

·Missouri Department of NaturalResources

·A History of the Osage People, by LouisF. Burns.

·The Osages: Children of the Middle Waters,by John Joseph Matthews.

·Osage Life and Legends, by RobertLiebert

·North American Indians(Vols. 1 and 2), by George Catlin

·Tixler's Travels on the Osage Prairies,by John Francis McDermott

·The Imperial Osages, by Gilbert C. Dinand A.B. Nasatir.

·Killers of the Flower Moon, by DavidGrann.

Please examine the attached photos carefully as they are part ofthe description andoffer accordingly.

Macro Photos taken indoors under magnification to show the detail of these tiny petroglyphs.

The stand and ruler are not part of the sale, just there so you can better judge the size and to capture the beauty of this ancient work of art.

Note:

Each object I sell is professionally researchedand compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. I have been dealing in fine antiquities for almost 50 years and although certainly not an expert in every field, I have been honored to appraise, buy, collect, and enjoy and recently sell some of the finest ancient art in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. This documentation helps to insure you are buying quality items and helps to protect your investment.

The Buy-it-Now price is at least 85% off what it would be priced at in a fine Gallery or at a big name sale house!!

Please ask any questions you may have before you offer!

All sales are Final, unless I have seriously misrepresented this item!

Please look at the 4x and 20x macro photos carefully as they are part of the description.

Member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA) & the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)

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