MESA VERDE Big Juniper House of Mesa Verde, Colorado Wetherill Mesa Studies

CEREMONIAL OBJECT

Only one stone artifact was identified, with any degree of certainty, as a ceremonial object (fig. 135). It is a conical sandstone block. Similar objects have been called tiponis, corn goddess symbols, corn ears, earth mothers, and, by Judd (1954, p. 295), "Mountain Lion, hunter of the north."

Fig. 135 Ceremonial object.

The specimen from Big Juniper House has an oval, relatively flat base that was ground and pecked. The rest of the surface was ground smooth except for part of the surface near the apex, which had been spalled off. It measures 24.0 cm. long by 23.0 cm. maximum width by 17.2 cm. thick, and weighs approximately 10.3 kg. It was found on its side on the floor of the floor-level ventilator tunnel of Kiva A, and was apparently placed there intentionally.

Roberts (1932, p. 143, pl. 55 d and e) illustrates several conical stone objects that were found in the Village of the Great Kivas in New Mexico. These appear to be quite similar to the one found at Big Juniper House and to others found on Wetherill Mesa and elsewhere in Mesa Verde National Park (Fewkes, 1911, p. 67). Morris (1939, pp. 129-130, pl. 137) reports finding "Corn Goddess" symbols from Sites 39 and 41 on the La Plata River which are the same type of artifact as the one from Big Juniper House. Parsons (1939) makes several references to the use of tiponis in the ceremonial life of the present-day Pueblos. Although the construction of these specimens is not described, most of them are of clay or wood, sometimes of hide, with perforations for attaching prayer sticks or feathers. They have the conical shape of the prehistoric stone objects.