The Kneeling Man

An

Incised Shell Gorget Tennessee

By

Clifford C. Richey

May 2009

Courtesy, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian InstitutionPhotograph: Number 150853.000

This is an incised shell Gorget, 4 inches wide from the Mississippian culture, Tennessee. The Gorget was made between the years 1250-1300 and found in Castalian Springs, Sumner County, Tennessee .

The overall or Total Form of this Gorget is that of a Square made by drawing straight lines around it. This Means a house or abode. Next we come to the Secondary Form which is a Circle. Circles mean both a location and the number one. This is a large number one, thus The Great One. Within the Circle there are five Inner Circles whose sign is made by the five finger tips. This means a flow (probably of water). At the next Level we have the Imagery of a person who is Kneeling. The Kneeling is the Stance of the Figure and provides additional meaning. The one who will arise. In many composition there can be found figures reclining (resting), Sitting (waiting), thus it is likely follows that a Figure kneeling is one in the act of getting up or in the process of arising.

His House,His Abode

The Great One

Withinthe Circular Flow

The Onewho will

Arise

Illustration 1: Orientation of the Gorget

The Gorget had the two holes drilled in it so that it could be hung around the neck. This causes the human imagery to be on its side. This seems to have been done so that Right hand of the imagery would be in the upper side of the Gorget while the Left hand would be in the lower. There is a partial Circle in the background of the Figure. This is also divided into halves, The upper and lower halves indicating the upper and lower worlds. If the Gorget is turned while reading then the Halves would refer to the sides. This sideways orientation of the Figure provides us with a hint that the early Americans were not looking at their compositions in a rigid upright manner but rather in a rotating non-linear way.

Following the non-linear nature of such composition the translation will follow the rules of written sign language composition. Below is an instance of the Gorget with its main themes outlined in the non linear manner as they were presented. The Gorget can, of course, be turned as it is read which presents somewhat different images and readings.

In the above illustration (2) we can see how the words (signs) were organized. Generally one tends to read from the Larger signs to the smaller. Clusters of signs often create imagery (the subjects ) while the internal signs explain the subject further. Only a few of the words within the Gorget are shown here, hopefully enough to demonstrate the general concept.

The House,The Abode

ofThe OneWho Will

Arisewithin

The Flow

Illustration 2: Non-Linear Presentation of the Signs in the Gorget.

The next largest Image is that of the Figure's Apron The Apron is in the Form of a Large Stone Drill,The One that Drills the Holes. The Edge of the drill has a multitude of doorway or gateway signs signifying the Holes made by the Drill.

The Form of the Object In the Upper Center of the Drill is unknown. The signs internal to the Form appear to be place signs that express subtle distinctions that escape this writer. The upper place sign has the left edge of its Rectangle slanted and this could mean a side place. The other signs have to do with places and male-spirits (the two semicircular signs). There seem to be upside down Water Drops with a Long Doorway sign below them. At this point all we know is that this area has something to do with male-spirits, drops or water (moisture) and a long doorway to it.

The Great Drill,The One that Drills

TheMultitude

of

Illustration 4: Detail, The Drill

Illustration 3: Internal Form, Unknown

Doorwaysinto the

Earth-Female(Unknown Form)

The Places(?)of

Male-SpiritsThe Water Drops,The Moisture)?)

Waiting (Stance of doorway sign)

AboveThe

Long Doorway(length of doorway signs)

On either side of the Apron are the Figure's Legs and Feet. The Three place signs on each Leg are short hand for many –the many long (Legs) journeys (Feet) The Legs are in the Kneeling Stance –thus indicating waiting. The Feet are within the Five Lines that mean a flow. Between the Foot on the Left and the Drill Tip are Two Rectangles (places signs) while between the Knee and the Drill Tip on the Right is the earth-female sign. Therefore the meaning would be that the Drill is drilling into places in the earth-female.

Awaitingthe

ManyLong

Journeyswithin

the Flow

Above the Apron is the Cord or Tie that holds the Apron. The Form of the Tie is the Oval sign for all or everything. This sign is filled with place signs and in the upper Left corner is a small Tumi Knife meaning a warrior (red outline) the base of the Knife forms the opening up sign in a place sign. In the Right corner of the Belt is another Tumi Knife (red outline) next to a male-spirit sign. In other words, these are places where the male -spirits of the warriors open up places. The overall Form of the Tie or Cord is one an Oval sign that mean all or Everything –everything tied or bound together.

Illustration 5: Detail, The Cord

The Cord, The TieEverything

Tied Togetherthe

Places Where

The Knives, The WarriorsOpen-Up

(cut open?)Places

We will now take a look at the Arms and Hands of the Figure. Most likely, as we have seen in previous compositions, the Arms and Hands were Titles such as The Arms and Hands of the Sun. The Arms imagery being used metaphorically in the sense of soldiers or Warriors of the Sun. The Hand imagery was used to present the idea of a servant or assistant to the Sun (probably a Sun-Priest).

The Arm and Hand on the Left (signifying the East) is holding a Head by its Hair. One might be led to believe by this imagery that the head represents a trophy head but this is not the case. The concept may be connected to that concept metaphorically because a decapitated head seems to be related to a captured head. But we will see that what is captured here in the flow of water is a spirit. Not just a spirit but the spirit of one who was considered a leader. We know this because the Arm, The Many (note the three places signs on the wrist) Hand, have their Hair in the sign for a leader, the one ascending, unseen, up and over others. Later we will see that this same sign is used just for the word ascending. This can happen because the use of the sign for a Leader is at the level of the entire Face or Head. At the Internal Imagery level the sign does not have this connection. The Ascending sign also is a compound sign with the tip of the sign being a Finger touching or pointing to the Curvature of the Circle, the sky-arc. Below the Hand making up the Top of the Head's hair as well as the hair down the Back of the Head is the Image of a Bird (meaning, flight). The Head of the Bird is in the form of a stylized Foot and it turns into a Finger pointing downward to the Foot below. This means that the journey below is an upward journey of flight within the flow. The Leg of this Foot is next to the Ear which is a cavity or hole (the sign is the sign for a hole in the surface of the Face (in this case alluding to the face of the earth). This can be a bit confusing. The Overall Head/Face Imagery held by the Hand means his face, his appearance. But the overall meaning does not carry over to the meaning at the sub imagery levels. The Bill of the Bird is a Mouth sign and likewise, does not refer to the Bird's Mouth but rather to the sign for a Mouth-which indicates a source of moisture or water such as a spring. The meaning would then be, Flight from a source of water. The Forehead of the earth-female is the sign for a hill and the Bird's beak touches the hill sign thus a source of water, a spring, on the hillside.. The Mouth on the Face, again, a source of water and within the Mouth are places signs. The Nose is the sign for, held-in. The Upper Lip is the sign for opening-up

The Arm, The HandThe Warrior, The Servant

TheMany Places

His Face, His AppearanceThe Leader

The Arm, The HandsThe Warriors, The Servants

The Many Placesof

Ascensionto the

Arc of the Sky

His Flightfrom

Belowthe

The Long Journeyupward to

The Mouth, The Spring

The Hole in the Surfaceon the Hillside

Held inthe Place

The Opening

The Eye, VenusContainedin the DarkLocation

Now we must look at the Arm and Hand on the Right side of the composition. The Arm and the Hand have the same meanings as the held on the Left side of the composition). Or if one views the Gorget as it was intended to be strung then we are looking at the upper-half of the world while the Spirit-face was in the Under-half or Under-world. The A Hand is holding the Image of a Torch or light. This seems to imply that He is the Light of the Sun. The Tip of the Torch is the sign for earth-female with the triangle pointing upward. This orientation is found in many glyphs and seem to mean, above the earth. Next we have a large hill (note this sign is the same as the one that made up the earth-female's forehead that we have just finished reading). There are opening(s) signs on each side of the hill sign. There seems to be the further imagery of an arrow point embedded into the surface. The meaning of this sign is unclear. It is found in a great many glyphs and may represent a deceased warrior (broken arrow point) or it may represent the Sun going beneath the horizon. It does seem to have something to do with sunset and death. Of course being on the Right side of the composition would represent the West and all the above metaphors. Below this we have the two Half Circles that in this position, would mean on the sides (of the earth). Below this is a Vertical Rectangle (a vertical place or deep place). Below the Hand is a house sign with slanted sides and a small Dark Circle in its Center, a location of depth or darkness. The Hand is created from Four Place signs while the Nail of the Thumb is an earth-female sign. There are two circles net to the lowest place signs –locations, places. This seems to indicate levels of locations, and places or abodes on the sides of the earth.. Of course all this is within the flow

Within the

Circular Flow

The Arm, The HandThe

Many Placesof

The Torch, The Light

Abovethe

Earth-Female

The Great Arrow-Point, The Great Sun

Descending, Sunset

The Openingson the

HillsidesThe Sides

ofthe Place

Below(Stance)

The Hand, The ServantThe Earth-Female

SideThe Four

Placesthe

LocationsThe

Levels

The House, The AbodeThe Dark Center

This section of the composition, Illustration 6, is very difficult because many of the signs are unknown. We will start with the “U” shaped Gorget around the Figure's neck. The “U” stands for turning and within the sign are multiple houses and places signs. The Neck itself is a large male-spirit sign. At the left arm of the “U” is a Rectangular place sign with the sign for a hole-in-the-surface above it. Above the hole sign are location-place signs with a curved Finger pointing back down at the circular location sign. This seems to indicate, here. Above this is the earth-female sign with an opening up sign at its base. The overall Imagery of these signs is one of a Serpent. The hole sign forms the Eye.

The Serpent, The Stream,

The Great TurningWithin

The Multitudeof

Places, Houses

The Holein

The Surface

The Place,Here

on the SurfaceWhere

Earth-Femaleopens-up

Illustration 6: Detail Head

The Great Male-Spirit(Form of Neck)

His Face, His Appearance(Figure's Profile Face)

The Two Headed One(Dual Bird Heads On Face)

The Two Flights(Its Two Directions)

of theEye, VenusContained

in the Dark Location

The Serpent, The StreamTurning Upward

toThe PlaceThe Hole

in the Surface

HereThe

Location, PlaceThe

Earth-FemaleOpening-up

Illustration 7: Forms & Imagery, The Serpent, The Bird, The Tumi Knife and The Hand

The Bird,-Serpent, The Stream in Flight

The Knife, The Warrior,The Hand(attached to lower side of bird imagery)

Together

The Vertical Place

?

?(unknown signs)

The Hand, The ServantOn the Side

Taken UpwardTaken Upward

(repetition to make note of the dual flights of Venus)to

the Surface

(Unknown Form)Arise

toThe Places

the (7) Levels(the sky)

The Long Journeyof

The Dog(?), The Prophecy(?)(appears to be a dog's head at end of Leg)

The Two As One, The Twins(Venus)

His Face, His Appearance(The line creating the profile)

BelowHeld-in

The OpeningThe MouthThe PlaceMovingUpward

in the Hole

The Great One who is imaged as Kneeling (The One Who Will Arise) apparently held many metaphorical titles. The Arm (weapon of the Sun), The Hand ( Assistant to the Sun), The Torch or Light (of the Sun), The Dog (The prophet), The Knife (The ray of the Sun), The Great Drill (The One that drills doorways in the Earth), The Leader (Who Ascends Above and Over Others). Someone with so many titles would seem to be unique but we are told there are many (three place signs appearing on Leg-Foot) who make the journey through the underworld and then arise to the sky. These “many” are probably the ancestors of either a Sun Clan and/or a Society of Warriors.

The cosmology is based upon the water cycle (a flowing from earth to sky and returning back to earth). This circular flight is attained through the Serpent or stream of water that flows through the underworld and then “flies” to the sky. In Central America the sign for the medium for this “flying” is the Feathered Serpent. A Serpent with its parts (scales depicted as feathers) in flight, actually a metaphor for evaporation. In this composition the Serpent imagery is attached to Bird imagery which serves a similar purpose, a stream of water in flight.

Mention should be made about the dual Bird Heads around the Kneeling Man's Eye. This seems to mean two flights in different directions.. We also see the number two signs joined together just over the forehead of the Face. This may refer to the twin flights of The Eye of the Sun – Venus. We also note the repeating of the Head Imagery's, taken upward, taken upward to the surface). As we understand from this composition the location of springs were very important to the cosmology. Spring sites were areas of significance related to the spirit's ascension to the sky. As such these areas were likely held on par with the burial grounds if not actually superseding them. It is noteworthy that the area in which this Gorget was found is noted for its springs.

Headdress Problem Areas:

The Closed Hand ( light green is made from two taken upward signs and terminates at the surface (straight line) sign. The Knife sign (light blue) is made up of a rather Large Blade (a bowl) and the handle is made up of a earth-female sign and a place sign. Above is a sign that looks like a Hand with a doorway sign within it. Next is a long rectangular place sign indicating a surface-place. Under that is

Illustration 8: Headdress Imagery

the Tumi Knife and its handle seems to have a small Hand Image followed by the unknown sign. The reason for the Knife Blade being so large is also unknown. The Serpent imagery is dark green.

The Bird Imagery (dark blue) has a Tail is made from a Finger pointing back toward the turning sign. The sign that is attached to the Finger is unknown. The head of the Bird has signs that have already been discussed above.. The Bird's Beak (yellow) is in a part of the Gorget that has been damaged. The Beak appears to be almost triangular and may be another of those slanted sided squares whose meaning is unknown. The combined Bird-Serpent Imagery indicates the flight of a stream of water as has been previously mentioned.

Above the Bird and Serpent imagery is a Form that cannot be discerned. Within the imagery we can make out what appears to be a side sign that is also a Foot (pink) (journey on the side). Then the Form for arising (red)with seven place signs or (7) levels within it. Next to this there is a small triangular sign (purple) whose meaning is unknown. This is followed by a Long Leg (yellow) and Foot sign, a long journey. This terminates in what appears to be a stylized Dog's head. This, if the dog's head is correct, would mean a long journey of the prophet. The two location or number one (bright red) signs joined together means the twins (the two as one). The Line means, stopped. Until we can learn the meanings of the unknown Form and Imagery we can only gain a sense of what these phrases intended to say.