Miskwabik, Metal of Ritual: Metallurgy in Precontact Eastern North America [Hardcover]

The indigenous tribes of eastern North America have a 3000-year-old tradition of working with copper, otherwise known as `Miskwabik'. There is even metallurgical evidence that the people of the Mississippi made their own metal objects from the vast copper resources of the east. This detailed study draws on material, linguistic and historical evidence, to explore the types of copper artefacts that were made, their role in society and religious rituals and Native American beliefs concerning the special properties of copper. An appendix outlines the types of objects discovered, including headdresses, tools, implements and plates carved with animal designs.The indigenous tribes of eastern North America have a 3000-year-old tradition of working with copper, otherwise known as `Miskwabik'. There is even metallurgical evidence that the people of the Mississippi made their own metal objects from the vast copper resources of the east.