The Living Museum, Vol. XV No. 6, October 1953

Vol. XV OCTOBER, 1953 No. 6
Devoted to a better understanding of living things and fine surroundings in which we live
MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI MAN—by Art Sieving
Fifth Floor of the Centennial Building Springfield, Illinois, State Capitol Group ALWAYS FREE Hours: Daily, 8:30 to 5. Sundays, 2 to 5 p. m. Open every day except New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Dept. of Registration and Education State of Illinois
Hon. Vera M. Binks, Director Hon. William G. Stratton, Governor Museum Board of Advisers Hon. Vincent Y. Dallman, Chairman Editor, Illinois State Register, Springfield Hon. Robt. H. Becker, Outdoor Editor Chicago Tribune, Chicago M. M. Leighton, Ph.D., Chief State Geological Survey, Urbana
Virginia S. Eifert, Editor Thorne Deuel, Museum Director (Printed by authority of the State of Illinois)
by Melvin Fowler, Curator of Anthropology
Museum visitors often wonder about the appearance of the prehistoric peoples of Illinois, but pictures of unearthed skeletons and pieces of aboriginal jewelry in museum cases do not wholly satisfy this interest. Anthropologists also are deeply concerned with ancient fashions of dress, yet remains or evidence of garments, cloth, and hair styles seldom come to light. True, anthropologists are able to determine something from beads, ear ornaments, and bracelets found with the dead in graves, and the relationship of these objects to the skeleton sometimes gives clues about the uses of the objects. For instance, it is a fair presumption that disc-shaped ornaments found near the ear region of a skull were ear pendants or decorations.
Occasionally, however, small clay figures are found which give considerable information on the dress and appearance of prehistoric Illinoisians. The purposes for which these statuettes were made by the Indians is not known; they often depict human beings, their clothing, and ornaments. Some are made of clay, others are carved of stone. In addition to statuettes, sculptures are sometimes added as decoration on pottery vessels and in modeling smoking pipes.