PAINTED CLAY FIGURINE FROM MOUND NO. 33
Another explanation which suggests itself is that the lamp was buried in the mound at a much later date (possibly during the troublous times of the Indian rebellions, between 1840 and 1850) by someone who wished to hide it temporarily, and that it had no connection with the original purpose of the mound. No other objects were found in this mound, with the exception of a number of potsherds, till the ground level was reached, where, near the center of the mound, the painted clay figurine shown in plate [22] was uncovered. This represents a deer with a human head, whose headdress is the upper jaw of some mythological animal. The back of the figure, which is hollow, contains a small opening near the tail, covered with a conical plug of clay. Within were two small beads, one of polished red shell, the other of polished greenstone. The whole figurine had been coated with lime wash, over which were painted black lines, dots, and circles.[57] The human face, earrings, gorget, and part of the headdress are painted blue, while the mouth of both the human face and the face in the headdress are painted red. Near the figurine lay a vessel (fig. [79]) of rough yellow pottery, unpainted and undecorated, with two small ear-like projections just below the rim. No bones and no trace of human burial were found in the mound.
Fig. 78.—Soapstone lamp found in Mound No. 33.