142 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Mr. H.W. Henshaw read a paper entitled "Medicine Stones." * 



DISCUSSION. 



Col. MALLEftY, referring to the evidence presented in the paper, 

 that the objects generally classed as sinkers were used as ceremonial 

 stones and amulets, remarked that amulets and fetiches had often 

 been adopted from utensils and objects connected with daily life. 

 He gave instances specially connected with the fish — commonly 

 appearing towards the third century as an emblem of Christ, but 

 derived from the worship of the Phoenician Dagon, and found still 

 more anciently in Egypt, Nineveh, and India, with some relation 

 to the productive powers of nature. The lingom stones were men- 

 tioned in this connection, also the bulla and the form called from 

 its shape vesica (bladder) suspended to the necks of Roman boys, 

 which was succeeded by the Agnus Dei, used in the same manner. 

 Witliout attempting to trace an immediate association between 

 these objects and those presented by Mr. Henshaw, his views are 

 corroborated by the fact that stones similar in shape and size have 

 been employed from high antiquity in many parts of the world for 

 superstitious purposes, and that therefore it is unphilosophical to 

 insist upon their exclusive design for mechanical or industrial uses 

 among the tribes of North America, which are known to have uni- 

 versally been addicted to amuletism. Without any elaboration of 

 symbolism the selection of the form might readily have been 

 derived from the idea of "luck" connected with sinkers used on 

 some special occasions. 



Mr. DoRSEY, referring to what Mr. Henshaw had said about the 

 " Medicine Stones ' ' and the down from the breast of a white goose, 

 remarked that he had noticed among the Omahas, Kansas, and cog- 

 nate tribes, some of the uses of this down from the white goose, and 

 that in the gens or clan of the Earth-lodge Makers in the Omaha 

 and Kansas tribes there were " White Goose (or Swan) people." 

 In the Omaha gens referred to there are also Keepers of the Sacred 

 Stones (or Mysterious Stones.) 



He then gave a part of the traditon of the Sacred Pipes to the 

 Omaha gentes : "The Earth-lodge people were visited by. the 

 seven old men bearing the pipes. When the gentes were finally or- 

 ganized half of these people were bad, and half were good. The 



* Pul^Iished in American Journal of Archaeology. I. Pp. 105-114. 



