Plates 3-6. 
There are four head vases (effigies of human heads) in the 
Whelpley collection. Two views of two of each of these 
are shown in Plates 3-6 (Plate 3 and 4, Catalog No. 8X57, 
Plate 5 and 6, Catalog No. 8X63). Both are from Mississ- 
ippi County, Arkansas. Lawrence Mills, who examined the 
Museum’s specimens when preparing an essay on “‘Mississ- 
ippian Head Vases of Arkansas and Missouri” for the 
Missouri Archaeologist (1968, Vol. 30), made the following 
comments on this type of vessel: ‘‘The purpose of the 
head vase is still unknown. There seems little question that 
they are of a funerary nature, but no contents of vases have 
been preserved to indicate what, if anything was stored in 
them. The majority are poorly documented and were pro- 
bably surface finds or were uncovered by pot hunters.” 
There is one documented find of a head vase with a burial 
(No. 10A) at the Campbell site in Pemiscott County in the 
Missouri bootheel (Chapman and Anderson, 1955, p.62). 
The time period is estimated at approximately A.D. 1540- 
1650 (p. 105). 
Mills goes on to say that, “It would seem likely that the 
heads represented one concept of portraiture with distinct 
individualism being represented by facial painting and tatoo- 
ing, rather than the position and proportions of the facial 
features.’ He points out that nearly all the known vessels 
of the type in the Museum’s collection come from a limited 
area in northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri 
near the Mississippi. The Museum’s specimens are all from 
Mississippi County in northeastern Arkansas. Head vessels 
are rare. Mills reported that he was able to locate and des- 
cribe only 63 of all types. Previously a total of only 59 had 
been reported. 
