The Birdman Tablet of Cahokia – A clay craft
The heavens and underworld that the Cahokians and other Native American tribes in the area believed in were less related to death rituals, like the underworld of the Greek and Roman cultures. These are not heaven and hell in a Christian sense. Instead, we might think of them as more like realms related to where the creatures and humans live. You might even imagine it is closer to the five realms in Viking culture. Although, the Cahokian’s had only three.
The tablet is made of sandstone and measures 4 inches by 2 and 1/2.
With this craft, you will create a replica of the Birdman Tablet found at the Cahokia mound site in southern Illinois. This tablet is special because it depicts the three worlds of the Cahokian people: the sky world, the human world and the world underneath.
Look carefully at the tablet. On the front of the tablet we see a man with bird like features. Is he a half-man/half bird creature? Or is it a man simply wearing a ritual bird costume? Archeologists believe it is a man in a bird costume.
His nose is beak-like and his arm pushes forward as it create a wings. We see a lot of movement in the simple carving. The bird element represents the sky world and the man represents the world of humans. On the back, the tablet has lines representing snake scales. These are symbolic of the underworld.
This piece was discovered in the lower corner of Monks Mound, which is the largest mound at the site and the only one people are allowed to climb today.
The Cahokia mounds were the center of a large city that may even have rivaled medieval London in terms of population, making it the largest city in North America north of Mexico. We call the people who lived here the Cahokians and they were from the Mississippian culture. Although we not know what they would have called themselves. They lived during the late Woodland time period which was from 900 to 1650 AD, There were originally 120 documented mounds at the site near St. Louis. Seventy of these mounds remain and can be seen by visitors.
Learn more about Cahokia with our Native American Stick Game.
Let’s get crafting.
Make Your Own Birdman Tablet
Supplies:
- Clay
- Measuring Tape or Ruler
- Toothpicks or wooden skewers
- Paint (optional)
Step Two: Using a toothpick or other carving tool and carve the Birdman design on the front of the tablet. Use the images of the Birdman Tablet on this page to help you. Start by making simple lines and add details as you go.
Step Three: Turn over the tablet and make crisscross lines across the back. The sections will look like small diamond shapes.
Step Four: Let the clay dry. From here you can leave the tablet as is or paint it brown.
Directions:
Step One: Create a rough rectangle with the clay. It should measure 2-3 inches by 4-5 inches if you want to make the same size as the Birdman Tablet. You can also make the rectangle any size you like, bigger or smaller.
Step Five: (Optional) Paint the front and back of the stone to make it look more like sandstone. Let it dry.
Now your Birdman tablet is complete!
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