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Human Trophy Taking in Eastern North America During the Archaic Period

The Relationship to Warfare and Social Complexity

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The Taking and Displaying of Human Body Parts as Trophies by Amerindians

Part of the book series: INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO ARCHAEOLOGY ((IDCA))

Abstract

Trophy taking emerged as a dominantly male activity associated with hunting behavior in both band and tribal-level societies. In many of these societies, the planned acquisition, selective retention, and curation of animal body parts played an important role both in rights of passage to adulthood and in quests for personal esteem and prestige. As such, a trophy served to demonstrate and symbolize an extraordinary accomplishment of personal and spiritual significance. Souvenirs, trinkets or mementos may be fairly common objects of some personal value to their owners. However, trophies are often prepared in special ways, kept in special places, and displayed at special times. As such, trophies and their owners are often requisite participants in ritual behaviors rooted in animism, animatism and magic designed to maximize good fortune and minimize harm to the social group (Barton 1930).

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  1. ROBERT P. MENSFORTH
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, 29733, South Carolina, USA

    RICHARD J. CHACON

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Memphis, 38152, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

    David H. Dye

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MENSFORTH, R.P. (2007). Human Trophy Taking in Eastern North America During the Archaic Period. In: CHACON, R.J., Dye, D.H. (eds) The Taking and Displaying of Human Body Parts as Trophies by Amerindians. INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO ARCHAEOLOGY. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-48303-0_10

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