The Spiro Twins Gorget

An engraved shell gorget from Spiro Mounds, Oklahoma

ByClifford C. Richey

September 2009

Illustration 1: Spiro Twins Gorget

Credit: Heironymous Rowe at en.wikipedia

Because there are a great deal of repetitive signs in this composition only the the signs that are different will be translated. The repetitions probably refer to a count but a count of what is unknown at this time.

In order to quickly orient oneself to the Imagery of this gorget one should note the direction (Stance) the Feet (light brown) are pointed. The Foot on the reader right is in the Stance for arriving (left-west). The Foot on the left is in the Stance for departing (departing-east). The Figure's Hands are on the signs for Hillsides. The meaning is one of The Hands, The stewards on the hillsides in the West and the East. The Leg means long while the Foot means a walk or journey. The Ankle is the sign for an opening-place, a place with an opening on its side. The Hand of the figure on the Right has its index Finger pointing to a curved sign on the hillside. The Curved sign represents the surface-side. Below this there is a sign for, place-surface-break-in. Followed by three place signs, many-places and levels as these signs are stacked one above the other.

The Great One

The Gorget is in the Form of a large Circular location sign and a large sign for the number one.

Illustration 2: Spiro Twins Color Coded

Within the large Circle the largest sign is the Cross (red) which means, crossing through. In this case a crossing through the surface of the earth.

The Great CrossingThrough

The “bulls eye” sign in the center is the sign, more or less topographical, for a hill. The short Lines all around the rim are the signs for gateways. The center level or the top of the hill, the third circle (level) has a Swastika within it. There are many different Forms of swastika signs. Some rely on form to complete the composition. If a circle is draw around such a design on will find that the swastika is actually four legs and feet. The meaning is one of a long journey around the earth's sides. The number of legs and feet number four to indicate the four corners of the earth. Here the the design is made up of four quarters as is the Gorget itself. The four quarters of the world. In this particular swastika the legs are mere lines while the feet are dark and arrow shaped. So, this specific swastika relates to a dark walk or journey around the earth's quarters. The white signs within the swastika are not clear but seem to be signs for, on-the side, male-spirit, female-spirit, and place. Around the hole signs are the signs for earth-female, unseen, surrounded-in-darkness, and a place sign.

Below the center of the Cross are three hole-in-the-surface signs. The number three means -many. The many holes in the earth's surface.

Above the Center is the Imagery of a Raccoon. The Associative for the Raccoon was probably something like, the one who burrows in the hillside. The Raccoon's Ears are the signs for sides and beneath them are the signs for earth-female. His Eye's are in the Form (black) of Fish meaning the swimmers-in-the-darkness. The actual Eyes (blue) mean contained-in-a hole. The Eyes also refer to the eye's of the sun –Venus. The Racoon's Face (his appearance) (also by Form -turning-female) is divided in two parts to present the idea of, two-sides. Beneath the Eyes are two Arms and Hands, The warriors and stewards of the sun. The Arms and Legs of the Raccoon are differentiated by those on the Right (the West) being blackened for darkness (the-dark-side-of the earth) while those on the Left (the East) are light in color –the light-side). The center of the Raccoon, perhaps its navel, is the sign for, a-hole-in-the-earth-surface. The Tail of the Raccoon (light brown) is Phallic Imagery (large, for the great-man) and is composed from the signs for four places-vertical and perhaps (difficult to see the actual

Illustration 3: Raccoon Imagery

sign in the photograph) the sign for underside or under-world. Finally, The Raccoon is positioned between two lines (red) which indicates hidden or unseen. The red lines also form a tunnel on the side of the hill sign.

The One Who Burrows into

In HillsideUnseen

Turning-Female

His Face, His AppearanceOn the Sides

of The Earth-female

The One Who Swimsin

The Darkness

The Arms, The HandsThe Warriors, The Stewards

The Arms, The HandsThe Warriors, The StewardsIn the Dark-side, In the WestOn the Light-side, In the East

The Great Male,The Great ManBelow

(Stance or position of the Tail)In the Places, The Levels

Four ( in all directions)

The figure on the Right has a Bird's Leg and Foot on his head. It is most likely and Eagle's Leg and Claw. The Eagle's Foot is resting on the Triangular(light blue) earth-female sign. In the center is a Line whose meaning is not clear but the Foot is on the surface of the earth-female sign, the surface of the earth. Below that we have an up side down Foot Image (light blue) which is the journey on the side and being upside down may indicate, dead. Next we find the sign for a hole (white). At the bottom we see the Imagery of the female vagina and a small location sign –a hole-in-the-surface-of- the -earth- female-location-below(stance or positional). There must have been some differentiation between the Triangular female sign and the use of the Vagina female sign. Perhaps with more samples that difference may be determined.

The Eagle is the Associative Imagery for the daytime sun –the great hunter of the daytime. On the Ankle is the sign for the side of the earth-female. The Lines on the Foot are the signs for gateways. Surrounded by the Toes is the sign for location-crossing-through. Beneath this are the signs one below the other: covered-place-male-spirit-journey-here-below (a Finger pointing downward). The Leg and Foot touches the Mouth meaning the long-journey-by-the-water-source such as a spring on a hillside. Within the Mouth is the sign for a male-spirit. The male-spirit-in-the-water-source.

The Figure's Hand is on the hill sign and the index Finger is pointing at the surface –here. The Wrist has three place signs on it, --the places of the Hands, here –on the hill. The line next to the Hand divides the hill-surface into a side sign. The places of the Hands, here –on the hill-side.

Illustration 4: West Quarter

The Rattle is quite interesting because one immediately thinks of a noise. But here we will see that it was not so much the noise that the rattle makes that is important but rather the Association with the sound it makes. Early vessels, before the invention of pottery, were made through the use of gourds. The gourds were dried and the seeds removed to make drinking cups and other containers. We have seen in earlier papers that the imagery of seeds was used metaphorically to refer to the bodies of the deceased, buried or implanted into the earth-female and how the spirit of the deceased ultimately finds its way back to the surface of the earth (which was likened to the sprouting of a seed and the blossoming of a flower). Of course the development of the seed into a plant was viewed as a transformation and much use was made of this analog in Moche ceramic composition which were even sometimes in the Form of gourds. Thus the body of the earth-female was described as a container of seeds. This metaphor was more obvious during the time of extensive gourd use but continued on after the development of pottery. The sound of the seeds shaking in the rattle, was most likely, a mnemonic device used in dance, song and ritual to recall the seed's moving about inside of the earth-female metaphor to mind.

The Hand on the rattle is also very interesting because this Hand is not connected to any arm. It is only on the rattle. This tends to re-enforce the idea that the signs used in written gesture language were independent entities or words that need not be connected to other imagery. This may explain why in some Moche compositions Arms and Legs are seen disembodied.

The Rattle is this scene is if the form of the sign for a cave or cavern that metaphorically referred to the womb of earth-female. The entire Rattle and Hand form are in the shape of a vessel but upside down as

Illustration 5: The Rattle

if being emptied. On the surface of the vessel's bottom is the Imagery of a Serpent (green). The Serpent represents a stream of water. Its undulating body is created from the sign for movement. The Head of the Serpent is raised upwards and its dark Eye is the sign of a hole or depression in the surface.

Within the center of the Rattle is a Cross (red) made up from two crossed places signs with a “+” like cross in the center. The Double Lines that form this cross means it is hidden or unseen. Crossing-through-unseen. Along the sides of the cave or womb sides at the four (blue) sides signs meaning on the sides of the earth in all directions.

The Hand (skin tone) touches the side of Breast Imagery and means, on-the-sides-of-the -earth-female's breasts, the hills of the earth. The Lower Finger of the Hand is a place sign while the other four fingers are made from gateway signs –gateways in all direction, everywhere.

The green sign below the Figure is two places signs connected, connected-places-above-and-below.

The Left side of this gorget represents the direction, East. Many of the signs are similar to that on the West side except here the subject is one of departing the earth-female. On the Figure's head is a Large Bird meaning, the great flight. Instead of a Serpent on the Rattle we have the Imagery of a Bird (green) whose Tail is a place sign and within its chest the sign for arising, arising-in-flight-place. It is of course, the seeds, the spirits that are arising in flight.

The Figure's Head, His face, his appearance. The Mouth, the spring and above it a small Bird Image (blue) on end, indicating flight-upwards-on the side-of the-earth. The Face (on a level by itself, not as part of the body of the male figure) is also, the face-of-the earth-female. Next we have the male-spirit sign (white) and above it (Form) a drop of water sign (white) followed by the Head of a Bird (green) whose Eye is the “+” crossing-through-the-surface sign. The back of the Bird and its Tail Feathers have multiple gateways signs on them. The upper Wing has the “X” (red) sign for transformation upon it. The Tail of the Bird (Form is Phallic Imagery for male) is created from two places sign and the sign for male-spirit. Thus male- flight, male-spirit-places or the sky.

Illustration 6: The Eastern Side

The Eyebrow is a sign surface while the Eye beneath it is either held-down-contained-as-in-a-bowl or may just mean, contained. Contained-below-the-surface-of-the-earth-female. The Eye Imagery itself is the Eye of the Sun, the Sun's steward, Venus.

The area of the Ear has an ear-spool that is the sign for a hole-in-the-surface with a small Foot (tan) (journey) with two Fingers joined together (gray) and made with the sign for movement. The journey in the hole in the surface, the two united as one in their movement. The Two are the Warriors and the Stewards of the Sun as indicated by the Fingers pointing in the direction of the Arm and Hand. We are aware that that Venus was the “star” that was considered the Eye of the Sun. That the warriors and the stewards of the sun (priests) ascended to Venus so as to remain in the sun's service in their afterlife.

Here we only translate the Leg and Foot because it is the same as the leg and Foot in the Lower Right Quarter except for the Stance of departure rather than arrival. The Form of the Leg and Foot together mean a long (long leg) journey or walk (foot). At the top of the leg (white) are the three meaning, many, places signs. Then we see the long Leg (light brown) which is a vertical or deep place sign. Next is a horizontal (surface as opposed to vertical) sign with a notch or the “V” shaped opening sign on its side. The Foot appears to be a stylized Arm and Hand at the opening.

Here we have a Bird's Head (light blue) composed from the signs for a gateway and a hole. Thus, the flight from the gateway, the hole-in-the-surface. Below we see a Cross (red) created from two places signs crossed and then the “+” sign for crossing-through within it. The double crosses effectively make the sign Double Lined meaning, unseen. The places of crossing-through-the-surface-unseen. Below we have the earth-female sign (yellow). The light blue sign is the sign for a captive and the lines inside it mean unseen (plural), the unseen-captives-below-the earth-female.

Illustration 7: Lower Left Quarter

Attached to the captives sign is an arrow point and shaft, a Dart. The Form of a Dart would be another Arm of the Sun or Ray of the Sun. The tip of the Point appears to have struck up against something and been blunted. This is in line with the previous statement about being held captive. The Shaft is in the Form of the Phallic sign for male and is composed of the signs for, many-places-male-spirit.

The following translation is an attempt to uncover as much of the message as possible at this time. There will most certainly be gaps in the information such as counts which are poorly understood as to their meaning. Some signs and associations have probably been missed or not even recognized. But it does seem that we have extracted enough information to realize the general subject matter that was engraved on the gorget.

The Great Location,The Great One

The Great CrossingThrough The Earth-Female

On the HillsidesIn

The Four Quarters Of The Earth,Everywhere

The One Who Burrows into

In HillsideUnseen

Turning-Female

His Face, His AppearanceOn the Sides

of The Earth-female

The One Who Swimsin

The Darkness

The Arms, The HandsThe Warriors, The Stewards

The Arms, The HandsThe Warriors, The StewardsIn the Dark-side, In the WestOn the Light-side, In the East

The Great Male,The Great ManBelow

(Stance or position of the Tail)

In the Places, The LevelsFour

( in all directions)

The CenterThe Hill

The JourneysAround the Four Quarters

The PlacesMale and Female

The One arriving in the WestHe, The Hand, The Steward

ofThe Sun

The Side Placeof

Many Gateways

The Locationof the

Crossing-Through

a Covered Placeof the

Male-SpiritIts

JourneyBelow

Turningin the

Water-Source

The Earth-FemaleInside

The Journeyof the DeadThe Hole

in the SurfaceThe Location

The Female OpeningThe Birth Place

The Many Placesof the Hands

Hereon the Hillsides

the Many OpeningsThe Places of FlightPlaces ConnectedAbove and Below

The Places of Crossing-ThroughUnseen

The Many CaptivesUnseen

The Darts, The Rays of the SunBlunted

The Great MenThe Places

of the Male-Spirit(s)Everywhere

The Rattle, The Sound of the Moving SeedsIn the Cavern, The Womb of Earth-Female

The Hands, The StewardsThe Place

of the Gateways

onThe Sides of Her BreastsOn the Sides of the Hills,

EverywhereThe Places of Crossing-Through

Unseenon the Sides

The Many Placesof the Hand(s),The Stewards

Hereon the Surfaceof the Hillsides

In the EastDeparting

His Face, His AppearanceHis FlightThe Male

The Places of the Male-spiritThe Flight of Transformation

The Gateways Along the SurfaceThe Many Gateways

of Flight

The HoleThe Journey on the

Side

The Two Togetheras OneUnited

in MovementThe Arms, The Hands,

The Warriors, the StewardsThe many Gatewways

onthe Hillsides

The Mouth, The SpringThe Eye Below

Contained in the DarknessThe Flight Upwards

From the Mouth, The SpringThe Male-Spirit(s)

The LocationThe Crossing-Through

The Rattle, The Sounds of the Seeds, The Spirits in Motion

The Unseen Crossing-ThroughThe Four Sides(of the Earth)

The FlightThe Place

ofArising