Animal Effigies of Coastal Southern Cal

[CMD]

While doing a google search for Port au Choix(Newfoundland) whale effigies, I came across this interesting gallery. Some might pass as geofacts perhaps...

http://www.pcas.org/vol36n2/12cameron.pdf

[gregszybala]

Yeah, but nothing like what we are looking at today!

[CMD]

gregszybala wrote:

Yeah, but nothing like what we are looking at today!

   :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

[lakedweller]

cool stuff!When it comes to classifying items that looks like a geofact how do they know what it once was used for? People often say if it's an effigy you will know it, it will look like whatever it is supposed to resemble. But take an arrowhead chip its ears, weather it, tumble it and then what do you have, maybe a cylindrical chip of chert that no longer means anything to anybody.  Same for an effigy if all you're left with is a remnant from the original, is it still an effigy?

[CMD]

lakedweller wrote:

cool stuff!When it comes to classifying items that looks like a geofact how do they know what it once was used for? People often say if it's an effigy you will know it, it will look like whatever it is supposed to resemble. But take an arrowhead chip its ears, weather it, tumble it and then what do you have, maybe a cylindrical chip of chert that no longer means anything to anybody.  Same for an effigy if all you're left with is a remnant from the original, is it still an effigy?

  About the best I can say is that once one has built up enough experience, it is very difficult to mistake a true effigy for a geofact.  If weathering and/or damage leaves little to interpret, it's still an effigy, but might be hard to recognize.