Crystal
- Museum number:
- 1-157499
- Permalink:
- ark:/21549/hm21010157499
- Accession number:
- Acc.2036
- Description:
- Quartz crystal.
- Donor:
- David Wayne Peri
- Collection place:
- Bodega Bay, Sonoma County, California
- Verbatim coll. place:
- California; Northern California; Bodega Bay
- Culture or time period:
- Coast Miwok
- Collector:
- David Wayne Peri and Oscar Bassen
- Collection date:
- ca. 1950
- Materials:
- Magnesite
- Object type:
- ethnography
- Object class:
- Mineral and rock samples
- Function:
- 5.2 Magic: Objects Associated with Practices reflecting confidence in the ability to manipulate supernatural agencies
- Accession date:
- 1965
- Context of use:
- Used to poison and to cure more commonplace illnesses. All participants including doctor and patient must be painted with traditional designs of dots or slashes on face only. 4 horizontal lines on forehead (using 2 fingers from each hand to apply lines),
- Department:
- Native California (archaeology and ethnology)
- Dimensions:
- length 7.5 centimeters
- Comment:
- crystal; 3) holding crystal with both hands, address power of crystal in first person (crystal is repository of dormant power) and bash crystal against rock. For deer sickness, crystal is laid on top of pepperwood (California laurel) boughs, etc; in cases of poisoning crystal is set in sand upright (in mound with 4 concentric circles drawn in ocher); 4) doctor talks, then sings: first talks to singers, if present, then tells audience how powerful crystal is, then talks to patient about crystal's power and how to behave during ceremony; 5) doctor sings and while he is singing audience throws clamshell beads, magnesite beads, deerskins, blades, anything of value towards him. While audience throws offerings, he batters crystal; if crystal splits, doctor and patient will die immediately, audience will become sick for something has gone wrong. There will be a big flash, noise, power goes out through smokehouse hole. Crystal should be ritually destroyed if doctor dies and the crystal is not buried with him or cannot be passed on to his brother's son, sister's son, or his grandson (in that order), but not to his own son or brother. To ritually destroy, put it in a fork of a tree with point facing away from habitations; a young child, holding a large, bell-shaped mortar, strikes crystal to release power. Remarks: See file cards for 1-157497-99 for commentary on use of quartz crystals. 1-157472-157500 and 1-157713-16 comprise outfit of Thomas Smith; outfit was family heirloom. See accession envelope for additional information.
- Legacy documentation:
-