Abenaki Earring- Quebec, Canada
Patricia Lachapelle 2020, Archéolab.Québec, Pointe-à-Callière, Cité d'archéologie et d'histoire de Montréa
This ear or nose ring was worn by the Abenaki, a loosely affiliated Algonquian-speaking people, roughly translating to “people of the east.” This earring was unearthed in 2013 from Fort Abénakis at Odanak Village. Earrings and nose rings were important additions to Abenaki outfits. This silver ring, which may be for the ears or nose, consists of a ring, a hollow rhombus welded at the base, and a cone-shaped pendant charm.
The Abenaki lived in the northern United States and southern Canada. As British settlers encroached on the Abenaki’s southern territory, refugees flooded into French Canada . The governor of New France ordered that forts be built to protect the Abenaki from the British and their Iroquois allies. Excavations at the fortified village of Odanak have produced large numbers of artifacts from this period of French-British tensions.
This theory is supported by the fact it was discovered in association with several trade pearls and wampums, two gunstones transferred into drills, a thimble, and tinsel cones. However, according to some sources, it may have been made by native silversmiths by melting or hammering silver coins into the desired shapes.
The original Fort Odanak was burned down on October 4, 1759 as part of the French and Indian War. However, the Abenaki continue to live in the area and currently operate the Abenaki Museum, where this artifact resides.
