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Stone Cairns |
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By Mary Gage Preface Stone cairns are found throughout North America from the sub-arctic regions of Canada to the lower 48 states. The highest concentrations of cairns are found on the eastern seaboard from the Chesapeake Bay north into the Canadian maritime provinces and westward to the Great Lakes region. This article will focus on the stone cairns found in the New England region. |
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Table of Contents I. Definitions How to Evaluate a Cairn Group and Site Layout Step 1 - Assess the Basic Facts |
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References An annotated bibliography with quotations of pertinent passages concerning Native American usage of stone cairns is available on the Source Materials-Cairns webpage. In the text of this article click on (Ref. ###) to link to specific references. |
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What is a cairn? A cairn is an intentionally constructed pile of stones. It is built one stone at a time. Cairns have been used by humans in the northeastern United States as far back in time as 5,000 years ago and continue to be used today. Cairns were built by both Native American Indians and white settlers. They were used by the Native Americans for ceremonial purposes and by white settlers for utilitarian purposes. |
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VI. Native American Ceremonial Cairn Identification |
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Base of Cairn |
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Ground |
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Base Stone |
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Split Stone |
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Characteristics |
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Individual Cairns (Non-Group): These are individual, single cairns without any other cairns near them. Historically recorded Trailside Cairns were individual cairns built by many people over a long period of time (ref. 205, 218). Peace Cairns were built as a single cairn or a set of two cairns at a one time event (ref. 418, 500). A few single historic and modern day memorial cairns exist (ref. 505, 419). This latter type usually has a known history. The Individual Cairn is not a part of a group. |
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The cairns listed under the following characteristics are a part of cairn groups |
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Multi-Person Cairn: Irregardless of the cairn’s base type, size is the major factor. A small two feet diameter by eight inch high cairn was likely built by a small group of people. This type of cairn is thought to have been built during a ceremony and to be a one time event. There are often times numerous small cairns in a cairn field. Medium-large, large, and extra-large (ten feet plus diameter by five feet high) type cairns were built over a long period of time. These large cairns are thought to have been created by ordinary people and shamans who attended the ceremony. They are sometimes built by each person adding an individual stone. At other times, whole small cairns two to three feet diameter were added to the large cairn indicating a small band or group created that particular cairn. At some cairn fields there are one or two which are out numbered by small cairns. At other cairn fields large cairns dominate and are more numerous. |
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Marker Cairn: Some cairn groups or fields exhibit a single cairn that stands out from the rest of the cairns. In one local area the builders used the same basic design cairn for their marker cairns. A base stone with a depression was chosen and then one to three stones were placed in the depression. At each site there is only one of these cairn designs. Each site is somewhat different the only common factor is the cairn in the depression of base stone. The cairn is some kind of marker cairn built by one individual probably a shaman. In this case, the marker cairn appears to form links over time and possibly between ceremonial areas. It must be noted that not all the cairn sites in this area have a marker cairn, the reason is unknown. On Cape Cod many sites have a large boulder surrounded on the ground by a ring of small stones. This is another type of marker cairn. |
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Split Stone Cairns: Many sites have one or two split stones filled with small stones. Occasionally, large boulders with cracks have stones placed in the cracks. These types of cairns have access to the Underworld. |
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Streambed Cairns: This is usually a cairn on the ground built in a seasonal streambed. Seasonal streambeds are most active during spring thaws and snow meltdown. In turn, the cairn was placed in direct contact with flowing water. Water observed during off-season, flows underneath these cairns like seepage at beaver dams. High flowage periods would force some water around edges of these cairns (No observations have been done). Water in Native American culture contains a spirit. |
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Additional Structures associated with Cairns |
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Natural features are sometimes encountered. The most common are wetlands, springs, and seasonal spring run-off streambeds. Split stone in ledge or in boulders and exposed bedrock. Springs are the source of Spring Water Spirit from the Underworld. Split stone is associated with the Underworld Spirit. |
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Standing stones are elongated stones stood up in an erect position. These standing stones are among the cairns or integrated into a stone wall. These are separate features from the cairn. Some have been documented as being aligned with a solar or lunar event. Standing stones with notches or open L shaped top corners have the potential of being a spirit portal. |
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Chambers are rare at cairn sites but are occasionally found. Two types are known: a man-made chamber constructed from stone and small caves modified by man. Chambers were structures with Underworld symbolism. A person entering a chamber enters the Underworld. Spirits are associated with some chambers. Not enough research has been done to know to the full extent of spirit association with chambers. |
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How to Evaluate a Cairn Group (or Cairn Field) and Site Layout |
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Step 1 - Assess the Basic Facts |
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Step 2 - Comparison of Designs and Sizes |
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Step 3 - Reading |
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Shaman verses Ordinary People’s Cairns – On Manana Island off the coast of Maine there is a cairn site. The island is naturally split into two sections. A small raised section on north end and a large level section on south end. South end has a large spring. In between is a small ravine on the open ocean side (west side). Ravine has a section of exposed ledge. On the ledge is a Native American petroglyph. In the northern section there are a small number of small cairns on base stone. In the southern section there are a large number of medium to medium-large cairns on base stone. On the northern edge of the southern section between the two areas there is a special cairn it has a triangular standing stone leaning against the cairn. |
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Fig. 34 - Layout of cairn groups on Manana Island (Maine) |
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Some Specific Uses of Cairns from the America’s Stonehenge Site |
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Pattern Recognition |
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Single cairn with similar trait – Stone(s) (one to three) in depression of a large boulder with the boulder placed in the lowest (elevation) part of the cairn field. There is one of these cairns per cairn field. This type of cairn occurs in Merrimac, MA and Newton, NH two towns adjacent to each other. The depression and low placement are the common factors that create a link between each cairn field. The usage is local. |
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Groups of same cairn design – On Manana Island off the coast of Maine every cairn in the large cairn field has a stone base. At a site in E. Kingston, NH every cairn in the large cairn field was built on the ground. This shows local geographical preferences for the base of the ordinary people’s cairns. |
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Combination of cairn designs – At the South Road Site in E. Kingston, NH there is a large cairn on the ground and next to it is a medium-large cairn on the ground. |
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Specific cairn design – Large corner wall cairns have been found at Miner Farm, Hopkinton, RI and Dulac Land Trust, Sanbornton, NH. Large corner wall cairns are intermittent throughout the northeast and tend to be found in some geographical areas and not in other geographical areas. |
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Stylistic differences – These examples focus on cairns with a few stones on a base stone. Holliston, MA has a few stones piled up near edge of boulder. Sandown, NH has a few stones placed in a single layer in middle of boulder. The stylistic differences distinguish preferences in different geographical areas. |
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Pattern recognition is used to distinguish patterns at cairn sites. It is used on the local and regional levels. Specific patterns can be tracked. At present (2006), it is useful to see pattern diffusion. Pattern recognition extends beyond the above examples. See Specialized Stones added as Features to Cairns. The specialized features can also be tracked. |
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Repeated Use of Ceremonial Sites tracked through pattern recognition |
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Fig. 35 - Layout of Enclosures at Newbury, MA Site |
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Burns Wildlife Management Area in Newbury, MA is a cairn site with enclosures from three different periods. The enclosures are the main focus here. The site was created over a large area of rock strewn land divided between wetlands and dry lands. The land surface undulates with low mounded areas that create high spots alternating with low areas. Five of the enclosures were located on the lowest dry land on the site and one is on high ground. The simplest enclosure is #1 a large rectangle laid out on the ground with single layer of stones. It is at the base of the highest land a short hill. At the top edge of hill is enclosure #2. It is just below the top, small and semi-rounded. The side of hill acts as the back of the enclosure. Across from enclosures #1 and #2 is a walled in area with numerous cairns. On the opposite side of hill is a second area with four enclosures. #3 is a single enclosure attached to a stone wall. Beside this enclosure is a cairn. #4 is a double enclosure attached to the same stone wall further along it. Section A of this enclosure is a simple rectangular shaped low wall. Section B has an ex-large boulder and a Manitou Spirit Stone integrated in its wall system. A cairn is next to the enclosure. Enclosures #3 and #4 (A&B) are each approximately the same size. #5 is a small single enclosure attached to the end of an elongated low outcrop. Enclosure #6 was in the process of being built up against a second outcrop but along its elongated side. It was to be a large enclosure. This outcrop has a split filled with small stone, a split-stone cairn. |
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Patterns are found within the six enclosures. Enclosure #1 is free-standing. Enclosure #2 is attached to hillside. The two enclosures are on the same side of hill and form a pair of one large and one small. Enclosure #3 is attached to a stone wall. Enclosure #4 is attached to the same stone wall and to an ex-large boulder in its back wall. Each of these two enclosures has a cairn next to it. Enclosure #5 is small and attached to an outcrop. Enclosure #6 is large and attached to an outcrop. In each group is a pair of enclosures of which at least one has a back wall with an outcrop, large boulder or hillside. The back is not a simple stone wall. Two pairs have a large and small enclosure. |
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Sequencing the pairs of enclosures. The first set is enclosure #1 a simple unattached structure and enclosure #2 attached to the hillside. The second set is enclosure #3 and #4 attached to the same stone wall. In addition enclosure #4 is attached to an ex-large boulder. The third set is enclosure #5 and enclosure #6, both attached to outcrops. The sequence shows a progression from hillside to boulder to outcrop for the back wall of the enclosure. |
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The three pairs of enclosures show the same ceremony was slightly re-configured twice since the original. This means there were three versions of the same ceremony. It indicates this was a permanent site and a long term site. |
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Layout |
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Single Area Ceremonial Site |
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There are no natural or man-made features to indicate what ceremony took place here. The large cairns indicate ordinary people participated and the small cairns indicate shamans participated. The large and small cairns are mixed indicating activity of different types took place within the same area. This was probably a once a year ceremony that repeatedly took place each year. The size of the large cairns suggest many years. |
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Multi-Area Ceremonial Sites |
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A natural spring on the south end indicates the Spring Water Spirit was the main focus of the ceremony. There are a large number of cairns on the ordinary people’s side. The actual number was not recorded because the island has not been mapped yet. However, the large number of cairns suggests the Native Americans visited the island over a long period of many years. |
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Fig. 36 - Hampstead NH Site Layout |
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b) In Hampstead, NH’s Town Forest there are numerous small cairn fields. Each cairn field has its own characteristics. Within the greater area there is a set of two cairn fields that work in unison with each other. Each area is confined within stone walls that are adjacent but clearly separate from each other. Area B has one split-stone cairn, a standing stone in the stone wall near entrance that stands slightly above the wall, and a standing stone slab three feet high with a V notch in another stone wall enclosing the area. The rest of the area is now wooded land primarily without surface stones. Area A has five split-stone cairns, two small cairns on base stones, several boulders without cairns, two on ground cairns with a piece of white quartz on top, and a specialized structure. Two of the split-stone cairns appear to have slabs pried apart to create these two split-stone cairns. One of the split-stone cairns has five stones on top of one side and no fill in the split. One split-stone cairn is exposed bedrock with splits and small stones placed in a single layer on top with the splits left open. The other split-stone cairn is a large split boulder with a large quantity of stone fill. The specialized structure is an unusual niche and spirit portal. A large barrel shaped boulder was separated from its base and laid on its side on top of a layer of stone paving. Under one end of the boulder the earth was scooped out to create a depression with an open space creating a niche and Underworld spirit po |