TURTLES IN ROCK ART – THE HORNED TURTLE:

Horned Turtle petroglyph, Jeffers Petroglyph site, Minnesota. Photograph Peter Faris, 1993.

In Native American mythology the turtle plays many roles. Because of the protection afforded by the shell of the turtle he is often associated with warfare. Turtle was also seen as a source of warrior power since he carries his shield with him everywhere he goes.

Horned Turtle petroglyph, Jeffers Petroglyph site, Minnesota. Internet photograph, public domain.

At the Jeffers Petroglyph Site in Minnesota there is a very interesting image of a turtle with bison-like horns. In prehistoric vertebrate fossils a distinctly horned giant turtle was found in Australia. This creature was named Meiolaniidae and dated from the Pleistocene. Also, a South American horned turtle named Niolamia dates from the Cretaceous and Eocene; and Crossochelys was found in the South American Eocene. Unfortunately I could find no North American examples of horned turtles so the inspiration for this petroglyph is very unlikely to have been fossil remains.  

Horned turtle shield, provenance unknown. Photograph Housatonic Trading Company.

Horned turtle shield, p. 83, Afton, Jean, David Fridtjof, and Andrew E. Masich,1997, Cheyenne Dog Soldiers, Colorado Historical Society, Denver, Colorado.

At this time I have also been unable to locate references in Native American mythology to a horned turtle. I believe, however, that we can assume that if nothing else the addition of bison-like horns indicates a spiritual significance for the recipient. This assumption is backed up by images that I have located of three shields (one Arapaho and two possibly Cheyenne or Lakota) decorated with horned turtle subjects.

Arapaho horned turtle shield cover, 1850, Feder, American Indian Art, 1982, Harry N. Abrans, New York.

As we know that the decoration of a shield is generally spiritually significant, and is intended to lend the power of this spiritually significant subject to the warrior who possesses the shield, these suggest to me that the horned turtle does indeed have spiritual significance. Among Plains tribes the umbilical cord of a boy was often retained in a small turtle shaped amulet decoratively painted or beaded. Thomas Mails (1991) stated “Buffalo headdresses often had turtle designs painted on them or had small beaded turtle effigies appended to them.” (Mails 1991: 292)

Buffalo horned headdress with turtle amulet on top. Mails, Thomas E., 1991, Mystic Warriors of the Plains, copyright Thomas Mails, Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

This turtle effigy was indeed the umbilical cord amulet according to Mails. “When the child began to walk, the amulet was attached to his clothing to serve as a constant reminder of its purpose. Therefore, a child of five or six was known as a ‘carry your navel’. Sometimes the turtle was put away later on and other times it was kept by the mother. A boy often tied it to the left shoulder of his shirt, and then transferred ti to his buffalo-horned headdress if he became a renowned warrior.” (Mails 1991: 512) This suggests a connection between the turtle and buffalo horns for a “renowned warrior”. Given the examples of horned turtles on the Plains shields also providing a warfare context for the theme, I assume that the petroglyph of the horned turtle at the Jeffers Petroglyph Site has a martial implication, possibly the signature (in the form of a name glyph) of some renowned warrior.

 NOTE: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

Afton, Jean, David Fridtjof, and Andrew E. Masich,1997, Cheyenne Dog Soldiers, Colorado Historical Society, Denver, Colorado

Mails, Thomas E., 1991, Mystic Warriors of the Plains, copyright Thomas Mails, Barnes and Noble Books, New York.