User:Etta3t/sandbox

1. There is limited evidence of sea otter and Pinniped imagery in the coastal region of California spiritual practices, however there have been finds such as the ones in a Palmer-Redondo site in 1932 that indicate a connection between such imagery and ritual and belief.  Effigies shaped to resemble sea otters were found in the Redondo Beach site in Los Angeles County and are believed to have played any number of roles in the cultural practices. The items found at the site were two full body sea otter steatite carvings. These items could have been decorative or aesthetic pieces however they are believed to have been talismans or amulets, possessing spiritual essence or magic properties associated with good hunting or abundance in a species. (Koerper 2017)
2. An association of affluence from owning otter skin/pelts compared to the meat of the animal is also noted. In particular how the stone otter effigies contributed to the social organization of communities. This is suggested based on the interpretation that the pelt of the animal is the most desired part of the otter, thus the importance of having a full body effigy to indicate the importance of the otter’s fur. The presence of full body effigies in graves supports this idea of affluence in connection to the otter pelts. Social distinctions would likely be reflected in the differences in allocation of stone effigies in each grave, associating more stone effigies with higher social status.  (Koerper 2017)
3. Similar stone effigies have been found in the California coastal area, in the Palos Verdes Peninsula a stone object was found believed to be part of the Gabrielino/Tongva people. The object resembles the shape of a bird or potentially a porpoise-like creature. This is due to the distinctive hump and head that could be interpreted as a bird in flight or a porpoise showing its tail. The siltstone artifact may have started its cultural life as a manuport of some kind because of the similarities in shape to a bird or whale, but ultimately shows evidence of being shaped into its current form. Human manipulation of the rock is also evident from the perfectly placed midline on the effigy that is meant to indicate the object's center of gravity. When strung from this midline the effigy maintains a level horizontal position, potentially meant to mimic a bird in flight. (Koerper et al. 2016)