Rock Pile Turtle Site

From Keith Hamburger:
This site is next to a stream. There are 20 or more rock piles here. Many of the smaller ground piles are covered by dense leaf mold. There are 3 large boulder supported rock piles. Every rock on these piles has quartz in them. Some are pure quartz and some have quartz veins. There are ground piles that are made up of all quartz vein rocks, whereas some piles are absent of any quartz. One ground pile i found looks made of up all pure white quartz rocks. The amount of quartz used at this site is amazing. All the piles here glow bright white, the photos do no justice.

 

 

 

 

The big discovery at this site is an amazing, beautiful preserved turtle effigy. It is an unmistakable, perfect likeness of a (snapping) turtle.

 

 

I could not believe my eyes! It was the feeling like finding a lost treasure, this was a very thrilling moment! The details, curves and likeness of a profiled turtle are truly incredible and 100% exact in all the details leaving no doubt this is a turtle. The circular curves of its eye, the raised brow are, the beaked nose, the neck, and the chin curves are all perfect. 

 

 

 

It must have been an enhanced rock with some partial chipping to do this. I am going with the assumption that there is some evidence of pecking. It photographs beautifully! Either carved, enhanced, or natural, it must have taken a lot of work to be able for the to have located this rock and to make it a turtle head. It is an amazing piece of Native American sacred ceremonial artwork and commands power by its presence here.  The turtle effigy here makes a strong connection between all the other rock piles, surely making a stronger point that the Natives built these piles for certain. This site helps confirm, and strengthen the connection between the Indians and the ceremonial turtle, and the use of quartz. This site must have been an important ceremonial place. Notice the rock holding the head, it has a quartz vein. The head is in a fragile position, resting and balancing on a few rocks. Miraculously it's still in its original position as placed there by ancient hands, how it lasted through antiquity in this position is miraculous. Looking at this turtle rock is like looking into the distant past.

  The head is 24" long at the face area. The body and carapace is covered with a deep layer of leaved making me wonder what other features are under there. I can feel rocks around the turtle under the leaves, possibly being it's feet?.  There appears a shallow concave dish shaped area on top of the head near the nose, possibly natural or man made. The Turtle face East and is in straight alignment with 8 other interesting zoomorphic shaped smaller piles for 50 feet.

Enjoy