Snake Butte Turtle Effigy
"The effigy itself is made up of 60 stones, forming a turtle – complete with head, tail, four legs and a “medallion” in the middle – that is roughly 15 feet long and a bit under 13.5 feet wide..."
from: Historical group planning renovation for turtle effigy site -April 18, 2014. http://www.capjournal.com/news/historical-group-planning-renovation-for-turtle-effigy-site/article_0f49aea4-c6d0-11e3-be2a-0019bb2963f4.html
The outline of the stone serpent on Snake Butte was made clearer with a dusting of flour for this photo taken by the South Dakota Archaeological Society.
According to the Deloria family history, the rattlesnake effigy was already in place on the butte in 1831 when Saswe did his vision quest. Deloria says to the best of his knowledge, the origins of the mosaics are unknown. “Nobody I know in the scholarly world or the Indian worlds can say for certain how old they are or who made them or even why they made them.”
http://southdakotamagazine.com/mystery-mosaics
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