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NUMBER 89 135
FIGURE 4.—Bones of the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). a, broken
and healed distal part of ulna, b, broken and healed tibiotarsus, c, lateral and d,
ventral views of the upper part of a cranium showing clear evidence of having
been cut. (Scale=3 cm.)
noted that eagles were kept to provide feathers for arrows
(Aristov, 1866). In some California Indian tribes, birds of prey
were used as decoys for hunting eagles; this also was a ritual
event among the Great Plains Indians (Parmalee, 1977b). Remains
of Golden and Bald Eagles {Haliaeetus leucocephalus
(Linnaeus)) were discovered in 60% of 51 Arikara tribe sites in
South Dakota and constituted 9% of the bone remains from
these sites (Parmalee, 1977b).
Golden and Bald Eagles, along with other birds of prey, still
play important roles in Great Plains Indian material and spiritual
culture, as they have in the past. They were, and are, represented
in rock art, ledger art, and all types of decoration. They
form integral components of legends and visions. Archaeological
sites specifically devoted to capturing eagles are known
throughout the North American Great Plains (L.W Rom, pers.
comm., 1997).
Many Siberian people worshipped eagles, and some of them
call March the month of the Eagle. Eagles were associated with
the sun god, were equated with the sun god, or were the sun's
owner, or creator. The eagle was the supreme god, the benefactor
of individuals, peoples, or clans, or a bird of fortune (Sternberg,
1925:718). In the Urges tribe of the Ob' River, the totem-
ic cult of the eagle was linked to the image of the soul-bird (the
fourth soul of a person), which dwelled in the hair (Chernetsov,
1959; Kosarev, 1981). Sculptural images of eagles are very
common on kitchenware and cult weapons from the Ust' Poluisk
site. They are engraved on combs, buckles, suspenders,
spoons, klevtsy (ritual axes), and knives (Moshinskaya, 1953;
Chernetsov, 1953). Among 12 bone carvings of birds found at
the site in 1935-1936, nine were eagles. Six of the carved eagles,
on combs and bone tools, are depicted sitting on and
pecking either a moose head or the head of another stylized
bird having a heavy beak. Two other artifacts have stylized
pecking eagles, and one has a stylized eagle with outstretched
wings (Adrianov, MSb, figs. 2, 3, 18, 51, 70, 176, 177, 190,
260). Chernetsov (1953) believed that forest hunters of the Ob'
River basin, who practiced the cult of moose or bear, later
adapted the eagle cult from the south-steppe Skiph-Sarmatian
tribes who inhabited the steppe zone north to the Kama River
basin.
The bird from the sun, "Kars" (eagle), was the most important
part of worship dedicated to the "Upper" world. This worship
is very ancient and is believed to have originated in India
or southern Iran (Sternberg, 1925; Chernetsov, 1947). Kars,
from heaven, was believed to be seated in a sacred tree, where
the sun and the moon grew. In Siberia this tree was either a
birch or a larch (Sternberg, 1925).
Chernetsov (1959) observed the initiation procedure in the
clan of the Winged Old Man (Eagle) of the Urges in the Ob'
River region. According to his account, young men that had
reached the age of initiation walked to a special, sacred place
where they climbed a sacred tree, home of the clan's "winged"
ancestor. In the twentieth century the Urges from Ob' perform
a similar ritual, but without a real bird in the tree; however, perhaps
in their shamanistic past there was a live eagle in the tree.
The eagle, as a totem bird, was considered untouchable by
many Siberian peoples. Yakuts buried dead eagles, and a community
member who killed an eagle by mistake was expected
to roast it on a fire and eat all but its head (Sternberg,
1925:723). This possibly explains why there were so many
skulls of eagles at the Ust' Poluisk site.
Conclusions
The species composition of the bird-fauna remains collected
at the Ust' Poluisk settlement indicates more favorable environmental
conditions in that area and a warmer climate at the
time of deposition, ca. 400-100 BC, than at present. This conclusion
is supported by findings at the site of remains of forestanimal
species with ranges that now stop at the timberline,
which is south of the site. Avifaunal remains indicate that settlement
inhabitants hunted fatty and/or meaty birds that could
have been obtained easily, like grouse and waterfowl, as well
as birds of ritual importance. The latter included eagles, which
were hunted or which might have been kept alive at the settlement,
as evidenced by healed, broken eagle bones. Additional