Decades of Research on Native American Headpots Fill New Book from University of Arkansas Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In 1981, James F. Cherry began a quest to find any and every existing Native American headpot, a rare and mysterious pottery formed in the shape of a human head, from the Mississippian Indian Culture. The quest took him to museums throughout the country, including the Smithsonian, the Gilcrease in Tulsa and the Museum of Natural History in New York. He researched the collections at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Tennessee and Southern Illinois University, made use of the University of Arkansas Museum, and studied many private collections. For over 25 years, he followed up on any headpot lead that presented itself.

Though the headpots are now scattered all over the country, they were originally found almost exclusively in a small region of Arkansas and Missouri. Cherry’s new book, The Headpots of Northeast Arkansas and Southern Pemiscot County, Missouri (cloth, $59.95), gathers all known headpots together in a comprehensive catalog of these vessels.

Relatively little is known about headpots, which were produced by two groups the Spanish called the Casqui and Pacaha and dating circa AD 1400-1700. Many questions remain regarding whether they portrayed kinsmen or enemies, the living or dead, and if they were used in ceremonies, in daily life, or exclusively for the sepulcher.

Cherry, an avocational archaeologist and retired physician, thanks his wife and children in the dedication of his book for “enduring many hours of patiently waiting in numerous museums.” All these years later, the resulting book, which includes over 800 color photographs, is the result of Cherry’s obvious diligence and love of the subject. According to F. Kent Reilly, an archaeologist at Texas State University, “This splendid new volume makes not only an important contribution to the art history and archaeology of ancient native American cultures in eastern North America but provides archaeologists, art historians, museum professionals and general researchers with a full catalog of this specific ceramic genre.” Reilly continues, “I am certain this book will remain seminal to the field for many years to come.”

Jeffrey M. Mitchem of the Arkansas Archeological Survey is also highly impressed with the book and the obvious dedication behind it, calling it “a monumental work, absolutely essential for researchers working in the Mississippi Valley and beyond.”

Headpots provides a number of special features, including a Foreword by Robert C. Mainfort of the Arkansas Archeological Survey; an appendix of reproductions; drawings of hair patterns, eye surrounds, and facial patterns; several maps illustrating geographical distributions; a list of dates and finders of the headpots; and a bibliography, index and glossary. These special features, combined with the photos and supported by generous amounts of narrative describing the archaeological context and the story of each headpot, make Cherry’s new book the definitive source for understanding the complete range and variation of these artifacts.

Cherry will be appearing in the fall at the Arkansas Library Association meeting in Hot Springs and at the Parkin Archaeological State Park. Details on these two events and others will be announced at http://www.uapress.com at a later date.