Featured Help Identifying Fraternal Symbols on Carved Horn

I purchased this in a thrift store in Palm Springs. It was brought in with quite a few
native items. It measures 6.5".

There is an eagle with four flags, one has 12 stars, one has 13, and the eagle has 4 arrows in its talons. There is an odd, triangular, shape that may be an Odd Fellows encampment tent, and there are two clasped hands with glory rays. One of the hands has six fingers. I'd love to know if these are symbols associated with a secret society or fraternal order.

Any information is welcome. Thank you!

Larger photos here: https://imgur.com/a/MZ9rhM6.

 

I see 4 fingers & a thumb on the front hand in the fede symbol. There is a space between the forefinger & middle finger that kind of reads as another finger.

Maybe commemorates a peace treaty between US government (13 stars) & a Native American confederation represented by 12 stars? The eagle carries arrows, but also a branch that is probably meant to be an olive branch, for peace. I'm just riffing here.

 

As you know, clasped hands can be another Odd Fellows symbol. What other types of items did it come in with? They might add context.

Debora

 

Great question! I saw two framed boxes containing arrowheads and a pipe. Apparently there was an object with hair and skin -- probably not a scalp, but... And there were native drawings. It was an interesting grouping.

 

And in what state was this in?

Debora

 

The image of the two hands embracing is sometimes used by Odd Fellows but it’s not exclusive to Odd Fellows. Many fraternal groups used that symbol. There are no other symbols that would indicate it was from the Odd Fellows. Their main symbol is the Three Links, three interlocking links of a chain. Without that main symbol it’s definitely not an Odd Fellows piece.

And if you are now thinking 'wow, I never expected this guy to know such things about this subject', I can tell you that you were right not to expect that...
I copied this answer from reddit

 

I think this

could also be a star, making it another total of 13 (visible) stars

 

Can you go back and buy the remaining items ?

 

@komokwa @2manybooks

 

the carving is nice enuf , for a talented amateur , but with no end caps , or hardware , or inscriptions , I can't venture a guess on when or where it was made.
The cow horn looks old and weathered.......but I can't say any more with certainty..

 

That was my first impression, with the eagle, flags and spears and clasped hands. But then fraternities and the like are not generally known overhere, so not my go-to 'thing'.

 

The imagery does seem to suggest a commemoration of some sort of friendship pact. But any official government gift would have been more skillfully engraved.

Scrimshaw, on horn or whale's tooth, has frequently been reproduced (faked) because of its potential value. Based on what I can see in your photos, it looks like the horn may have been significantly degraded before the engraving was added, (although I also see evidence of later, fresher damage by dermestid beetles). It wants to be an antique powder horn, but genuine powder horns would have been worked when the horn was relatively fresh and polished smooth.

The other items in the collection could also point to later reproductions. Many types Native American artifacts have been reproduced, including arrowheads and pipes.

 

Great seal of the US, obverse & reverse:

 

This makes so much more sense, thank you!

 

Southern California, near Palm Springs. The thrift shops here are amazing because seniors retire here with their collections-- so it really could have come from anywhere.

 

Ha -- yes, I did ask the Odd Fellows reddit if they recognized the symbols and they were very helpful. I came here to ask if anyone recognized them as part of a different fraternity, order or society. There were so many.

 

I'll keep checking back for other items from the collection -- especially if I can determine that this is an antique and not an old horn recently carved.

 

I noticed the texture as well. I wonder if that could have happened after it was carved -- do smooth horns become crusty like this? There is a portion of the horn that is smooth, but that's not where they carved. I looked for areas where the carving sat on top of damage, which would indicate fresh carving on an old horn, and did find a few spots. What do you think?

 

I was going to suggest that you look for areas like that. It looks like the ink ran into the damaged area, which would indicate the engraving was added to a "crusty" horn.



Raw horn, as it comes from the animal, can be quite rough like your example, which is why it was usually smoothed and polished before being decorated and used. I suspect whoever created your piece thought the roughness, whether from age or lack of preparation, made it look older.

 

It looks like new work on an old horn to me. Some of it even looks like it was pressed into the surface rather than inscribed, and the inking just looks new. I don't know enough about these to offer a valuable opinion, but the things I mentioned would be red flags for me. This is something I'd've looked closely at, but I wouldn't've bought it.