Oral Presentations and Performances: Session II
Project Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Nikki Manning
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Anthropology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
In 2016, UM faculty and students excavated a mummified cat, a girl's shoe, and a Civil War bayonet concealed within the structure of a late 19th century house. My research led me to discover that the intentional enclosure of certain objects considered to be magically protective into the walls or foundations of family dwellings is a longstanding practice found across the world, including in the northern European context from which the homeowners descended. Tracing the historical and archaeological record of so-called concealment or foundation rituals, I examined the continuities and changes in such practices from ancient northern European religions through Christianization. Montana's own history of supposedly non-standard religious and spiritual expressions are recorded in books, newspaper articles, and other historical documents from the time of the cat, shoe, and bayonet's depositions. These are synthesized with the family's own history and analyzed to posit interpretations of the Missoula case study. I hypothesize that these three objects may have been understood as living persons, whose concealment reinforced relationships with both home and spirit. Rather than isolated superstition, this deposit exemplifies the continuity of ancient religions and magical worldviews creatively adapted across time, frequently within Christian households. This study contributes to a growing body of scholarship exploring the evolution of European magico-religious traditions as they have been altered, reconstructed, and reaffirmed in new social environments.
Category
Humanities
The Cat, the Shoe, and the Bayonet: Kinship With Magically Concealed Items in a 19th Century Missoula Home
UC 330
In 2016, UM faculty and students excavated a mummified cat, a girl's shoe, and a Civil War bayonet concealed within the structure of a late 19th century house. My research led me to discover that the intentional enclosure of certain objects considered to be magically protective into the walls or foundations of family dwellings is a longstanding practice found across the world, including in the northern European context from which the homeowners descended. Tracing the historical and archaeological record of so-called concealment or foundation rituals, I examined the continuities and changes in such practices from ancient northern European religions through Christianization. Montana's own history of supposedly non-standard religious and spiritual expressions are recorded in books, newspaper articles, and other historical documents from the time of the cat, shoe, and bayonet's depositions. These are synthesized with the family's own history and analyzed to posit interpretations of the Missoula case study. I hypothesize that these three objects may have been understood as living persons, whose concealment reinforced relationships with both home and spirit. Rather than isolated superstition, this deposit exemplifies the continuity of ancient religions and magical worldviews creatively adapted across time, frequently within Christian households. This study contributes to a growing body of scholarship exploring the evolution of European magico-religious traditions as they have been altered, reconstructed, and reaffirmed in new social environments.