Wray Figurine

This cast is a replica of a stone sculpture found in Newark, Ohio, in 1881 by workmen digging the foundation for a building. The original figure was carved from a piece of limonitic schist, weighing about 1-1/2 pounds, whose natural bright yellow color had weathered to a rich red-brown. It was sculpted by an artisan of the Hopewell culture, a group of prehistoric Indians who lived in southern Ohio from approximately 100 B.C. until A.D. 500.

The human figurine is seated with its legs extended slightly. The person is shown wearing a bear skin complete with the animal's skull resting on the wearer's head. The skin of the bear's legs appears to have been made into sleeves and leggings through which the wearer has inserted his arms and legs. The bear's claws are clearly visible where the human's lap while he steadies the bulky bear head with his left hand. The human is wearing circular ear ornamnets identical to the copper earspools that Hopewell people frequently wore.