Stone Phallic Fetish, Prehistoric Columbia River, WA

Columbia River, Washington State

Prehistoric or early historic | Stone | Item 1576

This is an intriguing object. The dark, green stone, which may be serpentine, is shaped as a phallus with a clear head at the top. A deeply set band circles the piece at its widest point in the center. There is a large hole drilled in the lower portion in the center that connects to a deep, thin line that goes to the base on both sides. The object is also fish like, with a tail at its lower end. It has been suggested that this could have been worn around the waist with a string through the hole that would allow the phallus to be pulled vertical, as in a fertility dance that shows the phallus going erect. This is certainly a long shot interpretation but worth mentioning.