This object is on permanent display in the South Florida People & Environments exhibit, located in the “Native American Legacy” gallery.
Story
This is a painting of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, which is now an extinct species. It was painted about 1,200 years ago by Indians who lived on present-day Marco Island. Woodpeckers are revered by many southeastern Indian people because of their roles in origin stories and as symbols of war. This painted plaque was discovered in 1896 by Smithsonian archaeologist Frank Cushing in a muck site that had preserved wood and other objects that would normally rot away.
Bill Marquardt
Curator, South Florida Archaeology & Ethnography
Director, Randell Research Center
Florida Museum of Natural History
Summary
Plaque with Painted Woodpecker
From Collier Co., Florida
Dates to ~AD 650-750
Exhibit Area