Prescription Stick
CulturePotawatomi, Wiconsin or Kansas
Dateca. 1850
MediumWood
DimensionsOverall: 18 1/16 × 2 1/2 inches (45.88 × 6.35 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Donald D. Jones
Object number2001.3.74
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 208
Collections
DescriptionA rectangular piece of wood engraved on both surfaces with stick figures of trees, plants, and possibly bushes.Gallery LabelA healer, who could have been either a man or woman, consulted these prescription sticks as memory aids in preparing herbal medicines. The edges of both sides of each flat panel are delicately incised with linear pictographs that represent distinct plant species. While not a formal written language, the images were clearly understood by the maker or others taught to interpret them. Groups of plants that would have been combined in complex formulas are separated by either incised dots or rectangular, X-filled bars.
Torrence, Gaylord, ed. Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
F91-77/9 A
F91-77/9 B
2018.72.50
See also/See also