Around 100 B.C. the Hopewell people settled in the northern woodlands. By the first century A.D. their culture had flourished, influencing a wide area as far as the lower Mississippi. The society of the Hopewell, as well as other tribes, were essentially hierarchical--comprising a chief, ruling elite and high ranking shamans; all of whom required specialized objects for domestic and ritual use. This beautiful sickle was intended as a ceremonial tool, perhaps used to "duplicate" in ceremony the larger axes used in battle or agriculture. This impliment takes the form of a gentle arch with three protruding "blades." Its form and perfect balance attests to the carver's expertise in working with stone instruments. There is such elegance in this sickle it almost seems to be a result of an act of nature; though we can readily see the experienced hand of an artist who created something of power for the sake of his gods