Possible Indigenous Stonework in Jericho

A Cairn-Like Stone Assemblage in the Vermont Woods

A Cairn-like Stone Assemblage in Jericho, Vermont. Photo by Mike Luoma.

A few years back, when he was Deputy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Narragansett Tribe, Ceremonial Stone Landscape authority Doug Harris would often point out that, since we are not in Ireland nor Scotland, the term “Cairn” is incorrect when applied to the cairn-like stone assemblages of possible Indigenous origin in what’s now Northeastern North America. Instead, Indigenous terms should apply.

The Stone Assemblage in Jericho, Vermont. Photo by Mike Luoma.

In other states, Indigenous researchers have provided Indigenous terms for sacred Indigenous stonework. I am as of yet unaware of any Western Abenaki terms for the stonework, though the terms would likely be similar to Algonquian-based terms used further south.

In the absence of local terminology, when I find these in Vermont, I call them “Cairn-like Stone Assemblages,” which I hope is merely descriptive and not attributional. There were three of them together in this Jericho, Vermont location. And they do not appear to be cairns in a European sense.

Take a closer look at this one. I’ve included video so that you can if so inclined. Follow the lines of the coursework, the rows of stones, and you’ll find that they are not in even rows at all. They dive and wind around the form, sometimes diagonally, like the piling coils of a serpent. This could be a Serpent Effigy Form. There are also larger stones deliberately placed among the others, and towards the base, perhaps as heads, which leads to speculation it could also be a Turtle form.

Terminology does matter, and not just out of concern for cultural sensitivity. At a glance, this stone assemblage certainly might appear similar to a European Cairn, but up close one sees that it’s actually not built like one at all - the intention and design both are apparently different. Calling it a Cairn can obscure these important stylistic and structural differences and can impact one’s perception of details.

This is a new discovery, but if you’re curious about this subject you can read about the first two years of my stone site investigations in my recent book Ancient Stone Mysteries of New England (https://ancientstonemysteries.com/The-Book/).