Ancient Bobcat buried like a human

news.sciencemag.org...

About 2000 years ago, a city of mound builders, specifically the Hopewell culture, gave this Bobcat a high honor. It was buried like a human and with a necklace of bear teeth and shells.

Was this an attempt at domestication, a special one off case? Obviously we can't ask them, but any record of attempts at domestication are note worthy in their own right, but something about this cat was special.

The article goes on to describe how even dogs, while often buried, we're not afforded the same place of honor as this cat. Someone of status in their society decided this animal deserved special recognition.

To mistake the skull of a bobcat for a puppy is an intellectually deficient examination.

But this is no place for my hubris...

Great find.
I'm guessing domestication attempt as well as a spiritual bond.

a reply to: Midnight4444

So big cats had a developed culture with burial rights and jewelry, huh?



I thought it needed something different than 'aliens'.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Well, that wouldn't be my go to explanation, but this is ATS, so I'm willing to entertain your cultured cat hypothesis.

I tend to think that perhaps someone killed the mother cat and felt bad for the kitten. Maybe the cat protected a loved one, or they felt a spiritual connection to the animal, lord knows I've been there.

If you have any other evidence for sentient big cats in the Americas, please share!

Perhaps a shapechanging witch. Whether or not the bobcat was actually the witch in question is up for debate; the celebrants thought it was though.

a reply to: Unresponsible

That is awesome! I tend to forget that while European cultures tended to look down on the metaphysical, others around the world afforded honors to those thought to possess such abilities.

Someone may have thought that the cat was the feline incarnation of a mystic or a representative for a deity.

Way to challenge my mundane thought processes.

a reply to: Midnight4444

well, maybe not the Americas.

But cats obviously subjugated the Egyptian empire and placed themselves in a God class to be worshipped.. The high priestess was their version of "crazy cat lady".

In all seriousness....the find is interesting, because bobcats are not typically known to be domesticated. The saying, "madder than a sack of bobcats" isn't just superfluous hyperbole. But I would presume that either the cat was a companion or symbolic value to someone. Or, like you allude to, the burial was a act of contrition. For the latter, it would give insight into how they viewed their place in the world.

Im native american, it's amazing instead of just asking natives about there beliefs etc everyone is guessing in the mindset of
basically, european culture! In times of getting into the mindset of other cultures, you must think like a native not like an American in the year 2015. (Duh)

Here are some of my guesses. My first guess could be that it was a sacred being, like for an example a White Buffalo, could have been a White Bobcat for all we know.

The other thought that came to mind is that it could have represented this tribes particular "clan", they could have been from
the Bobcat clan and as a way of honoring there ancestors and spirit helpers they would bury this young, wild/domesticated cat.

Food for thought from an actual Native!

a reply to: scottytoohotty712

I'm native British. Albion is one of the old names for our island. We lived closely with our relatives the cats. Some still do but they usually keep it very quiet.
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Maybe the cat ate an important member of the tribe,
and they decided that they became "one" in that event, or something.
Heaven knows, belief systems can go all kinds of ways.

Perhaps they feared that cat,
and fell into worshipping it as a deity.


I just thought of that remembering this antique doll my mother had, which was really scary looking (with little teeth and everything); I used to put bandaids on it's torn parts, bring it food, place it in a confortable position, keep it warm, because I was so afraid it might kill me in the night if I didn't.

Forget a special cat, this is the work of an ancient cat lady.

a reply to: Midnight4444

Could it be someone just loved this cat? I myself have done some odd stuff for wild animals.

originally posted by: scottytoohotty712
Im native american, it's amazing instead of just asking natives about there beliefs etc everyone is guessing in the mindset of
basically, european culture! In times of getting into the mindset of other cultures, you must think like a native not like an American in the year 2015. (Duh)

Here are some of my guesses. My first guess could be that it was a sacred being, like for an example a White Buffalo, could have been a White Bobcat for all we know.

The other thought that came to mind is that it could have represented this tribes particular "clan", they could have been from
the Bobcat clan and as a way of honoring there ancestors and spirit helpers they would bury this young, wild/domesticated cat.

Food for thought from an actual Native!

You are correct that I value your opinion on this issue. I didn't ask a native, because I don't know any and it never occurred to me to drive a few hundred miles to the nearest enclave to ask about a bobcat that has been dead for 2000 years.

Should I have entitled my thread "natives please answer me a question?" I imagine that would have earned your ire.

Additionally I'm not qualified to answer questions about the mindset of Europeans 2000 years ago, so I don't believe that a modern descendant of native peoples is somehow in a great place to make assumptions about a 2000 year old mindset. Just because TV wants me to believe that native Americans are magic, doesn't mean I believe it. Assigning native Americans magic powers always seemed mildly racist to me.

It has been dead for 2000 years?
Good kitty!

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan

In all seriousness....the find is interesting, because bobcats are not typically known to be domesticated.

Bobbies are one of the most easily domesticated "wild animals" there are. You get a bob as a kitten, you have a buddy for life. The only real issue is that bobs won't use litter boxes and like to poop on the back of the couch.

However, they stay your buddy as an adult bob, can be socialized to other people and animals with very little work as a kitten, and aren't particularly destructive, other than that "I'm going to crap and pee whereever the urge hits" thing.

a reply to: Bedlam

i've never been known to stand within 20 feet of a bobcat without having a gun drawn. I like my face intact, thank you.

a reply to: Bedlam that is true, when I was younger, there was a man who had a pet bobcat and would walk iton a leash at the park on weekends. It was pretty good size, around 40lb and even the meanest dogs would back down when that cat arched up and got his hackles all up and started growling.

I would hazard a guess that the kitten was an adopted orphan, and was thought to be an auspicious omen, and was buried with the according honors.
This might also be a sign of the early incursion of meso-americans into the mound building cultures.

Someone long ago loved that cat and you can be sure it was a member of the tribe.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: Bedlam

i've never been known to stand within 20 feet of a bobcat without having a gun drawn. I like my face intact, thank you.

I wanted one real bad but the folks put their feet down on the bobcat issue. Did have some 'coons and a pet squirrel.

The neighbors had a bob, he was a lot of fun. But like everyone else I knew that tried it, you just can't litter box train 'em. Bobs don't bury their scat and don't "get" litter boxes, and they also like to drop it where it can be admired by all, in practice they tend to do it on the couch back. A wild bob will do it right in the middle of a road, or on top of a tree stump. There's some sort of "Behold my poop!" thing with bobbies.

a reply to: Bedlam

My coworker had a pet raccoon, about 40lbs..very smart, you could never ever let him see where the food came from..lol. You would see the coon and dog together all the time, he would cruise around with the dog holding on to his tail