The literature and locations of the phoenix button

Abstract

Brass military buttons with the figure of a phoenix bird are reported with great regularity from the West Coast of the United States. In spite of the excellent previous research and published conclusions of Emory Strong, there is a wealth of misinformation still being published. The literature, including both historical data and speculation on the original source of the buttons as well as site reports listing such buttons, is assembled and summarized, essentially an annotated bibliography with locational maps, as an additional step in the analysis of these distinctive artifacts . A bipolar distribution -involving burial caches and body ornamentation on the lower Columbia River and use as buttons in mission sites of California -is suggested, but as yet there is a dearth of research tying the two areas together. New directions for additional research include locating unreported buttons, developing distributional studies, verifying the theories of origins, and determining trading patterns. IntroductionA brief summary of the current theory on the origin of the phoenix buttons is necessary for a clear understanding of the annotations and research questions being asked. Very briefly, the theory is that the buttons were made for Haitian troop uniforms during the reign of Christophe I (1811-1820). Strong (1975) has identified 3 types (flat buttons with only the bird, flat type with a cannon and mortar under the bird, and ball shaped buttons with only the bird), 3 styles (mainly differences in the flames and nest under the bird), 2 sizes (types I and II are 25 mm and 15 mm [1 in. and 0.6 in.], type III are 17 mm and 13 mm [0.7 in. and 0.5 in]), and 18 regimental numbers (1-10, 14, 20, and 25-30). On the basis of back marks found only on the largesize, ball-shaped buttons, it is assumed that all of them were made by Bushby of London. When Christophe committed suicide in 1820, the buttons became surplus and through some, as yet unknown, process were traded to Hawaii, up the Historical Archaeology, 1998,32(2):56-77. Permission to reprint required.

Unpacking the Bead: Exploring a Glass Bead Assemblage from Mission Santa Cruz, California, Using LA–ICP–MS

“…Excavating "Room 1" in the 1980s, archaeologists discovered a section of adobe wall (adobe bricks and clay roof tiles) that had toppled over, and below this feature (i.e., below 40 cm), they documented a hearth feature, numerous lithic tools, and shell beads (Figure 2). Excavating below a continuation of the same collapsed wall (i.e., below 40 cm) in an adjoining room ("Room 2"), archaeologists collected two phoenix buttons (terminus post quem [TPQ] of 1820) and hundreds of glass beads of various types (Edwards and Simpson-Smith 1985; Ryan and Edwards 2016Edwards -2017Sprague 1998). The association of glass beads with two phoenix buttons might suggest that a Yokuts family once occupied this room.…”

`Poor people in silk shirts'

“…Like those found in other areas of the site, these three are likely to have been sleeve or trouser fasteners, as their diameters range in size from 11.3 mm to 16.0 mm. One is plain; the smallest appears to be copper-plated, which would have given it a gold-colored appearance; and the third is a phoenix button (type I1s9), decorated with the characteristic bird rising from a burning nest (Sprague, 1998). The other two buttons recovered from the chapel area are small parts of buttons that were usually used as decorative buttons on elite men's clothing.…”