Raccoon Baculum whittled as a Pendant

This raccoon baculum, or penis bone, has a groove near one end. This groove suggests that a cord was once tied around the object, probably to form a necklace. Male raccoons are known for their sexual aggression, which means this object may have been a fertility symbol. This object was recovered archaeologically from the House for Families at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. It was 3D scanned with a NextEngine Desktop 3D scanner in the archaeology laboratory at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.