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May 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 31/05/2010 6:15 PM Page 34 34 The Skull of Doom The Skull of Doom Continued from Page 33 Frederick A. Mitchell-Hedges began an association with a California art dealer named Frank Dorland in the 1950s to promote and sell an icon he called the Black Virgin of Kazan, which later turned out to be a copy. Anna Mitchell-Hedges continued this relationship after her father died in 1959, ultimately agreeing to Dorland’s proposal to “launch a program about the [crystal] Skull and get your price” (11/25/1963). A number of wildly speculative publications resulted from this promotion. One, Phrenology (1970), suggested the skull had belonged to the Knights Templar and was taken to British Honduras by Mitchell- Hedges. Another, Ambrose Bierce, F.A. Mitchell-Hedges and the Crystal Skull (1973), claimed that Bierce, a journalist who disappeared in Mexico in 1913, and Mitchell- Hedges had stolen the skull when they were both fighting alongside Pancho Villa. Later, Dorland hired the novelist Richard Garvin to write The Crystal Skull that had Anna Mitchell- Hedges herself discovering the skull inside of a Maya pyramid at Lubanntun. Eventually, I believe that Anna attempted to legitimize this object through its exhibition in a respected - The Boban Collection; Antiquities, Curios and Indian (MAI) Records, Box 138, Folder #32 and museum—the Museum of the American Indian. Coins. 1886 Box 276, folder 11 The correspondence between Frederick - Digby, A., “Comments on the Morphological - Burney, S., Letter to the director of the Dockstader, director of the Museum of the Comparison of Two Crystal Skulls,” Man A American Museum of Natural History American Indian, and Anna Mitchell-Hedges Monthly Record of Anthropological Science, 36 (AMNH), 2/17/1930 clearly demonstrates how the process of (1936), pp. 107-109 legitimizing objects with potential mass appeal - Gann, T., Mystery Cities; Explorations and Newspaper accounts but dubious authenticity and provenience Adventure in Lubaantun. 1927 - Art Newspaper, various editions, 2007 works. In their letters, each seemed to flatter the - Maya Cities; A Record of Exploration and - Atlanta Constitution, “Dorothy Copp Mitchell- other to achieve their own separate, though Adventure in Middle America. 1928 Hedges…legal separation” (5/8/1938), “My similar, ends: to increase visitation to the - Garvin, R., The Crystal Skull. 1973 Mad Honeymoon in a Jungle Inferno” museum and to enhance the status of the crystal - K., H., “South Sea Mystery” (review of J. (4/11/1938) skull. McLaren, The Crystal Skull), Globe newspaper, - Bournemouth Echo, “The Skull with an Evil Despite the Museum of the American 1936 Eye” (3/31/1949) Indian director’s long-held suspicions about the - Houlson, J., Blue Blaze. 1934 - Bournemouth Times & Directory, “An skull, not to mention the warnings from well- - Leek, S., Phrenology. 1970 Explorer's Home” (4/23/1921) meaning colleagues, the Mitchell-Hedges skull - McLaren, J., The Crystal Skull, pp. 278- 438 - New York Times, letter to editor by H.W. was, in fact, exhibited in New York for an in Four Thrilling Adventure Novels. 1936 Durham (7/31/1932), “Boys battle sharks, extended run. That exhibition endowed the skull - Marsden, J., “Skullduggery 2: A Tale of Two Capture 11-footer” (8/26/1936), “Lady with a legitimacy that it had not had previously. Fellows,” The Linnean 23:2 (2007), pp. 23-27 Richmond Brown, noted explorer, 63” Following the exhibition and the publication of - Mitchell-Hedges, F., Danger My Ally. 1954 (10/5/1946) the Garvin book in 1973, the Skull of Doom’s - Land of Wonder and Fear. 1931 owner launched her long career as keeper of the - Morant, G., “A Morphological Comparison of ABOUT THE AUTHOR ever more mysterious object, whose Two Crystal Skulls,” Man A Monthly Record of extraordinary powers, like her father’s claims Anthropological Science, 36 (1936), pp. 105- Jane MacLaren Walsh is an anthropologist at the and collections, grew and grew and grew. 107 Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of In Danger My Ally, Frederick Mitchell- - Richmond Brown, M., Unknown Tribes Natural History. Using her expertise in Mexican Hedges warned that the skull was “the Uncharted Seas. 1924 archaeological collections, she is seeking to embodiment of all evil” and that “several people - Sax, M., J.M. Walsh, I.C. Freestone, A. understand how museum collections are who have cynically laughed at it have died, Rankin, and N.D. Meeks, “The origin of two formed, and what artifacts, including fake others have been stricken and become seriously quartz crystal skulls and pre-Columbian artifacts, can tell us about the evolution of our ill” (1954: p. 240). Clearly, we should not lapidary technology,” Journal of Archaeological knowledge and understanding of other cultures. believe everything we read, and, ultimately, we Science 35:10 (2008), pp. 2751-2760 must be brave and tell the truth. The Mitchell- - Thompson, J., Maya Archaeologist. 1963 Hedges crystal skull is not ancient; not even - Walsh, J., “Crystal Skulls and Other The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show very old. It was probably made in Europe in the Problems,” pp. 116-139 in A. Henderson and A. with 20th century, and was not polished for five Kaeppler, eds, Exhibiting Dilemmas; Issues of generations. It is not powerful, not scary and not Representation at the Smithsonian, 1997 Rob McConnell at all what it purports to be. - “The Dumbarton Oaks Tlazolteotl; Looking Beneath the Surface,” Journal de la Société des www.xzoneradiotv.com References"The Skull of Doom" Americanistes vol: number (2008), pp. XX-XX and the all new Books and journal articles Archival Records ‘X’ Zone Store - Boban, E., Catalogue D'ouvrages - National Museum of the American Indian Scientifiques. 1881 (NMAI) Archives, Museum of the American www.xzonestore.com