Seal depicts a Native American woman and man, representing the original inhabitants of the land. They stand aside a shield depicting a seated man with a container from which water flows, an allegorical representation of the Mississippi River. Below the feet of the Native Americans is an American Alligator, representing local wildlife. Top center is a circle of stars. The outer circle of 13 stars represent the original 13 founding States of the United States. Additional stars inside represent additional states since, with the central star representing Louisiana. The presence of 28 stars suggest engraving would be from 1846, when there were 28 states, unless the additional 6 stars on the outside are also intended to represent newer states, in which case the engraving would be 1861 - 1863. However sometime in the 19th century the original tradition of adding stars to the seal as new states were admitted to the Union was discontinued, and some period sources are inconsistent.