Joshua and the Stones of Remembrance

Other than the Shoham Stones, there is only one other place in Tanach that there is reference to stones serving as a remembrance, and in that instance, identically to the Avnei Shoham, it is also used in the context of "זִכָּרֹן, לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל".  The following is from Joshua 4:7, referencing the mysterious 12 stones removed from the Jordan River at the time of the splitting of the Jordan:

ז  וַאֲמַרְתֶּם לָהֶם, אֲשֶׁר נִכְרְתוּ מֵימֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן מִפְּנֵי אֲרוֹן בְּרִית-יְהוָה--בְּעָבְרוֹ בַּיַּרְדֵּן, נִכְרְתוּ מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן; וְהָיוּ הָאֲבָנִים הָאֵלֶּה לְזִכָּרוֹן, לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--עַד-עוֹלָם.

This entire story in Joshua 4 is very interesting and cryptic.  The following is the english translation of 4:1 through 4:11, referencing the 12 stones removed from the Jordan River, and the additional 12 stones placed in the Jordan River by Joshua:

1 And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying:

2 'Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

3 and command ye them, saying: Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood, twelve stones made ready, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man;

5 and Joshua said unto them: 'Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel;

6 that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying: What mean ye by these stones?

7 then ye shall say unto them: Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off; and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.'

8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD spoke unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there unto this day.

10 And the priests that bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua; and the people hastened and passed over.

11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed on, and the priests, before the people.

Both the stones referenced in this story of Joshua and the description of the Avnei Shoham deal with individual representation for each of the 12 tribes, remembrance stones and stones serving as a "remembrance to the sons of Israel."