Archaeology & the Native Peoples of Tennessee
HISTORIC PERIOD - AD 1600 to Present
circa 1760. Life-size mural by Greg Harlin
CHEROKEES
The tribal identities of the 16th and 17th century occupants of Tennessee are disputed. By the 18th century, the only native peoples living permanently in Tennessee were the Cherokee. The Chickasaw controlled western Tennessee, but there is no archaeological or historical evidence that they used the area for more than hunting. The Shawnee and Creek briefly occupied small areas in the state, but little archaeological evidence has been found.
This picture is based on archaeological and ethnohistorical research by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, anthropologists and historians, and would be a typical scene at one of the settlements along the lower Little Tennessee River, where Euro-American trade goods are being transported and exchanged.
CHOTA COUNCIL HOUSE
Aerial view of posthole remains of the council house at the Cherokee town of Chota in Monroe County, Tennessee. The two men flank the central hearth.
TRADE OBJECTS--IRON HOE
Trade objects such as this dramatically affected Cherokee culture.
CHEROKEE DUGOUT CANOE
The Cherokee dugout canoe pictured below is similar to those in the Greg Harlin mural, above. Measuring 32.5 feet long, this dugout canoe was found floating down the Tennessee River in 1797 and preserved by a local family until coming to the University of Tennessee in 1936. Made by the Cherokee from a large tulip poplar, the canoe is typical of the water transportation in the Southeast for millennia. It is especially noteworthy because of its large size and its excellent state of preservation (even with a couple of small holes).
