Archaeology & the Native Peoples of Tennessee
MISSISSIPIAN PERIOD - AD 1,000 to 1,600
circa AD 1450. Life-size mural by Greg Harlin
TOQUA, A MISSISSIPPIAN TOWN
Decked out in their ceremonial and elite finery, the leaders of the Late Mississippian Period town of Toqua are assembled in front of the civic buildings on the summit of Mound A. The occasion is the "Busk," a four to eight day event that climaxed the ceremonial year. On the plaza before them, a single-pole stick ball game is in progress, with spectators watching and socializing; the residential structures extend back to the protective palisade walls.
The scene is based on research by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, archaeologists who excavated the Monroe County, Tennessee, site in the 1970s. Information on clothing and ornament derive from artifacts and from images made by the Mississippian peoples themselves. Most of the items shown in the painting are displayed in the exhibition. The name "Toqua" comes from the historic Cherokee town of that name that later occupied the same location.
The standard with the cross served as a fan and sunshade, and was an emblem of rank and importance. This is documented by both Rodrigo Rangel and the Gentleman of Elvas, chroniclers of the 1539-43 expedition of Hernando de Soto through the Southeast. Elvas describes "...a sort of fan of deerskin...the size of a shield, quartered with black and white, with a cross made in the middle...set on a small and very long staff...." Current thought is that the cross symbolizes the cardinal directions and the sacred fire, and the circle symbolizes the sun.
HOUSE MODEL - MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
Scale model of a Late Mississippian Period house excavated at Toqua in Monroe County, Tennessee
AGRICULTURE
The exhibition addresses the domestication and evolution of corn and other plants in Tennessee.
WATER FLOTATION
Beginning in the 1970s, water flotation yielded large amounts of carbonized plant remains, leading to important discoveries pertaining to environmental change and the domestication and use of plant foods.
MARSH ELDER SEEDS
These carbonized marsh elder seeds show the increase in seed size resulting from selection and cultivation over several thousand years.
CORN
This modern example of POD CORN (yellow) is similar to the earliest corn in North America. Modern FLINT CORN (red) is similar to some Mississippian Period corn from the Southeast.
DUCK RIVER CACHE
The Duck River Cache, so-named for its area of origin, is thought by many to be the greatest archaeological find in Tennessee. The Cache consists of 46 chipped stone ceremonial implements found on the Link Farm in Humphreys County, Tennessee, in 1894. The fantastic stone forms include hooks, disks, batons, axes, and bi-pointed "sword shapes"; these "swords" measure up to 28 inches in length and represent some of the finest flint knapping in North America. The pieces date to the Late Mississippian period (ca. AD 1450). The entire Duck River Cache is on exhibit.
complete cache
LONGEST BLADES
Three of the longest chipped stone "blades" from the Duck River Cache. The piece in the middle is 28 inches long.
CHUNKEY STONES
The stones pictured below were used in the Late Prehistoric and Historic chunkey game.
COPPER HEADDRESS
This elaborate Mississippian Period headdress,fashioned from native copper, was probably worn as shown in the Greg Harlin mural, above. Natural copper nuggets were obtained from southeast Tennessee or the Lake Superior area and cold-hammered into various shapes as early as 5000 BC.
MONOLITHIC AX
This monolithic ax, made from one piece of stone, was a symbol of rank and authority for Late
POTTERY
Below are just three examples of exceptionally modeled Mississippian Period pottery, many of them animal effigies.
 BOWL WITH HUMAN HEADS |
 OWL EFFIGY CERAMIC BOTTLE |
 PAINTED DOG EFFIGY CERAMIC BOTTLE Late Mississippian period, ca. AD 1450. Height 10 inches. |
SHELL GORGETS
Elaborately engraved shell gorgets (pendants) reflect the rich artistic iconography of the southeastern Native Americans. The art of the Tennessee Indians reached a peak with the production of shell gorgets, or pendants. Made from wall sections from marine conch shells, they are engraved with a number of motifs that reflect the iconography of the Mississippian period belief systems.
SHELL GORGET (PENDANT) WITH SPIDER MOTIF
Late Mississippian period, ca. AD 1450. Diameter 3.9 inches.
Shell gorget with spider motif. In Cherokee mythology, the water spider brought the first fire to humans.
SHELL GORGET (PENDANT) WITH EAGLE DANCERS MOTIF, Late Mississippian period, ca. AD 1450. Diameter 4.5 inches.
This carved shell "Eagle Dancers" gorget from the Hixon site in Hamilton County, Tennessee, depicts two figures dressed in bird costumes, with each holding a long "sword" (see Duck River Cache , above). This piece has been called one of the finest examples of prehistoric southeastern Native American art.
SHELL NECKLACE
Mississippian Period shell necklace with cut-out and engraved spider, sun disk, and rattlesnake motifs.
SHELL GORGET (MASK) WITH WEEPING EYE MOTIF, Late Mississippian period, ca. AD 1450. Height 5.1 inches.
This carved shell mask is from the outer wall of a large marine conch. Objects such as this may have functioned as some type of death mask.
PREHISTORIC WALL ART
Recent research by University of Tennessee archaeologists has revealed prehistoric Native American wall art in the deep recesses of caves. In this example, a horned owl has been engraved into a mud wall.
SANDSTONE STATUES
These two Native American sandstone images, perhaps representing ancestors, were found in Wilson County, Tennessee, in 1939.
