Eastern Tennessee Birdstones

Teresa Putty Shelbyville, Indiana

Example of a highly developed flat-bodied birdstone. Shown approximately full size (in journal). Kevin Pipes collection. Photo by Teresa Putty

While traveling in eastern Tennessee last summer, I was introduced to an unusual and interesting pocket of prehistory. Kevin Pipes took the time to show me and my husband (Tony) several birdstones from his collection. Although I was vaguely aware that the southern boundary of birdstone influence had reached into what is today Tennessee, I did not fully understand the unique and concentrated presence that birdstone using people had established in the eastern Tennessee region. As most readers know, the distribution patterns of birdstones indicate a wide cultural affiliation. While birdstones have been found as far west as Iowa and Missouri and extended east to the Atlantic Coast, the highest concentrations of birdstones have been found in the area surrounding the Great Lakes (northern Indiana and Ohio, southern Michigan and northern Illinois). These rarities are also found as far north as Quebec and, relative to this article, as far south as Tennessee. Tennessee birdstones are, indeed, rare artifacts. Fewer than fifty authentic examples are known to exist today. The vast majority of these birdstones were found in the upper part of Tennessee. At some point in time, toward the end of the cultural birdstone use, a clan of people living in this portion of Tennessee found a symbolic need for this type of artifact. An important distinction of the eastern Tennessee birdstone may be the temporal difference between them and the majority of the birdstones found in the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley areas. The use of birdstones in these northern regions began in Archaic times. Toward the end of the Archaic period, the Glacial Kame people adopted this artifact as a key symbol. The use of birdstones in the Midwest continued into Early Woodland times. Eastern Tennessee birdstones, however, are almost always found in association with Early Woodland artifacts. There does not appear to be any indication that Archaic or transitional groups in this region of the country used the birdstone in any context prior to the Early Woodland period.

The Camp Creek Site, in Greene County, Tennessee, has produced a number of birdstones. The principal components of this site are Early Woodland. Artifacts such as boatstones, bar amulets and pendants have been found along with birdstones at this site. Eastern Tennessee birdstones do exhibit characteristics usually associated with birdstones of the Early Woodland Period. Of the examples I was able to verify, many were pop-eyed specimens. Bust-type specimens were prevalent in this grouping as well. Pop-eyed example of an eastern Tennessee birdstone. 3 inches long. It was made from a white chalky material. Kevin Pipes collection. Photo by Teresa Putty.   Classic Eastern-style birdstone with a large flat head. It is 3 1/8 inches long. From the collection of Kevin Pipes. Photo by Teresa Putty. Article continues on next PAGE>