Few mounds have rivaled this in its wealth of shell ornaments. Engraved
gorgets cut from the body of the _Busycon perversum_ and large pins
from the columellae of the same shell are especially numerous and
well-preserved. Large numbers of beads and unworked shells were also
found. All were intimately associated with the skeletons.
While many of the specimens are well-preserved, we find that many are in
an advanced stage of decay, and unless most carefully handled, crumble
to powder.
Similar shell ornaments are found in mounds in other parts of Tennessee,
as well as in neighboring States. These have been pretty fully described
in the Second Annual Report.
62830-62839. These pins are all made from the _Busycon perversum_.
The entire specimens range from 3 to 6 inches in length; two are
fragmentary, having lost their points by decay. The heads are from
one-half to 1 inch in length, and are generally less than 1 inch in
diameter. They are somewhat varied in shape, some being cylindrical,
others being conical above. The shaft is pretty evenly rounded, but is
seldom symmetrical or straight. It is rarely above one-half an inch in
diameter, and tapers gradually to a more or less rounded point. The
groove of the canal shows distinctly in all the heads, and may often
be traced far down the shaft. In a number of cases the surface retains
the fine polish of the newly finished object, but it is usually
somewhat weathered, and frequently discolored or chalky. These
specimens were found in the mounds along with deposits of human
remains, and generally in close proximity to the head; this fact
suggests their use as ornaments for the hair.
62840-62843. A number of saucer-shaped shell gorgets, the upper edge
being somewhat straightened, the result of the natural limit of the
body of the shell. Two small holes, for suspension occur near the
upper margin. The diameter ranges from 3 to 6 inches.
[Illustration: Fig. 119. 62831]
[Illustration: Fig. 120. 62831]
In studying the design the attention is first attracted by an eye-like
figure near the left border. This is formed of a series of concentric
circles, and is partially inclosed by a looped band about one-eighth
of an inch in width, which opens downward to the left. This band is
occupied by a series of conical dots or depressions, the number of which
varies in the different specimens. The part of the figure inclosed by
this band represents the head and neck of the serpent. To the right of
the eye we have the mouth, which is usually shown in profile, the upper
jaw being turned upward exhibiting a double row of notches or teeth. The
body encircles the head in a single coil, which appears from beneath the
neck on the right, passes around the front of the head, and terminates
at the back in a pointed tail armed with well-defined rattles. The spots
and scales of the serpent are represented in a highly conventionalized
manner.
[Illustration: Fig. 121. Fig. 122.
Shell gorgets with engraved designs representing the rattlesnake.]
62841-62845. The handsome specimen given in Fig. 124 is in a very good
state of preservation. It is a deep, somewhat oval plate, made from a
_Busycon perversum_. The surface is nicely polished and the margins
neatly beveled. The marginal zone is less than half an inch wide
and contains at the upper edge two perforations, which have been
considerably abraded by the cord of suspension. Four long curved slits
or perforations almost sever the central design from the rim; the four
narrow segments that remain are each ornamented with a single conical
pit. The serpent is very neatly engraved and belongs to the chevroned
variety. The eye is large and the neck is ornamented with a single
rectangular intaglio figure. The mouth is more than usually well
defined. The upper jaw is turned abruptly backward and is ornamented
with lines peculiar to this variety of the designs.
[Illustration: Fig. 123. (62841.) Fig. 124. (62845.)
Shell gorgets with engraved designs representing the rattlesnake.]
The body of the serpent opposite the perforations for suspension is
interrupted by a rather mysterious cross band, consisting of one broad
and two narrow lines. As this is a feature common to many specimens,
it probably had some important office or significance.
62847-62848. Mask-like shell ornaments. By a combination of engraving
and sculpture a rude resemblance to the human features is produced.
The objects are generally made from large pear-shaped sections of the
lower whorl of marine univalves. The lower portion, which represents
the neck and chin, is cut from the somewhat constricted part near the
base of the shell, while the broad outline of the head reaches the
first suture at the noded shoulder of the body whorl. The simplest
form is shown in Fig. 125. A more elaborate form is given in Fig. 126.
[Illustration: Fig. 125. (62348.) Mask-like object of shell.]
[Illustration: Fig. 126. (62347.) Mask-like object of shell.]
These objects are especially numerous in the mounds of Tennessee, but
their range is quite wide, examples having been reported from Kentucky,
Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas, and smaller ones of a
somewhat different type from New York. In size they range from 2 to 10
inches in length, the width being considerably less. They are generally
found associated with human remains in such a way as to suggest their
use as ornaments for the head or neck. There are, however, no holes for
suspension except those made to represent the eyes, and these, so far as
I have observed, show no abrasion by a cord of suspension. Their shape
suggests the idea that they may have been used as masks, after the
manner of metal masks by some of the oriental nations.
[Illustration: Fig. 127.--Shell gorget with engraving of a curious
human figure.]
62846. Engraved shell, Fig. 127. This very interesting object has been
fully described in the Second Annual Report of the Bureau. The figure
is so obscure that considerable study is necessary in making it out.
62930. Engraved shell, Fig. 128. This remarkable specimen has already
been described in the Second Annual Report of the Bureau. The engraved
design is certainly of a very high order of merit, and suggests the
work of the ancient Mexicans.
62816-62822, 62824, 62826, 62828, 62829. Shell beads discoidal and
cylindrical in form, made chiefly from the columellae and walls of
marine univalves.
62825. Shell bead made by grinding off the apex of a large _Oliva
biplicata_. (?)
62827. Beads made from _Marginella_ (?) shells.
62825, 62827, 62850-62857, 62782. Species of shell found in the mound,
some with the skeletons, others near the surface.
[Illustration: Fig. 128.--Shell gorget with engraved design
representing two fighting figures.]
The following genera and species are provisionally determined:
_Unio multiplicatus._
_Uhio ovatus._
_Unio crassidens._
_Unio victorum._
_Marginella (?)._
_Oliva (?)._
_Io spinosa._
_Trypanostoma anthonyi._
_Anculosa subglobosa._
_Busycon perversum._
62823. A tooth-shaped fresh-water pearl, found with the skeletons.