USA > Kentucky > The prehistoric men of Kentucky : a history of what is known of their lives and habits, together with a description of their implements and other relics and of the tumuli which have earned for them the designation of Mound builders > Part 12
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these holes seldom, if ever, show signs of wear, such as would necessarily be produced by friction in drawing a tightly fitting tendon or thong through in the effort to even the diameter, indicate that these handsome arti- facts were not used for domestic purposes. Again, it has been suggested that they were shuttles used in weaving, but in view of the size, shape, and material this theory is hardly tenable, nor is it likely that they have ever seen service as twine-twisters. Some think them badges of authority, or ornaments which were strung together and worn around the neck, or that they were charms or talis- mans used as safeguards against danger and the malignant influence of evil spirits.
One of the most interesting specimens in the author's collection is of rectangular shape, made of very hard, compact red stone resembling jasper. It has been broken, the fracture extending through one of the perforations. The prehistoric owner has endeavored in a most ingenious manner to repair this prized object by boring two small holes diagonally through from one face to the edge of the fracture, designing to bind the two parts together with twine and at the same time prevent the binding cord from showing and marring the beauty of the side which would be exposed to view. Occasionally tablets are observed with more than the customary two holes, some having as many as four or five.
Those with one hole near the end are regarded as pendent ornaments, or charms. The perforation in many of these specimens in the author's collection shows signs of wear such as would be caused by friction with the cord if worn suspended about the neck or other part of the body. Both classes of pierced tablets are generally smoothly
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finished, though some are embellished with designs of con- ventional form. Occasionally rudely sketched figures of life are observed. The author has one of cannel coal upon which is crudely etched the image of a bear. Another displays a series of notches or indentations, certainly made by less skillful hands than those of the original maker of the object. Some of these figures were evidently designed as ornamental, others were certainly not so designed, and if not merely trivial, must have carried a significant meaning to the early Kentuckian who wore them. Page 202 shows twelve of these objects from Jefferson and Meade counties, and illustrates several of the forms common to this State.
TUBES.
Many stone objects of tubular form are seen. The uses of a large number of these are unknown, and little can be surmised from their form or general appearance. They range in size from small, delicate ones, scarcely an inch in length, to those of hour-glass pattern, measuring as much as twelve inches. The smaller ones were likely ornamental, and used as beads. The function of the larger ones is uncertain. Many writers have referred to the use of tubes of various kinds among the historic Indians. C. C. Jones says that the Florida and Virginia Indians used reeds in treating disease, by sucking or blowing through them, and also used them in cauterizing. Vagenas, in his " History of California," mentions the use of stone tubes by the medicine men for a similar purpose. The old Spanish writers tell of the use of forked wooden tubes,
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the tube being inserted in each nostril while the other end was held over burning herbs. Bancroft says that the Acazees of Mexico employed blowing through hollow tubes for the cure of disease. Some have suggested, with a great display of imagination, that many of the larger tubes, especially those of the hour-glass form, were for astronomical purposes. This is hardly likely, though they may have been used to protect the eye from the glare of the sun when viewing distant objects on a bright day, as one shades the eyes with the hand when looking toward the sun. Others have thought them musical instruments, or trumpets. General Thruston, in speaking of this form of tube, quotes from Judge Haywood's " Natural and Abo- riginal History of Tennessee" as follows: "When the stone trumpet is blown through it makes a sound that may be heard, perhaps, two miles," and that " probably it was used for similar purposes to those for which the trumpets of the Israelites were used, namely, principally to convene assemblies and to regulate the movements of the army." The severest test of this class of tubes fails to evoke a trumpet-like sound, or any kind that might be heard more than a few rods, and negatives the idea that these objects were ever designed or used as wind instru- ments. However, the large tube pipe shown on page 276, when blown trumpet fashion, emits a sound of considerable volume. This is the only specimen we have seen which might, by the widest stretch of imagination, have served to " convene assemblies" or "regulate the movements of the army."
The smaller tubes are generally made of slate, and have holes of uniform size. The larger specimens of the hour-glass pattern are generally of steatite, though in the
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author's cabinet there is one of indurated clay. These usually have a narrow projection about the constricted part, the object widening from the middle toward the end in graceful curves, with a diameter at the end more than double that of the middle. They have bi-conical holes which were gouged out by a sharp instrument, not drilled. These holes conform to the outline of the object, being smallest at the middle. A feature of many of the short tubes with holes of even diameter is that one side is flattened or grooved. Many large beads of spherical form having this same feature are observed.
Page 2II shows three large hour-glass tubes. The upper one is of steatite, six inches long. It was found in Cumberland County. The middle one is of the same material, nine inches long, and was found in Crittenden County. The lower is of indurated clay and measures nine and one half inches in length and was found in a cave, together with other interesting remains, in Warren County.
The three flutes or fifes illustrated on page 217 are among the most extraordinary and remarkable products of prehistoric genius. The largest one is made of slate, with a serpent's head at the point where the mouth would be placed. The second is made of sandstone, the smallest one of bone. They measure respectively four and one half, three and one fourth, and three and one eighth inches in length. The largest one has five holes, the others four each. All give more or less correct musical sounds, and one at least emits nine of the twelve notes in the musical scale. The preparation of these instruments demonstrates that these people had some knowledge of music, and those who constructed them must have been moved by some
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definite idea of sound production from a cylinder, and the holes themselves, placed as they are at regular intervals, show that the purpose was to secure in the use of the in- strument musical effect. Possibly they may have experi- mented and used cane cylinders pierced as these stone ones are, but the people who made these stone flutes abandoned the use of cane, if such existed, and from the slate and stone secured permanent instruments which would not be affected by changes of season or atmosphere.
The historic Indians had well-defined ideas of harmony and used these harmonies to excite grace and ease in their dances, and if these prehistoric people knew enough of music to construct stone instruments which would give three fourths of the notes in the musical scale, they must have had some sort of musical notions, which would enable them to sing, and by the use of such instruments provide their accompaniments, and to make use of such musical compositions as would produce pleasurable sounds for the ear and measures for the dance.
CRESCENTS.
The large crescents shown on page 212 are among the enigmas of the stone graves and mounds of Kentucky. The large specimen is made of syenite, and is beautifully finished. It resembles in form a pick, being fifteen inches in length, with a square cross-section of one and one half inches. It tapers to the points, which are chisel-like. All of these interesting implements are from the collection of Mr. Harry L. Johnson, and were found by him in the southern portion of the State. Many years ago a similar
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TUBES, HOUR-GLASS_PATTERN
Upper, Steatite, length six inches; middle, Steatite, length nine inches; lower, Indurated Clay, length nine and one half inches
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BOAT STONES ' Length of longest, ten inches Materials, Greenstone and Green Banded Slate
CRESCENTS Length of longest, fifteen inches. Johnson Collection [ 212 ]
DISCOIDAL, STONES Material, Quartz and Quartzite. Diameter of specimen in left upper corner, six inches From along Cumberland River
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DISCOIDAL STONES Large and small. Diameter of specimen in center, eight inches From along Cumberland River
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BARREL-SHAPED DISCOIDAL STONE
Material, Crystalline Limestone. Height, five and one half inches; circumference, twenty-two and one fourth inches
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CEREMONIAL AX Length. ten inches. Material, hard reddish brown stone From Northeastern Kentucky
HIGHLY POLISHED IMPLEMENTS OF DARK REDDISH STONE Found in niche of rock, Bell County One third size [ 216 ]
HUMAN EFFIGY OF STEATITE From Tennessee, near Kentucky Line
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Slate, Stone, and Bone Flutes
IMAGE OF FLYING BAT Nine and one half by five inches. Material Slate, Trigg County [ 217 ]
ORNAMENTS Slate and Cannel Coal. From various parts of Kentucky
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specimen was secured from a cave near the mouth of the Ohio River by Professor N. S. Shaler, at that time connected with the Kentucky Geological Survey. This specimen, made also of syenite, measures thirteen inches in length, and is identical in form and finish with the one here shown. We can suggest no use for these remark- able forms. It has been stated that they were probably symbols of the sun, and used in the worship of that deity by the people who once lived in this State.
BOAT STONES.
Page 212 shows four boat-shaped objects of stone. These implements, resembling in form a canoe, the face of which is more or less hollowed out, are probably correctly classed among the ceremonials. They have each two per- forations, near the end of the hollowed surface. The largest is of green slate, measuring ten inches in length. Upon the outer or convex side there is a keel-like projection extending from one hole to the other, and along this keel lies a hollow groove, apparently designed for the reception of a cord, which would be passed through the two holes. The sides of this projection, or keel, are ornamented with a checkerwork of incised lines. This remarkable relic was found many years ago in Crittenden County. Another is made of the same material, and is interesting on account of the dial-like figure on its sides. It has been suggested that the figure is a symbol of a sun-worshiping people. This specimen came from Warren County. The remaining two are made of green banded slate, and were found many years ago in Montgomery and Jefferson counties. The
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purpose for which these interesting forms were designed is totally unknown, and we have never heard a satisfactory use suggested. Stone objects of boat shape, but without the hollowed-out feature or the projecting keel, are found in many parts of the State. Some have a groove or con- striction about the middle, apparently for the attachment of a cord. Some are notched at either end, as if to hold in place a cord passed lengthwise about the object. Others resemble the small hemispheres so frequently seen, but are provided with a groove about the rounded surface.
DISCOIDAL STONES.
About many of the remains of the Mound Builders there is not only a wide discussion but a wide divergence of opinion. There have been suggestions for a revision of the nomenclature of numerous objects prehistoric. Many of the names in use are local or accidental and sometimes meaningless, but they have been used so long that they have come to be understood as designating particular objects or things, and those who are interested in these matters readily understand what the names represent.
The term discoidal stone refers in a general way to disk-shaped objects of sizes running from one to ten inches in diameter. The wide territory in which these artifacts are found, and the large numbers which have been reclaimed either by plowing or from caves, graves, and mounds, indicate a very general use. Discoidal stones are made of a great variety of materials. Beginning with limestone, and running through sandstone, slate, marble, greenstone, granite, quartzite, and quartz, there seems to be no mate-
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rial from which a discoidal was not made. Upon them were expended not only great labor but a high degree of skill, and the finer types represent much ingenuity and an expenditure of patience that is amazing. These objects differ not only in size, but in the forms of their sides or faces. Some have convex faces and some concave, the latter occasionally coalescing and perforating the stone. In some specimens these cavities are very slight, often- times almost imperceptible; in others deep, and bringing the faces so near together in the center as to render the object translucent. This is especially true of those made from quartz.
In the classification of these stones there has been a great deal of uncertainty and disregard of all fixed rules. Many of the things called discoidals certainly did not serve the same purpose as the large and well-made objects which are typical of this class. If it be true that these stones were used in playing some game, then there must have been more than one sort of game played with them. The finer grades could not have been used, as is often sug- gested, in some sport similar to quoits, as they could not have stood the rough usage incident thereto.
The term discoidal, signifying a disk-shaped or circu- lar object, has been applied to so many kinds of remains that it would be difficult for anybody to tell exactly what is meant thereby. Just where to draw the line between a discoidal stone and bead, spindle whorl, or the numerous pottery disks or counters, would tax the genius of any antiquarian; and in order to give any real meaning to the term it will be necessary for those who shall deal here- after with these matters to contend for a more rigid classi- fication.
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For a long time it was accepted almost without ques- tion and without objection that these stones had been employed by the prehistoric people in some game. In historic days disk-like stones were used in a game which was played upon level ground, something like our tennis courts. The stones were rolled upon the edge across the ground, which had been rendered smooth for this purpose. The parties entering the game had poles or staffs about eight feet long, and the purpose in the sport was to hurl these poles so as to strike the point at which the rolling stone would stop, each player being required to cast his pole at the same time as the others. (Dupratz' "History of Louisiana," page 366.) It has been suggested by others that these stones were rolled, and that a pointed pole was used by those engaged in the game, who ran after the stone and so adjusted the pole to the center that the disk might be removed from the earth and whirled on the staff. Others have suggested that they were used for pitching, as quoits, the purpose being to make the stone strike or rest closest to some peg or stake which had been driven into the ground. In the earlier discussion of these matters it was frequently suggested that they were used in mixing paints. It is hardly likely that they were ever so used, as it would have been an unnecessary waste of time and labor to have provided cavities upon both sides and to have expended upon a paint mortar the skill manifested in these remains.
Lieutenant Timberlake, who wrote in 1765, says that a discoidal stone is a round stone with one flat side and the other convex. Catlin, who wrote much later, says that the hurling stone was simply a round stone ring. In historic times the Indians who played games with these
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stones called it Chungkee, which interpreted, the early writers say, meant "running hard labor." Dupratz says that they were so fond of this game that they would place relatively larger stakes upon it than the modern poker player does on this card game, and that it had great fascina- tion for the red man.
With all the ingenuity of the archeological mind, nobody has yet been able to suggest a theory concerning the use of these objects that would satisfy analytical investiga- tion. These stones have been found in all kinds of places; out in open fields, in the graves, in mounds, and in caves, showing that their use was very general. They occur in large numbers along the Cumberland, Tennessee, Green, and Barren rivers, but are comparatively rare in Central and Eastern Kentucky. The best specimens come from the territory tributary to the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. The writer's collection contains about fifty, of which one fifth are from Cumberland County, and these ten comprise the largest and most handsomely finished which have fallen under his observation. Whether it is the writer's good luck in dealing with Cumberland County people, or the great number of these stones that were made by the men who lived there in those remote days, he is not able exactly to determine.
After the various discussions we are compelled to conclude that these discoidals were used for a purpose which we, with all our ingenuity and reasoning, can not divine. The method of manufacture discredits the theory that they were ceremonials, charms, or talismans, and they show from the very way in which they were made that they were not ornamental. The amount of labor and care required in the manufacture determines the fact
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that they were not used as weapons. For want of a better theory we are compelled to settle down to the notion that they were used for some sort of game, of which we confess we are not able to say anything that can be received as reasonably correct. That they must have had some charm about them is assured by the fact that next to the pipe these people seem to have expended more labor on the discoidal stone than on any other thing they manu- factured. The smoothness of the cavities, the care with which they were rubbed out, the beautifully rounded edges, and often a carefully formed secondary cavity within the larger, all show that the men who made these objects must have placed a very high value upon them and spared no pains to make them handsome and attrac- tive. Few specimens of prehistoric art surpass or even equal in beauty of form, finish, and material the larger discoidals of blooded quartz from along the Cumber- land and Tennessee rivers. A number of specimens from the author's collection are shown on pages 213, 214, and 215.
COPPER IMPLEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS.
A class of objects discovered in mounds and graves in Kentucky and other States which has given rise to much speculation are those of copper. This metal is found worked into numerous forms-axes, beads, chisels, cylin- ders, gorgets, disks, blades, spindles, spools, pendants, and wire. Articles made of copper have been found in all parts of Kentucky, but not in such quantities as in the States north of the Ohio River. Many copper beads have been found in Greenup County, in the northeastern
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portion of the State; in Bell County in the southeastern, and in Fulton County in the extreme western portion. Most of the copper articles in Kentucky are in forms which were evidently used as ornaments. Knives are seldom seen, arrowheads are extremely rare, and one instance only of a grooved copper ax is known. Occa- sionally masses of copper are found beaten into the form of chisels or celts. All of these implements show a rough- ness and unevenness of finish, as if they had been hammered out from the metal in a cold state, with stone implements. Occasionally articles are found made of thin sheets of this metal, but these indicate that they are from hammered sheets, not rolled. No copper article which we have seen indicates contact with Europeans, unless it be several copper bells which were taken from a mound in Union County by Professor Sidney S. Lyon in 1870, and these were from an intrusive burial.
Perhaps no county has yielded such rich finds of copper as Montgomery. It has been the experience of those who have explored its mounds and other ancient remains that copper is almost invariably associated with the burials. Bracelets have been found there in large numbers, and these show by their form and finish that they were made by hammering out masses of the metal, the process of swedging in molds and casting being un- known to the aborigines of the State. Copper cylinders are frequently seen, ranging in length from one fourth of an inch to four inches, and in diameter from one fourth to one half an inch, which were probably used as beads. In fact, in some of these have been found the remains of the string or thong upon which they had been strung, perfectly preserved by contact with the metal.
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Among the most interesting classes of copper arti- facts are those of spool or pulley shape. The form is that of two flattish cones united at the apices. They are made of thin copper, and in one instance a wooden spool plated with copper has been found. It has been generally sup- posed that these articles were worn in the ears as orna- ments, and this supposition is very reasonable when we recall the ear ornaments of the figure upon the engraved shell gorget found at Eddyville in Lyon County. But certainly all of these spool-shaped articles were not used for the purpose of adornment. In the author's collection is a well-formed specimen two inches in diameter and one inch thick; about it is wound thread made probably from the fiber of wild hemp, still in an excellent state of preserva- tion. (See page 227.) In a mound in Montgomery County, near Mt. Sterling, were found six massive copper bracelets or rings. These are now in the collection of Mr. Matt J. Holt, of Louisville, and are among the finest specimens of copper work that we have seen. From a mound not far distant were obtained several oblong articles of wood neatly plated with thin copper sheets, and a large copper pendant of crescent shape, together with a copper celt five inches long and two inches broad at its cutting edge.
Practically none of the copper-with the exception of a little from the western part of the State-indicates contact with the Europeans. Most of it shows traces of silver, which point to the copper mines of Lake Superior as its source. Everything found in copper shows that it was beaten into form and not molded or swedged. They probably early learned that the metal could be more easily worked when heated, but beyond this the metal worker of Kentucky did not progress.
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COPPER BEADS AND SPOOL WITH HEMP THREAD
SMALL AXES One half size. From Trigg County
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COPPER BRACELET
Circumference, eleven and one half inches Six found in Mound in Montgomery County
COPPER AX From Northeastern Kentucky
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HEMATITE CONES, HEMISPHERES, AND PLUMMETS
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HEMATITE AND GRANITE PENDANTS, SINKERS, AND PLUMMETS Johnson Collection
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Fluor Spar Beads, Engraved Shell Gorgets. Cross, of hard white material From Rogers' and Author's collections About one half natural size From Trigg County [ 230 ]
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From the position of such copper as has been found in Kentucky it is absolutely certain that it was considered one of the most valuable of all their treasures. In opening the Moberly Mound, near Richmond, which evi- dently covered the grave of a great chieftain, was found three small copper beads strung around his neck, and the small number as well as the small size of the copper pieces which were laid away with the dead, would indicate that this metal was very rare and very highly prized.
It is difficult to understand why, in a few counties, there should be found such a large proportion of the copper that has been exhumed in Kentucky. So far as a cursory examination shows, fully half of all the copper found has come from Montgomery County or immediately on its borders, and why in this particular locality there should be, relatively speaking, such an abundance of copper, is difficult to explain. Following any line along which these prehistoric men traveled, Montgomery County could not have been a greater thoroughfare than Fayette, Clark, Madison, Bourbon, or Mason; and why, in so many mounds in Montgomery, and within a short distance of Mt. Ster- ling, there should have been such deposits of copper imple- ments, as well as copper ornaments, is unknown. Mica, which was considered certainly of great value by these people, was widely distributed, being found in Eastern, Southern, Southeastern, and Western Kentucky, but out- side of two or three counties-Montgomery in large degrec, Madison in much smaller degree, and Bell in probably about equal degree with Madison, and some in Simpson- there have been no large discoveries of copper. More than seventy miles from the Ohio River, Montgomery County would not more likely be the subject of visits
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