1000-1500 CE PLUS BELLE CULTURE MISSISSIPPIENNE HOUE EN PIERRE AMÉRINDIENNE mode

Photo of Motley COA is provided, original no longer available..

An absolute beauty! Everything about this example is outstanding.

The knapping is exquisite. Its entire surface is superbly covered by the maker's handiwork,

all the way to the edges, still sharp as they were when used to plant corn long before

the Europeans ever showed up.

Notice on one side a deep, groove-like impression which likely was for either

attaching to a haft, or hand-gripping.

I especially find the color of this stone--“Mill Creek Chert”--an especially beautiful brown hue.

The dimensions: 6 inches long. Bit 5 inches.

To quote Roy Motley. a true expert: “This artifact reveals outstanding percussion and pressure flaking…”

He adds it “has been re-sharpened several times.” That is to say, just like we'd do to one

of our own valued implements, the ancient artisan who made this, honed its edge

a couple of times during its long period of use.

A quick refresher:

The Mississippian culture in the Southeast region of the United States was a collection

of different societies that shared similar ways of living and traditions. During its peak,

the Mississippian period was considered to be the highest cultural achievement in the Southeast.

They built more permanent communities, farmed extensively, made marvelous pottery,

and maintained vast trade networks in addition to continuing their ancestral tradition

of hunting and gathering. Their main produce were corn, beans and squash.