ARCHEOLOGICAL PROJECTS STIRLING 393 



partitions were made with yellow clay encircling sticks 1 to 2 inches 

 in diameter. Such a structure could have been used as a ceremonial 

 sweat lodge or men's clubhouse. 



Excavations in the surrounding village site and below the base 

 of the mound indicate that the mound was superimposed on the vil- 

 lage site. Numerous burials were obtained from this habitation area. 

 The rich nature of the soil was not conducive to preservation. The 

 bodies were flexed — knees drawn to the chest — soon after death, and 

 placed in small pits, on the left side, with one or both hands drawn 

 to the face. The most important burial was found beneath the 

 mound floor, fairly well preserved (pi. 7, fig. 1). Associated with 

 it were two copper ear ornaments and cane matting. Some intrusive 

 burials were made in stone-lined graves (pi. 7, fig. 2). 



Observations regarding artifacts, based on the fragmentary speci- 

 mens recovered from both the mound and the village site, were as 

 follows : Slate was the most commonly used stone for fashioning 

 gaming stones, discoidals, and small celts. Vessels were carved 

 from steatite. Mortars, axes, projectile points, and smoking pipes 

 were made from a variety of materials. Animal bones were cut and 

 polished for making awls and fish hooks. Various ornaments, such 

 as beads and pendants, were carved from unio and conch shells. 

 Small pieces of copper were fashioned into ornaments. 



The smoking pipes were small, usually made from a dark, close- 

 grained igneous rock. They were of the stemmed variety, bowls 

 showing considerable variation in shape, size, and design. Small 

 effigies occasionally occurred on the bowls. The baked clay pipes 

 show a wide variety of form and incised designs. A few examples 

 of the flaring trumpet-shaped bowls are comparable to those from 

 Etowah, Macon, and the Nacoochee mounds in Georgia. 



Only a very general description can be made of the various pots- 

 herds until a more careful study has been made. Observations in 

 the field justified conclusions that types above the mound floor level 

 differed from those below the base. The sherds in the mound were 

 decorated on the outside with a wide variety of stamped designs. 

 They are tempered with coarse grit. Color varies from black 

 through various shades of gray and tan to a dull brownish red ; the 

 inside shows construction and smoothing marks, yet is fairly smooth 

 without any attempt at polish; the ware breaks irregularly, leaving 

 a rough, lump}^ edge. About half the rim sherds have thumb-nail 

 marks or are incised ; the rest are plain. 



The various random samplings of sherds from below the mound 

 level show variations from those in the mound. In one 10-foot 

 square the sherds show a larger number painted red ; the temper is 

 not as coarse; the interior and exterior surfaces show evidence of 



