NO. 2 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I924 IQI 



Dr. Fewkes visited the battlefield at Shiloh and inspected the 

 remains of an aboriginal village now indicated by mounds. The 

 beautiful pipe excavated years ago from one of these elevations he 

 regards as the finest art product of the old Muskhogean culture. Four 

 life size illustrations of this pipe, from Records of the Past, July, 1902, 

 represent a kneeling human figure, black in color, whereas the original 

 color is brown. 



The shell mound at Town Creek yielded many specimens but they 

 indicate a lower cultural condition than the village cluster on the 

 Shiloh battlefield, as might be inferred from the character of the 

 food supply. 



In November Dr. Fewkes made a trip to Montgomery. Alabama, 

 in order to locate prehistoric mounds and study the collections made 

 near that city. He also desired to familiarize himself with the ener- 

 getic work of the Alabama Anthropological Society. The visit was brief 

 but he enjoyed the privilege of inspecting several collections of an- 

 tiquities and was guided to several mounds by Mr. Peter A. Brannon, 

 President of the Society, and other members, to whom he owes many 

 thanks. 



Montgomery is situated near the heart of the Upper Creek country 

 and the collections of aboriginal objects made in the neighborhood 

 of that city contain several unique Indian objects not yet described. 

 Among these may be mentioned the burial urns of the Graves collec- 

 tion. Figures 112-114, publislied by permission of Mr. Graves, show 

 a number of these bowls, vases, and jars used in urn burial. After 

 death the flesh was allowed to decay and, having been removed, the 

 bones were put in a deep vase and covered with a flat food bowl that 

 was ultimately inhumated. The cemetery where these urns occur was 

 situated in a corn field in which was a circular saucer like depression 

 called by the negroes an " Indian talk house," evidently an ancient 

 council house. An excavation of this subterranean room would 

 probably yield what is much needed, a knowledge of architectural 

 details as well as archeological treasures. While several of these urn 

 burial vessels are rude undecorated pottery, there are others whose 

 surface was incised with ornamental designs of a geometrical form. 

 As a rule this pottery is inferior to that found at Weeden Island or 

 on the Black Warrior River. Mr. Graves' collection also contains 

 several unpublished shell disks decorated with finely incised natural- 

 istic designs which are characteristic of early Creek symbolism. 



On his visit in Montgomery, Dr. Fewkes was enabled to make 

 several excursions to numerous prehistoric village sites. Among the 



