542 PREHISTORIC VILLAGES IN TENNESSEE [eTH. ANN. 41 
cemetery, 314 miles to the northwest.” Another owl image, probably 
made of dark cream pottery though said to have been carved out of 
a stone, was found near the ancient town on the Rutherford-Kiser 
farm, near Hendersonville, Sumner County, Tenn., about 20 miles to 
the north. This town had fortifications and house circles somewhat 
resembling the Gordon site. 
The owl played a part in the sacred beliefs of many of our Indian 
tribes. The early accounts of the Natchez temple, wherein the 
perpetual fire was maintained, related that stuffed owls were seen in 
this temple, along with other sacred objects and images. 
The ancient Sioux held the owl in great respect. They regarded 
him as the warrior of the night. The Otos, who belong to the Siouan 
family, have an owl (Makache) gens.” 
The standing of the owl varied among the different tribes. Some 
of them regarded him as a witch. Even the possession of owl 
feathers was considered proof of being a wizard, and was punishable 
with death. 
HOUSE CIRCLE NO. 84 
A diagram of house circle No. 84 is shown in Figure 154. This 
building stood not far from the southeastern corner of the old town 
square. The circle is 30 feet in diameter and the center of its saucer- 
like depression, at the time is was excavated, was a foot lower than 
the wallrim. In this circle was found a fire bowl, B, near the center. 
Northwest of the center was found a portion of the floor raised 6 
inches higher than the remainder. On this raised portion were found 
the stones (, D, FE, a broken muller, /, and the badly charred remains 
of a small mortar, A. This portion of the circle is shown in Plate 
121,a. Adjoining this arrangement of stones was a kitchen refuse 
heap, H. Near the center of the wigwam on the south was the fire 
bowl shown in Plate 121,a. It was similar in appearance and ma- 
terial to the fire bowl in the town house or temple, but it was an inch 
or so larger. This fire bowl was 30 by 29 inches, and 8 inches deep, 
outside measurements. It rested on the hard-packed clay subsoil 
floor. The rim of the fire bowl was 6 inches under the present surface 
of the soil The fire bowl was filled to the brim with compact pure 
white ashes, containing little, if any, charcoal. These ashes con- 
tained a very small number of periwinkle shells and two fragments 
of the femur of a small animal, which Dr. O. P. Hay, research asso- 
ciate of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, thinks was likely 
a red squirrel, though it might have been a weasel or a skunk; the 
fragments were too small to determine with certainty. No fragments 
20 One of these is shown in Thruston’s “‘Antiquities of Tennessee,’’ second edition, Plate III. 
21 Handbook of American Indians, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bull. 30, pt. 2, p. 166. 
