January 2011 Central States Archaeological Journal
Three views of the unfinished steatite bird pipe. It measures 8.75 inches long and is 6.75 inches wide. Collection of Jimmy Ewton, Dayton, Tennessee.
Recently I passed by a collector’s table at a show. Resting on it was a very fine pipe. I asked if I could pick it up, and he handed it to me. Carefully I looked it over. The pipe (Figure 1) was an effigy portraying a flying bird, possibly an eagle. It was made of highly polished green steatite. The collector told me it was found in 1965 by his father, R.D. Ewton, in a plowed field in Roane County, Tennessee. It has extensive plow damage. While the bowl is finished, the pipe remains undrilled and could not be smoked. I asked if I could take some pictures, thanked him and moved on to enjoy the show.
This 4.5 inch in length effigy pipe of sandstone was pictured in the July 1971 Central States Archaeological Journal. It was found by Maurice Miller near the crest of a mound on the Harpeth River in Davidson County, Tennessee. It is made of yellow sandstone and was originally covered with red ochre, some of which still adheres to the pipe.
When I returned home I recalled another similar pipe (Figure 2) featured in a Journal article years ago. This smaller (4 ½ inches long), but very similar pipe was found on a Mississippian site on the Harpeth River in Davidson County, Tennessee. This find was reported and pictured in the CSAJ (Volume 17, #3, 134–135) in 1971. What surprised me was this pipe too was undrilled in exactly the same way as the other pipe! Coincidence?
The pipe shown on Plate 104 of Tobacco, Pipes and Smoking Customs of the American Indians, published in 1934. This pipe is from Kentucky and was originally collected by H.H. Ward. There is mention that it is in the collection of the Museum of the American Indian. It is 10.5 inches in length and made of sandstone.
I then looked at the bible of pipes, the huge two volume Tobacco Pipes and Smoking Customs of the American Indians by George West to see some further examples. I was surprised when I discovered just one example (Figure 3), and it too, was unfinished. Why make such a fine pipe which required hours of effort and then not finish it? Perhaps they were utilized for some other purpose rather than smoking? I am sure there is a reason, but it is lost in time.
References: West, George A. 1934 Tobacco, Pipes, and Smoking Customs of the American Indians Reprinted by Hart Publishers 2001
Volume 71, Number 1, January 2024 Central States Archaeological Journal
As the Ogeechee River flows toward the Atlantic Ocean near Richmond Hill, Georgia, it forms a horseshoe bend around some shell middens. Over time the middens have eroded. It was along this edge of the river during the summer of 1977 that my friend, Bobby Morris and his wife Rita, were looking for shell beads. I had been with them on several occasions and finding four or five beads was a good day.
Figure 1. The pipe, shown in four views, found near the Ogeechee River in 1977. It measures 1¾″ H x 3″ L. The diameter of the bowl is 1⅝″. At the center is a Cat Serpent pottery effigy, found near the same location as the pipe.
Bobby was searching near the river, and Rita was scouring above the bank when she discovered a pipe. She called to Bobby and said, “I found a pipe with a monkey on it!” (see Fig. 1). The following week I saw the pipe and realized it was an effigy pipe. Bert Bierer pictured a similar one in his Indian Artifacts in the Southeast: A Sketchbook on page 258. He described it as an effigy pipe — a human figure holding a bowl, which was found in the Hollywood Mound on the Savannah River in Georgia. Furthermore, he stated it was a ceremonial object of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, 400–800 years old.
To me, the figure resembles those made of marble from the Etowah Mounds of north Georgia.
It was also during the summer of 1977 that I found the incised human face (center – Fig. 1) near this same location. It is almost identical to the ones recovered by Clarence B. Moore on the Georgia coast in 189, and shown on pages 18 and 68 of his book on those expeditions.
References
Bierer, Bert W. 1977 Indian Artifacts in the Southwest: A Sketchbook. Privately published.
Moore, Clarence B. 1897 Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Georgia Coast. Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia.
Volume 63, Number 4, October 2016 Central States Archaeological Journal
Figure 1. The sandstone effigy pipe found in Mississippi County, Missouri. It measures 3 inches in length, 2 inches in width and stands 4 inches in height. This view shows the human holding the bowl with his hands in a kneeling position, legs tucked under his body. The head is portrayed looking to the right and red ochre is still visible on the face.
In the January 1980 issue of the Central States Archaeological Journal, a sandstone pipe was shown that was in the collection of Sam Jones of East Prairie, Missouri. Several other artifacts from his collection were also pictured on pages 60-61. I recently had the pleasure to view this pipe, which was recently added to the collection of Sandy Carter of Roswell, Georgia. The picture of this pipe in this past issue of this publication (Fig. 2.) from 36 years ago really did not do it justice.
The pipe was found by James Hanes many years ago on his farm in Mississippi County, Missouri. It is a very interesting pipe. It is made from a fine grained quartzite. It measures 3 inches in length, 2 inches in width and stands 4 inches in height (Fig. 1). It is in exceptional condition without any plow damage, and portrays a kneeling human holding a bowl. While pipes like this are rare, this motif is seen in a number of other examples of Mississippian period pipes. The pipe was most certainly part of ritual paraphernalia. We can only guess at the meaning, but two things come to mind. First, perhaps the bowl is being held up as part of the busk ceremony, thanking the gods for a plentiful harvest. Or second, when in use, the pipe is offering up the smoke to the ancestors, so that they can be consulted on important matters. Certainly we will never really know what was intended, but the fact that numerous examples of this style of pipe have been found opens up the case that it was a common and repeated ritual throughout the Mississippian world.
Figure 2. The pipe from above showing the tilt of the head and other features. Note the discoloration of the interior of the bowl from smoking residue.
Figure 4. A modern photo of the pipe in the same position as Figure 3 showing the detail and color of the pipe. Note the yellow ochre directly above the outstretched arm.
The grainy black and white image in the 1980 Journal (Figs. 3,4) did not show many of the important aspects of this pipe. First, it was originally painted! You can easily see the red ochre paint on the face, as well as yellow ochre on the body next to the bowl (Figs. 1,4,5). Undoubtedly in ancient times, the paint would have been brilliant, and the pipe would have been quite a sight to view. It has recently been discovered that many of the mounds were actually covered with a layer of clay that in some cases was painted red or yellow. Our image of mounds with green grass growing on them is a far cry from what the prehistoric Native Americans lived with on a daily basis. Their communities were a vivid contrast from the natural landscape around them, and would have certainly stood out. Most certainly, highly colorful pipes would have been the norm rather than the exception.
The pipe is well executed, with very realistic facial features. The hair treatment is especially nice, with a hair bun at the back of the head, and further hair enhancement on both sides of the top of the head (Fig. 2). The head is tilted to one side, and perhaps, when smoked, the pipe was oriented so that the face was looking in the direction of the sun or moon (Fig. 1).
Figure 5. The pipe from above showing the tilt of the head and other features.
Now here is the interesting feature that cannot be discerned in the original photo (Figs. 6,7). Both of the hands have six fingers! This is known today as hexadactyly. Many times the extra finger can be fully functioning. In ancient times (and even today), this deformity would have been a wonder, and most certainly an individual born this way would be considered very special and held in awe by those around them.
I have viewed several other examples of this style of pipe, and on all of these the hands have the normal five digits. I also spoke with several other informed collectors and none of them have ever seen this feature on other pipes or pottery. So the question is, is this a portrayal of an actual individual who had this rare trait, or was the extra digit added to give the pipe more powerful meaning? The ancients were very exact in their portrayals of nature, as can be seen in the abundance of pottery vessels Mississippians produced. So the extra digit is likely not a mistake. Perhaps someone out there has another pipe or human effigy vessel that shows fingers in detail? If you discover an extra digit or two, let me know. It would be interesting to see if this is a one-of-a-kind portrayal, or if this occurs in other instances.
Figure 6. A close up of the fingers on the right hand of the individual holding the bowl on the pipe. Six are clearly visible.
Figure 7. A close up of the fingers on the left hand of the individual holding the bowl on the pipe. Six are clearly visible.
