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Visit These Non-Profit Web Sites:
Alliance For Native American Indian Rights
Native American Educational Association
Tennessee Trail of Tears Association
Books about Indians:
Loud Hawk : The United States Versus the American Indian Movement
Exploration
of Ancient Key-Dweller Remains on the Gulf Coast of Florida
Tour Guide
About 9,000 years ago, the world's climate warmed up, ending the Ice Age. The big-game animals that the Paleo- Indians lived on died out, forcing the People to change the way they made their living. This was the beginning of the Archaic Period, which lasted for 6,000 years. Many Archaic Period sites have been found in Nashville.
The change in climate allowed forests to grow in many areas, including Tennessee. Smaller game animals such as bear, deer, rabbit, wild turkey, and others thrived in the new environment. Forests also produced edible nuts, fruits, roots, berries, and other plants. The Archaic People hunted these animals and gathered these plants for food.
Archaic hunters used a spear-throwing weapon called an
atlatl (see illustration at right). This was a grooved wooden handle from three to six
feet long. A piece of bone or antler formed a hook on one end. To use the atlatl, a hunter
would lay a spear on the handle with the blunt end against the hook. Gripping the handle
and raising his throwing arm behind his head, he threw the spear by quickly bringing his
arm forward, snapping his wrist at the end of the throw to release the spear from the
handle. The atlatl had the effect of increasing the length of the hunter's arm, adding
force
to his throw.
Archaic Projectile Points from Cannon County, Tennessee
The Archaic People lived in small villages of about 15 or 20 houses.
They built 
their houses by cutting small sapling trees of about six inches in diameter,
which were then placed upright in the ground in a circular pattern. The trees were bent
inward until they met at the top. Covering this framework with woven mats or sheets of
bark made a small dome-shaped house. The illustration at left is a reconstruction drawing
of an Archaic Period house excavated at a site in southern Middle Tennessee.
Archaic Period House
(from The Bailey Site, edited by Charles Bentz,
Jr.)
Archaic villages were usually located next to a river or creek. Fish and
shellfish harvested from the rivers and streams were an important food source. Many
villages were inhabited for long periods, sometimes hundreds of years. The people threw
the remains of their shellfish meals onto piles along the river or creek banks. Over the
years these mounds of shell could grow to cover several hundred square feet. Several large
shell mounds have been found along the Cumberland River in the vicinity of Nashville.
Shell Mound at Clee's Ferry in Nashville
The Archaic People made tools out of stone, bone and wood. They made
clothing from the hides of animals, and wove plant fibers into baskets, mats, and robes.
Most foods were boiled in water-tight baskets. Dropping red-hot rocks in the basket would
quickly bring the water to a boil. They also cooked over open fires and in roasting pits.
During the later Archaic Period people began making pottery.
Long distance trade networks began during the Archaic Period. People in Tennessee traded for copper from the Great Lakes region and large marine shells from the Gulf coast. They used these materials to make beads, pendants and other ornaments.
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