By Dr. Sandy B. Carter Jr, Big Canoe, Georgia
A pre-contact Native American monolithic axe refers to an axe made from a single type of material,
typically stone. and is a ritual or symbolic weapon rather than a utilitarian object. Several articles in the archaeological literature haw summarized the proveniences and provenances of traditional/standard monolithic axes ranging in size from 9-16 .. in length (Refs. 1-3) and this anicle documents the transition from standard size to miniature size. Dr. Kevin Smith documents the size eYolution o,·er time of Mississippian maces from large [AD 1050-1150] to small [AD 1300-1500] (Refs. 4-5): Bro”n and Kelly (Ref. 6) and Brain and Phillips (Ref. 7) describe the evolution from long handle spatulate celts [AD 950-1150] to short handle spatulate celts [AD 1400-1650]: Dr. David Dye feels the same principle applies to monolithic axes decreasing in size from AD 1300 to AD 1650 (Ref. 8).
This paper documents six miniature monolithic axes that were worn as pendants. It is observed that each pendant was suspended with the end of the axe’s handle in an -Upside down .. position. Dr. Michael Gramly notes that “the orientation of symbols as a key for interpreting their meaning cannot be overemphasized.” He feels the inverted position of a suspended figurine -might have commemorated a dead ancestor” (Ref. 9). Perhaps an inverted monolithic axe pendant celebrated an elite ancestor interred with a large ceremonial monolithic axe.
Figure I shows a limestone pendant (2¾”) that was found on a Middle Mississippian site in Colbert County, Alabama near the Tennessee Jtiver (Refs. 10- 13 ). It was found by A.W. Beinlich, Jr. in 1956. Adjacent sites in Colbert County have evidence of the Moundville culture (Ref. 13) and ii is reasonable to assume the wearer of this miniature pendant was venerating an ancestor interred with a larger traditional monolithic axe I 25 miles south at Moundville (Figure 2).
Figure 3 shows a red jasper monolithic axe pendant (3 ¼”) that was found by Paul Weirich near Stewman Creek and the Tennessee River in Decatur County, Tennessee. Figure 4 shows a stone engraved monolithic axe pendant (2.4 .. ) found by J.H. Polhemus in 1956-57 on the Late Mississippian (AD 1450-1600) Dallas culture Chilhowee site (408t7) on the Little Tennessee River in Blount County. Tennessee; it was pictured in 1957 (Ref. 14). Figure 5 shows a pendant (2.25 .. ) from Moundville, Hale County, Tennessee and it was pictured in 2016 (Ref. 5).
An even smaller monolithic axe pendant is pictured in Figure 6 which shows a mussel shell pendant (I 1/,”) that was found in Washington County, Virginia.
lncidentaly. in addition to monolithic axe pendants, another miniature monolithic axe effigy artifact that has evolved from the early Mississippian large monolithic axe is the monolithic axe pipe. These pipes date to the Late Mississippian Dallas Period (AD 1450-1600) and are made of ceramic material or stone. Figure 7 shows a ceramic pipe (2 w· L) from Bradley County. Tennessee and Figure 8 shows a dolostone pipe (2 ‘”,•” L) from Murray County, Georgia.
