Tool Shapers
As the ice receded and the megafauna (large Pleistocene mammals) became extinct, a new tradition began to take shape. Adapted from the declining Paleo-Indian culture, the Archaic culture was both diversified and became more efficient. They relied less on hunting large mammals and more on gathering vegetable foods, fishing, hunting, and trapping small woodland animals. They also made more elaborate tools such as bone fishhooks and spear-throwers.NPS Photo, NGS (bone atlatl tip)
NPS Photo
NPS Photo
The Archaic people in the Southeast were successful in adapting to the warming weather and the declining megafauna population by maximizing the usage of their environment, developing more effective hunting and gathering techniques, as well as crafting an abundance of practical tools. This increasingly efficient way of living allowed the inhabitants time for other pursuits. Personal adornment objects such as beads and necklaces were made from bird bones, perforated canine teeth from various animals, and polished stones. In the late Archaic period, tubular stone pipes were presumably crafted for smoking various types of barks, leaves, and flowers. Pottery in the form of open bowls were also made. Fibers from grass, roots, Spanish moss, and other fibrous materials were placed into the clay before firing in order strengthen the vessel. These bowls were often decorated with incised lines and impressed indentations made by pressing textured material into the wet clay before firing. Proper burial of the dead also became an important practice. The inhabitants would tightly bound the remains, wrap them in some sort of covering, then place them in small pits. Inside some of the pits, personal belongings such as weapons, tools, and even bodies of their dogs were also found.