Tchefuncte site facts for kids
 Location in Louisiana
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| Location | Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana USA |
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| Coordinates | 30°19′55.56″N 90°1′33.38″W / 30.3321000°N 90.0259389°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 500 BCE |
| Abandoned | 1 CE |
| Periods | Tchula period |
| Cultures | Tchefuncte culture |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1938, 1941, 1986 |
| Archaeologists | Clarence Johnson, Edwin Doran, Richard Weinstein, Charles Pearson, Dave Davis Civilian Conservation Corps, Coastal Environments, Inc., Tulane University |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | shell middens |
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Tchefuncte site
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| Area | less than one acre |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000717 |
| Added to NRHP | June 22, 2000 |
| Responsible body: State of Louisiana | |
The Tchefuncte site (pronounced Che-funk'tuh) is a very important archaeological site in Louisiana. It's like a special place where scientists learn about an ancient group of people called the Tchefuncte culture. This site is located inside Fontainebleau State Park near Mandeville. People lived here a long, long time ago, from about 500 BCE (Before Common Era) to 1 CE (Common Era). This time is also known as the Tchula period. Archaeologists, who are like history detectives, dug up parts of the site in 1938 and 1941 to find clues about these ancient people.
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What is the Tchefuncte Site?
The Tchefuncte site is found in a marshy area of eastern Louisiana. It is about half a mile north of Lake Pontchartrain. This site once had two large, oval-shaped piles of shells. These piles are called shell middens.
One shell pile, called Midden A, was about 52 meters (170 feet) long. It was also 15 meters (49 feet) wide and 1.5 meters (5 feet) thick. The other pile, Midden B, was about 46 meters (150 feet) long and 33 meters (108 feet) wide. Midden B is no longer there today.
These shell middens were mostly made of shells from a type of clam called Rangia cuneata. These clams live in slightly salty water. When people lived here, a large freshwater bayou was nearby. This bayou flowed into the lake. Later, the bayou changed its path, moving further east.
How Archaeologists Explored the Site
Before 1938, parts of the Tchefuncte site were damaged. This happened because people were digging up shells for building roads.
Early Discoveries (1938-1941)
In 1938, construction workers wanted to use shells from the middens for roads. Before they could take all the shells, Clarence Johnson led an excavation. He was a historian for the Civilian Conservation Corps. His team dug up the northern part of Midden B. The southern part had already been destroyed. Johnson then gave his findings and notes to the Louisiana Archaeological Survey.
More digging happened in 1941. Edwin B. Doran, Jr. led this work on both Midden A and Midden B. The results of these digs were published in 1945. The book was called "The Tchefuncte Culture: An Early Occupation of the Lower Mississippi Valley." This book used information from the Tchefuncte site and other similar sites. It showed that the Tchefuncte site was a main home for the Tchefuncte culture. This helped make Tchefuncte the "type site" for this ancient culture.
Later Investigations (1986-2000)
In 1986, more archaeologists worked on Midden A. Richard Weinstein, Charles Pearson, and Dave Davis led this effort. They were from Coastal Environments, Inc., and Tulane University. This dig was also a field school for the Louisiana Archaeological Society.
In 2000, archaeologists from the Regional Archaeology Program made maps of the site. This was done to help the site be added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Understanding the Tchefuncte Culture
The Tchefuncte culture existed from about 600 BCE to 200 CE. These people traded less over long distances than the earlier Poverty Point culture. However, they still had a trade network. This network connected areas that are now Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri. Their homes were likely simple, round shelters. They probably used light poles for frames. These frames were covered with palm leaves, thatch, or grass mixed with mud.
What Did Tchefuncte People Eat?
The Tchefuncte people were mostly hunter-gatherers. This means they found their food by hunting animals and gathering plants. They lived in small villages in the Lower Mississippi Valley and along the Gulf Coast. They usually lived near slow-moving streams.
Their main foods included many kinds of seafood. They ate clams, alligators, and fish. Interestingly, they didn't seem to eat crabs or crawfish, even though these were probably common. They also hunted deer and raccoons. Migratory birds were another food source for them.
How Tchefuncte People Made Pottery
The Tchefuncte culture was the first group in Louisiana to make a lot of pottery. Their pottery has been found in many places. These places stretch from eastern Texas to eastern Florida. They also go from coastal Louisiana up to southern Arkansas.
They made pots by rolling clay into long coils. Then, they stacked the coils and smoothed them to create a container. They made many different shapes of pots. Many of these pots had "footed" bases, meaning they had small feet at the bottom.
The pots often had cool designs. These designs were made by pressing fingernails, twigs, or tools into the wet clay. After decorating, the pots were slowly baked to make them hard. At this time, people had not yet learned to add special materials (called temper) to the clay. Temper helps pottery stay strong and not crack when it dries or bakes. Making pottery was a big step forward. It helped people store food better and try new cooking methods, like stewing.
Where Tchefuncte Culture Fits in History
In the history of ancient North America, the Tchefuncte culture came after the Poverty Point culture. After the Tchefuncte culture, the Marksville culture developed.
