Terry Powell
Terry J. Powell
Terry is a retired archaeologist and museum/nature center educator who has been creating prehistoric artifacts and tools for over 50 years. After working for years as an archaeologist, Terry became curious about the objects he was excavating. He wondered how the native peoples made them, how they used them, and what the complete object looked like, not just the pieces that were found. Those questions have taken him on 50+ year journey replicating prehistoric artifacts and tools. His quest for authenticity lead to respect and awe for the ingenuity and skillfulness of the prehistoric people
His hand-made authentic items are inspired by actual artifacts and extensive research. Everything he uses is real – such as bones from deer and bison, feathers from turkeys, shells from the Gulf of Mexico, fibers from trees and grass plants, wood from trees, rawhide and sinew from deer.
Number 1
Wooden Rake UPDATED PRICE: $455
The Hidatsa Tribe of the Great Plains used wooden rakes to clear their cornfields. This rake is a faithful reproduction made of tree saplings and rawhide.
Number 2
Bone Tipped Digging Stick UPDATED PRICE: $247
To plant gardens and fields, Indigenous people on the Great Plains used the bison bone tipped digging stick. The soil from Texas to the Dakotas can become extremely hard and wood tipped digging sticks would be ineffective.
Number 3
Bison Scapula Hoe UPDATED PRICE: $423
The Hidatsa people who lived on the northern Great Plains used gardening hoes much like we do today - to break up soil for rain water to seep down and to remove weeds that compete with cultivated plants. This hoe made from a bison shoulder blade attached with rawhide is a faithful reproduction.
Number 4
Spear Thrower (Atlatl) UPDATED PRICE: $423
Prehistoric native people threw spears using an atlatl that increased accuracy, speed and distance. The style of the atlatl varied across the country. This is a faithful reproduction of an atlatl found in Hogup Cave in Utah made of Mountain Mahogany
Number 5
Spear Thrower (Atlatl) UPDATED PRICE: $371
Prehistoric native people threw spears using an atlatl that increased accuracy, speed and distance. The style of the atlatl varied across the country. This atlatl is based on archaeological remains from the Midwest and Southeastern United States. It has a stone weight, antler hook where the spear attached, and a wooden shaft.
Number 6
Spear Thrower (Atlatl) UPDATED PRICE: $228
Prehistoric native people threw spears using an atlatl that increased accuracy, speed and distance. The style of the atlatl varied across the country.
This is a faithful reproduction of several atlatls used by the Calusa people, buried in the muck on the Key Marco site in Southern Florida.
Number 7
Stone Celt UPDATED PRICE: $520
Prehistoric people used celts to cut down trees and chop wood. This celt head is made of stone fashioned into shape by another stone and then smoothed by rubbing on sandstone with water.
Number 8
Shell Celt UPDATED PRICE: $293
Shells were plentiful for prehistoric people living along the coast of the Southeastern United States. They ate the snails that lived in the shells and then made tools, like this celt, from the shell. It was a great tool for chopping down small trees and cutting wood pieces to length.
Number 9
Shell Axe UPDATED PRICE: $325
Prehistoric people had lots of things to build – like houses and walls around the village. They used this wood working tool to cut lengths of logs and cut down trees. This tool is amazing – it cuts wood better than you could ever imagine.
It is a common tool found on archaeological sites on the both west and east coasts of Florida through Georgia, the Carolinas, and as far north as southern Virginia.
Number 10
Stone Hoe (by order only) UPDATED PRICE: $650
Stone hoes were used throughout eastern North America by prehistoric people. These are dirt-digging machines! They were used to cultivate corn fields, but also
likely used to dig post holes and wall trenches for houses and to dig storage and cooking pits inside the house. Stone hoe is made of chert or flint, tied to a wooden handle with rawhide.
Number 11
Stone Adze UPDATED PRICE: $293
An adze was used to shape wood pieces into bowls, tool handles, stakes and large woodcarvings. They came in many sizes depending on the size of the job.
Number 12
Shell Adze UPDATED PRICE: $390
This wood working tool was used to shape objects such as bowls, masks, and carvings. If the prehistoric people had good hard rocks around, shell would not have been their first choice – but they did great things with what was available.
Shell tools are used on the southeastern coast where stone is a rare commodity.
Number 13
Shell Hoe UPDATED PRICE: $293
Shell hoes were used for cultivation and digging. This shell hoe is modeled from a complete hoe found in a rock shelter in Arkansas. Made of freshwater mussel shell, wood handle and rawhide straps. Mussel shell hoe blades are found on archaeological sites on the Great Plains and the eastern United States.
Number 14
Wooden Bowl (by order only) – UPDATED PRICE: $520
This wooden bowl was shaped using a shell axe and adze, then smoothed with a shark tooth knife. Inspired by bowls found at Key Marco site in Southern Florida.
Number 15
Bone Hoe UPDATED PRICE: $358
Native people on the Great Plains were accomplished gardeners. They used hoes in a variety of shapes and sizes. This hoe is made from a bison skull with horn core.
Number 16 (IF TERRY GETS IT COMPLETED IN TIME)
Fish Trap UPDATED PRICE: $650
A fence of sticks across a small stream directed fish through an opening that lead into the fish trap. When the trap is full, the pointed end is untied and the fish are removed. The trap is retied and used over and over again. Traps were often made of saplings that grow straight with few branches tied together with string.