CUMBERLAND, Kneberg (Kneberg, 1956): A-26
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a medium to large, auriculate, fluted point displaying hafting constriction.
MEASUREMENTS: Thirty-one plesiotypes from 28 sites in the Tennessee River Valley (Soday and Cambron, n. d.) ranged in measurements as follows: longest example, 101 mm.; shortest; 37 mm.; average length, 69 mm.; average width, 23 mm.; average thickness, 8 mm. The illustrated example measures 77 mm. long, 24 mm. across the blade, 19 mm. wide at base, 16 mm. wide at hafting constriction, 7 mm. thick, 2 mm. deep at basal concavity. Length of flutes measured from basal concavity: 1st flute, after flaking of striking platform for 2nd flute, 47 mm.; 2nd flute, 53 mm.
FORM: Cross-section is usually fluted or median ridged on unfluted faces. The blade is recurvate; the distal ends, acute. The auriculate hafting area is usually expanded-rounded with an incurvate basal edge. There is no sharp break between the blade edges and the ground edges of the hafting area. The base may be multiple fluted or single fluted on one or both faces. The main flute or flutes may extend to near the distal end.
FLAKING: Collateral flaking was usually employed to shape the median ridges on the faces. The hafting constriction was sometimes partially worked out before fluting. For multiple fluting, two short primary flutes were removed down each side of the median ridge after the basal edge had been flaked to the proper degree of pitch to form a striking platform. This resulted in the formation of a striking nipple in the center of the basal edge from which the main flute was struck by indirect percussion. The basal edge was then reflaked to the desired pitch or level to facilitate repeating the fluting procedure on the other face. Flaking of the basal edge was sometimes accomplished after the second main flute had been struck. Fine retouch was occasionally carried out on all side edges. Finally, the hafting constriction was completed (Cambron and Hulse, 1961).
COMMENTS: The type was named for the Cumberland River Valley in Tennessee where many examples were collected on the surface. The illustrated example is from Holland Site 270 in Colbert County, Alabama. Three examples of Cumberland points were recovered from University of Alabama Site Ms 201, in Marshall County, Alabama, in the irregular, rocky, lower part of the lower levels with Big Sandy I, Dalton and other early types. They are found with Clovis points in many surface collections. A Paleo-Indian association, sometime before 10,000 years ago, is suggested.