Biface · Early Woodland
Turkey-tail
1500–500 BCE, Adena
The Turkey-tail is a large Early Woodland ceremonial blade of the Midwest, about 1,500 to 500 BCE, associated with Red Ochre and early Adena burials. It was almost always made of blue-grey Upper Mercer or Wyandotte chert and cached in graves. It is among the most valued Woodland objects.
| Object | Biface |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1500–500 BCE |
| Period | Early Woodland |
| Cultures | Adena |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Large lenticular blade with shallow notches producing a short pointed base that resembles a bird's tail; typically Upper Mercer chert.
Identification
Turkey-tail has a large lenticular blade and shallow notches that produce a short pointed base resembling a turkey's tail, unlike Adena, which is stemmed, and Meadowood, which is narrow with low notches. Varieties by Harrison, Fulton and Hebron are recognised. It is thin and finely percussion-flaked.
Reproductions and fakes
Turkey-tails are faked in Upper Mercer chert because of their value, and fakes often exaggerate the tail or are too thick; genuine examples have a soft surface patina and often red ochre staining. Provenance from a documented cache is the best support.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Turkey-tail" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/turkey-tail. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-turkey-tail,
title = {Turkey-tail},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/turkey-tail}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.