Illustrated Catalogue of a Portion of the Collections Made During the Field Season of 1881 Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1881-82, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1884, pages 427-510

"Illustrated Catalogue of a Portion of the Collections Made During the Field Season of 1881" by William Henry Holmes is a detailed inventory of cultural and archeological objects gathered by the Bureau of Ethnology in 1881. The compilation presents a variety of artifacts, uncovered mainly from Native American locations in North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and neighboring territories. These collected artifacts showcase tools, ceramics, and decorative pieces, revealing aspects of indigenous people's traditional customs and practices. Led by Edward Palmer's fieldwork, primarily in areas linked to the Cherokee Indians and ancient mounds, the catalog systematically documents excavated items. With careful categorization based on location and material, the accounts give extensive explanations of, for example, stone tools, earthenware, and shell artifacts, therefore assembling a crucial ethnographic and archeological database for comprehension of 19th-century Native American existence.