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One of the artifacts found, long ago, in the Burnette field
WOVEN IN THE WIND
By: Janey S. Dalrymple
Even though the spring morning was cool, sweat glistened on the two brown mules as they pulled a
single-blade plow through new ground. The iron blade cut deep, laying bare dark slabs of rich earth. A
man, in overalls the color of a mid-summer sky, guided the mules with hands and voice as they worked.
Behind the man trudged a small, barefoot boy. His tousled, auburn hair shone in the early morning sun.
Every few steps he stooped and picked up rocks that the plow unearthed, placing them in a bucket. His
load grew heavier with every step. When his arms could carry no more, he made a bee-line for the edge
of the field, bucket banging against the side of his leg. He dumped the bucket full of rocks and hurried
back to his place.
Among the rocks he found were arrowheads of varying colors, shapes and sizes. Many were broken,
some were whole. The little boy scarcely gave them a thought. Often, he chucked them over to the
edge of the field, where they found a new lodging place in Kentucky soil. He kept only a few of the very
best ones, sliding them into the pocket of his overalls.
“I wish I had kept every one of them,” he recalled as a grown man. “But there were just so many.”
The year was about 1926; the little boy was Preston Burnette. His family owned and farmed land in
Grayson County near what is now known as Rough River.
The rich soil that grew crops and sustained his family felt the feet of many who had come before. Prehistoric Native Americans lived in settlements throughout Kentucky, but, when European settlers came
in the mid 1700’s from the East, sources say there were few permanent Native American communities
left. Instead, the land, abundant in game, was used as a hunting ground by many tribes of Native
Americans who came for the buffalo, white-tail deer and wild turkey.1
Shawnee came from the north and the Cherokee and Chickasaw came to Kentucky from the south as
they followed game.2 The Iroquois believed the land was their hunting ground until 1768, though they
didn’t build permanent dwellings there. Other tribes, such as the Mosopelea and the Yuchi are also
thought to have traveled Kentucky soil.3
The name of Kentucky finds its beginning in many Native American dialects, including the Iroquois, who
called the land “Kentake” meaning “meadow land,” and the Cherokee/Wyandotte, who spoke of it as
“Ken-tah-the” (land of tomorrow).4 Beautiful forests and expanses of tall grasses made it an ideal place
for the animals Native Americans depended on for survival.
When opposing tribes met, battles were often fought by those whose stories are now only woven in the
winds of time. Arrowheads, each one crafted by a man who sought to feed and protect his family, prove
their past existence. Every piece of flint was shaped by someone who had hopes, dreams, anxieties and
fears, much as we do. The fabric of that culture was rich in tradition, made up of a people who loved
their families, enjoyed the hunt, celebrated life and grieved at death.
The land Burnette walked on and later owned was the stage for countless stories. It is this writer’s
opinion that the field he cleared of rocks and arrowheads may have been the site of a battle, since there
were so many arrowheads of differing types. The truth, however, is lost in history.
That particular field has now been reclaimed by the trees. Ninety years of accumulated forest debris
and growth hide the reminders of life and death dramas. Yet, those stories can come alive through
imagination and wonder, when we realize there is more to the land than what we see.
The Preston Burnette Estate, which encompasses the field of his youth and other tracts of land which he
later acquired, will be sold at auction May 14, 2016.
1
Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico: Hodges, Frederick W.
The Indian Tribes of North America: Swanton, John R.
Website: kentuckytourism.com
2
Website: familysearch.org
3
Website: warpathstopeacepipes.com
Website: wikipedia.com
4