Artifacts from three sites in extreme southwest Indiana--Barker, Barker #2, and Robertson--indicate the presence of a distinctive, previously unidentified early Middle Woodland cultural manifestation at the Ohio-Wabash river confluence. These sites, while clearly related to the Crab Orchard culture, are also markedly distinct from it. This manifestation has been deemed the Barker variant. The most diagnostic ceramic traits of the Barker variant include: 1) a very large percentage of plain-surfaced ceramics, 2) use of a "line-and-tick" motif along the rims, and 3) the presence of a sideways-oriented chevron motif. These, coupled with the presence of Cobden/Fulton type blades and Snyders cluster points, suggest that the Barker variant dates to the earlier portion of the Middle Woodland period, ca. 100 B.C. -- A.D. 100. It is suggested that these sites, like the more widely known Baumer culture of southern Illinois, represent a localized, distinct variant of Crab Orchard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]