The Seri Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 1-344*))McGee, W J
History
The Seri Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 1-344*))
McGee, W J
Seri Indians; Seri language; Yuman languages
A rough census of the stone implements of Seriland is not without
interest, even though it be no more than an approximation. Some 20 or
25 habitable and recently inhabited jacales were visited, with about
twice as many more in various stages of ruin, fully two-thirds of
these being on the island; and at least an equal number of camps or
other houseless sites were noted. About these 150 jacales and sites
there were, say, 50 ahsts, ranging from nearly natural bowlders to the
comparatively well-wrought specimen illustrated in plate XXXIX, and
an equal number of cobbles used interchangeably as ahsts and hupfs;
there were also 200 or 300 pebbles bearing traces of use as hupfs, of
which about a third were worn so decidedly as to attest repeated if not
regular use; while no flaked or spalled implements were observed save
the two doubtful examples illustrated in plates XLVII and L, and only
two chipped arrowpoints. It may be assumed that the sites visited and
the artifacts observed comprise from a tenth to a fifth of those of all
Seriland, in addition to, say, 75 finished hupfs habitually carried by
Seri matrons in their wanderings; and it may be assumed also that 50 or
100 metallic harpoon-points and several hundred hoop-iron arrowpoints
are habitually carried by the warriors and their spouses.
The most impressive fact brought out by this census is the practical
absence of stone artifacts wrought by flaking or chipping in accordance
with preconceived design; excepting the exceedingly rare arrowpoints
there are none of these. And the assemblage of wrought stones
demonstrates not merely that the Seri are practically without flaked or
chipped implements, but that they eschew and discard stones edged by
fracture whether naturally or through accident of use.
* * * * *
Summarily, the Seri artifacts of inorganic material fall into
three groups, viz.: (I) The large and characteristic one comprising
regularly-used hupfs and ahsts, with their little-used and discarded
representatives; (II) the small and aberrant group represented by
chipped arrowpoints, and (III) the considerable group comprising the
cold-wrought metal points for arrows and harpoons and awls—though it is
to be remembered that the Seri themselves combine the second and third
of these groups.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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