The stone age in North America, vol. 1 of 2Moorehead, Warren K. (Warren King)
History
The stone age in North America, vol. 1 of 2
Moorehead, Warren K. (Warren King)
Indians of North America -- Antiquities; Stone age -- North America
FIG. 7. (S. about 2–3 to full S.) Series of rejects from the South
Mountain rhyolite quarry, showing range of shaped forms. Figs. 5, 6,
and 7 are illustrative of successive grades of development.
]
But before explaining and expanding the accepted classification, it is
well to state that we have confined our plan to the arts, industries,
and so forth, of man, as expressed in his handiwork. If one realizes
this, he will at once understand that we have not included the
vocations, or cultures, or divisions of labor, or anything of that sort.
Such would be, manifestly, out of place in a classification of the
products of man’s handiwork.
[Illustration:
FIG. 8. (S. 1–1.) These four figures which follow are from W. H.
Holmes’s paper in the 15th _Annual Report_, pp. 5–150, Bureau of
Ethnology. They are selected forms illustrating progressive steps in
the shaping of leaf-blade implements from argillite, from village-
and shop-sites at Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania.
]
Were one to consider primitive or prehistoric man from every aspect of
his life, a totally different classification would be necessary, one far
broader and more comprehensive. Again, we have thought of other
classifications which suggested themselves to the investigators. None of
these could be accepted entirely, for the simple reason that we do not
yet know the purpose of every object made and used by prehistoric man.
There are, however, two grand divisions to which no one can object—the
Known and the Unknown. All objects naturally fall into these. But they
are too sweeping in character and have not been adopted,
although—regardless of form or material—all Stone-Age implements are of
one or the other of these two grand divisions: those whose purpose is
clear to us, and those regarding which we have no positive knowledge.
Under these heads one might summarize all the implements or
paraphernalia made use of by the man, the woman, the priest, the
warrior, the child. Or one might subdivide, and under the heading of
woman place objects made use of in the carrying industry, domestic
science, agriculture, etc. But in following such a classification one is
beset by certain difficulties. We are not certain as to the division of
labor between man and woman. The lines are not so sharply drawn among
barbarians as with ourselves in some matters; in others they are more
sharply drawn. The construction of a wigwam, a cabin, a tepee, or a
council-house, might be placed under archæological architecture,
primitive though it is. Just where to draw the line between the insignia
of the priest and highly ornamental possessions of the wealthy warrior
presents a problem not easy of solution.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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