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. 48. Typical Pennsylvania knives, from Dr. T. B. Stewart’s
collection, and Fig. 55, Mr. Rayner’s Ohio types, give the range in the
unstemmed objects that are not projectile points.
In all the number of flint implements that I have handled I have never
seen two that were exactly alike. Some of the triangular points have
almost the same form, but there are peculiarities in the chipping or in
the material, and the statement holds good that no two flint implements
are precisely uniform.
Some of the long, slender blades, either lances or knives, such as are
shown in Figs. 54, 57, and 71, are of superior workmanship, and may
represent objects belonging to the priests or the more prominent leaders
among ancient men.
As shedding some light on the use of such a knife, I was interested to
read, when studying the accounts of early Spanish explorers, 1530–1540,
to find a description of how such implements as are shown in Figs. 65,
66, and 67 were used in the Southwest. An ethnologist would have made
great sacrifices to have been with Cabeza De Vaca. In his narrative he
gives a description of a remarkable medicine-man. This man represented
the true Stone Age type; although what we have concerning him is but a
fragment, it is worthy of preservation in that it sheds light on the use
of certain large flint implements, and on practices of ancient
medicine-men.
[Illustration:
FIG. 74. (S. 1–3.) Long, lance-like objects of fine flint. From the
collection of B. H. Young, Louisville, Kentucky. The upper row is of
specimens found in a cache, Livingston county, Kentucky. The lower
ones are from various portions of the same state. Attention is
called to the beautiful character and the fine chipping exhibited in
these.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 75. (S. 1–4.) Flint disc, and knives of various forms. S. D.
Mitchell, Ripon, Wisconsin. These twelve objects show the range of
knives through that region fairly well.
]
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