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
Discs may be material in convenient form for exchange or transportation,
or to be worked down into implements. Hopewell discs shown in Fig. 42
are of this character.
The smaller discs and circular knives may also have been scrapers, thus
representing a double purpose. Figs. 59 and 60 show the more beautiful
oval knives, one of which is mounted in its original handle. Fig. 60 was
brought down from the Northwest coast to the Peabody Museum at Salem,
Massachusetts, many years ago.
CHAPTER VI
CHIPPED IMPLEMENTS
PROJECTILE POINTS WITH STEMS EXPANDING FROM BASE OR WITH SIDES PARALLEL
This division embraces large numbers of projectile points which served
as shaft-heads to spears and lances. The triangular war points mentioned
and illustrated in a previous chapter were also made use of as
projectile points. But, as a rule, arrow-heads were notched, in order
that they might be more securely fastened to the shaft.
In order that there may be no misunderstanding as to the terms employed
in these descriptions, I have illustrated herewith (Fig. 79) one of the
best spear-points in the Phillips Academy collection at Andover. The
terms accepted as descriptive of the various portions of the arrow-head
are taken from Mr. Fowke’s arrow-head nomenclature in the Bureau of
American Ethnology _Report_, 1891–2, page 143. Mr. Fowke’s terms have
been generally accepted. I have presented a different specimen from the
one he shows and have added the term “serration.”
We have passed from the class of implements supposed to be simple forms
to the beginning of more complicated ones. The Committee gave first,
stems with straight sides, the bases of which might be straight,
concave, or convex. In the South the flint implements which exhibit a
narrow base and expanding stem predominate. But specimens in which the
sides of the stem are parallel or straight are not uncommon. Perhaps
more of the “stem with sides parallel” type are found on the tributaries
of the Columbia River and in Texas and California.
In my illustrations it is difficult to procure specimens all of one
type, and on some plates the predominating shapes are of the type
described. Yet here and there will be seen objects which belong in
another class. As a matter of course, “The Stone Age” describes few
objects that are not imperishable material; wooden shafts and weapons,
fabrics, whether skin or basketry, have long since resolved themselves
into dust. However, a few words of description concerning bows and
arrows themselves will not be amiss.
[Illustration:
FIG. 79. (S. 1–1.) Material: white flint, Southern Ohio. A, point; B,
edge; C, face; D, bevel; E, blade; F, tang; G, stem; H, base; I,
notch; K, neck; M, barb or shoulder; N, serration. Phillips Academy
collection.
]
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