Unknown Rock

[BosnMate]

Here's another rock I didn't find, and don't know what it is or where it came from. It's got the same dent on both sides.
[attach 1]
[attach 2]
Information will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

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[SoIll]

We call those nutting stones around here.

 

[flintdigger]

Very nice nutting stone.

 

[BosnMate]

OK, if it's a nutting stone, how was it used? Out here we have acorns as a diet staple in some places, and of course that's sort of like a nut, and the shell would have to be cracked off before it could be ground into flour. I've never really thought of how they would do that in a way that would get large quantities of the inner nut. It seems to me if the woman was going to make a mush for a family of four or five, she'd have to do a lot of acorns, and one at a time would take too long.

 

[SoIll]

Well I always guessed they would use two of these. The inside of the cups being slightly shorter than the nut. Like with a pecan cracker, most of the nut would come out whole.

 

[blindpig]

BosnMate , I've really have been enjoying your post here for the past week or two . Like you and your family , I collected here in So. Cali , and it's not often were treated to seeing artifact's from around here .
The Native Americans along the Cali cost have left a few odd artifacts behind,.. not the"odd few" ,.just thing's a bit unique to there culture .
It's probably not a bad call ,.labeling this artifact a Nutting-stone ,.if so, think of it as a little anvil to hold shell fish , nut's and the like for a crack'n ,..and for other task that that fingers need not to be in the way of ?
But , there are a few other Cali "oddity's" , that it could be, the size and symmetry lends it's self toward a Donut- Stone , which is a type of Cali discoidal , and there is the cogged-stone , both of which the use is not understood,.. so ,labeled "Ceremonial".I'm not saying this is a Cogged-stone , and the typical Donut -stone does have a hole ,..but cap-stone,maybe??,..nice little artifact for sure !!

Oh,...BosnMate , have a look on the sides of your metate's ,you might find a bit of a pit polished into it ,..from shelling those acorns ,...one at a time ...
thanks for the look ,.Blindpig

 

[BosnMate]

BosnMate , I've really have been enjoying your post here for the past week or two . Like you and your family , I collected here in So. Cali , and it's not often were treated to seeing artifact's from around here .
The Native Americans along the Cali cost have left a few odd artifacts behind,.. not the"odd few" ,.just thing's a bit unique to there culture .
It's probably not a bad call ,.labeling this artifact a Nutting-stone ,.if so, think of it as a little anvil to hold shell fish , nut's and the like for a crack'n ,..and for other task that that fingers need not to be in the way of ?
But , there are a few other Cali "oddity's" , that it could be, the size and symmetry lends it's self toward a Donut- Stone , which is a type of Cali discoidal , and there is the cogged-stone , both of which the use is not understood,.. so ,labeled "Ceremonial".I'm not saying this is a Cogged-stone , and the typical Donut -stone does have a hole ,..but cap-stone,maybe??,..nice little artifact for sure !!

Oh,...BosnMate , have a look on the sides of your metate's ,you might find a bit of a pit polished into it ,..from shelling those acorns ,...one at a time ...
thanks for the look ,.Blindpig

Thanks, it makes sense, but just thinking about it, preparing acorns would sure be a labor intensive job. I don't see any polish in the bowls. The metate's are from Nevada, and there are no acorns, the trees are cottonwood. The Indians there gathered desert seed, and pine nuts from the pinion pines in the mountains. I've been told that it takes a ton of the grass seed to get just a little bit of nourishment. There's another seed that has a hard shell, and would be labor intensive to get the shell off of large quantities. I bet they ate more than a little bit of shell in their flour or what ever.