antler pressure flaking artifacts

[GatorBoy]

I have found some antler pressure flaking tools on one of my sites that are always the same section close to the skull. I was hoping someone had the same or knew a bit about why that portion might be preferred. Is that section harder? The larger one appears to have been used for a long time. It has been modified some and is heavily polished on the side that faced the hand

 

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[kuger]

Lets go with this...its more interesting than flaking tools. .... were those Jack Rabbit nets native artifacts?

...yes,most def. Great Basin Paiute/Washoe


Man am I proud of myself!!!I just walked over to my mmense library and found one of two books I thought what I was looking for is in.....first one I grabbed is Stone Age In the Great Basin By Emory Strong,and low and behold I dang near opened right to the page!!!!!Page 224!!I took pics and cant wait to show them to ya!!!I cant till morning though.Now the impressive part.......I have not opened that book in at least ten years!!!!!It did spend many a night in camp with me though(I can still smell sage smoke in t!!!)

 

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[Tnmountains]

I have shown this chunk before. When I found it I kept it because it was interesting. I stopped to show a friend my finds and he looked at my points and stuff and said this was my find of the day. Said it was a knapping tool. They used the soft cortex to grab the find like antler in pressure flaking. If you look at it you can see there is not enough there to really make anything yet the whole cortex is covered with little dents and grab marks. I guess they used soft stone as well at various stages of manufacture.
Now days they use copper billets or sticks with copper wire cause copper grabs good.

 

[Tnmountains]

Too late on the jack rabbit weights I was posting as you did. Lol

 

[GatorBoy]

Very cool..Kuger.. it always amazes me how necessity through trial and error eventually leads to the best answer.. and very similar artifacts across the globe. Those were net weights I posted...most likely for fish... though I could see other applications thinking along those lines.

 

[kuger]

....Strong has em as Fish net weights,but I know for fact somewhere I seen them as Jack Rab nets.I cant wait to put the page up,it has the "charms",on the same page as the "Bowtie",weights

 

[kuger]

I have the Archy reports for several major early Cave excavations that I am sure the nets came from...its just a matter of which one?The Lovelock Cave report is my favorite but that was a cache of duck decoys.......

 

[kuger]

I have shown this chunk before. When I found it I kept it because it was interesting. I stopped to show a friend my finds and he looked at my points and stuff and said this was my find of the day. Said it was a knapping tool. They used the soft cortex to grab the find like antler in pressure flaking. If you look at it you can see there is not enough there to really make anything yet the whole cortex is covered with little dents and grab marks. I guess they used soft stone as well at various stages of manufacture.
Now days they use copper billets or sticks with copper wire cause copper grabs good.

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Thats what I use Richard along with a thick piece of rubber with a half inch groove cut in it....I gave up on the Traditionalist way a long time agao!!!LOL!

 

[animoosh]

Tnmountains...such stones were definitely used to knock spalls off of larger cores. They will also work for some primary reduction when producing blades, but only for very basic work. It would be pretty difficult to do anything too precise with a round stone and the danger of breakage to the worked on piece would greatly increase as it became thinner.

 

[GatorBoy]

That's a very interesting...and from what I have seen rare piece there TNM.. also kuger.. I'm SO Looking forward to seeing that! I love that sage smell also. I'm overdue.

 

[GatorBoy]

I like this multi subject thread.. it's good for the brain. I thought I would post a few more weights from that site.

 

[kuger]

Gator,I was just flipping through the other book "Ancient Tribes Of the Klammath Country",by Carrol Howe,and he also has both types of artifacts,he goes into great lenth on the various net weights and some of the "unidentified",specimens as well.Boy these books brng back the memories.They were my bibles back in the day.Not much to do in camp at night but knap obsidian and read!!!

 

[animoosh]

I like this multi subject thread.. it's good for the brain. I thought I would post a few more weights from that site.

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These all look like fishing weights to me. Is there other evidence of a prehistoric fishing industry in your parts? Do you find things like harpoons or leister prongs?

 

[Tnmountains]

Tnmountains...such stones were definitely used to knock spalls off of larger cores. They will also work for some primary reduction when producing blades, but only for very basic work. It would be pretty difficult to do anything too precise with a round stone and the danger of breakage to the worked on piece would greatly increase as it became thinner.

I think this was used for the finer edge work and pressure flaking. It will grab better than horns. It would shatter in my opinion if used to break up cores due to its size.

 

[GatorBoy]

These all look like fishing weights to me. Is there other evidence of a prehistoric fishing industry in your parts? Do you find things like harpoons or leister prongs?

I believe them to be fishing net weights. I have always called them fishing net weights. they are documented as such in my area. Documented by people... who are also learning as time goes by.

 

[animoosh]

Tnmountains...you think so? I would think just the opposite. I think the flint nodule would simply crush the edge if used to finish a thin edge by pressure. On the other hand, its mass could be used very effectively on carefully prepared platforms on a large blade, preforem or core.

 

[GatorBoy]

Yes ... Animoosh.. I'm on the Florida coast. Heavy fishing.

 

[animoosh]

Yes ... Animoosh.. I'm on the Florida coast. Heavy fishing.

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If you're right on the coast like that, it seems to me the only thing that seems likely for these artifacts are some sort of weights that are somehow related to the procurement of fish, shellfish or the like. Considering there have been people fishing along your shorelines for probably the past ten or twelve thousand years, it makes sense that there would be a multitude of different weight options. Have archaeologists ever come up with these things during excavations?

 

[GatorBoy]

If you're right on the coast like that, it seems to me the only thing that seems likely for these artifacts are some sort of weights that are somehow related to the procurement of fish, shellfish or the like. Considering there have been people fishing along your shorelines for probably the past ten or twelve thousand years, it makes sense that there would be a multitude of different weight options. Have archaeologists ever come up with these things during excavations?

I don't know what you're arguing.. you're only repeating what I already stated.

 

[animoosh]

Not arguing...just wondering if there might have been alternate explanations as to their use. I thought the discussion was a good one....I learned something about an artifact type from a different region....keeps the thought process fresh.

 

[GatorBoy]

Good.. I always leave the door open For possibilities. It seems possible That someone may have figured out The same nets they use To catch fish Might work well On a group of shore birds or some other small game.. just pondering it. And yes they are well documented by archaeologists in my state. Of which I know a few.