Found another of these unidentified objects

[unclemac]

This is the 5th one I have found at the same coastal site. PNW. They are local spruce, hand formed with an adz, and show no signs of wear. One end is whittled down as a peg to fit in a hole, the other end has what looks to be a decorative point. This one is a bit over 2 feet, others are similar or a bit smaller. 4 were found together, this latest one by itself. It is also interesting that they are not perfectly symmetrical, but are made with a purposeful bow and do not lay flat...notice how they lift off the table on the ends. They do NOT have to be strictly NA, the site was in continuous use from pre-contact to first settlement. I actually know the family that made the first claim in the 1860's, they are married into the local Chinooks BUT the pre-contact site MAY be Athabaskan based on certain other artifacts found there. Any ideas welcome.

 

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[Tnmountains]

I have no earthly idea. Someone will have to have seen a like example in a museum. Very interesting .

 

[Buckleberry]

Very interesting, would like to see pics of them all. Miniature bow?

 

[unclemac]

Very interesting, would like to see pics of them all. Miniature bow?

no, they are not flexible in the least.

I have a previous post with the others... i will bump it.

 

[Lone Star]

Do you have mussel outcrops on rocks along the water?
Something like that could dislodge clumps of mussels at a time if used right.
Very Cool Find.

 

[luke_00]

I believe it is a tool for repairing fishing nets. Going on that hunch, I found one for sale on ebay that is very similar.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-WOOD-NET-REPAIR-MENDING-TOOL-/264664767237

 

[Tdog]

Hello unclemac. It just occurred to me that my grandfather used to whittle down sticks of hickory and used them to hang up hogs by their back legs for butchering--a primitive gambrel. They look very similar to yours.

 

[unclemac]

yes, it was a big oyster area and in fact it is what initially brought settlers there. However none of these show any signs of wear, they are smooth and un-battered. They do not have any indication of being affixed together as a rake either... The end that was shaped as a peg is a clue of some sort, the other end is decorative. They were formed with a very narrow adz bit, less than an inch across.

 

[unclemac]

I believe it is a tool for repairing fishing nets. Going on that hunch, I found one for sale on ebay that is very similar.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-WOOD-NET-REPAIR-MENDING-TOOL-/264664767237

could be, however I have found actual net shuttles here before too...

 

[BennyV]

This is the 5th one I have found at the same coastal site. PNW. They are local spruce, hand formed with an adz, and show no signs of wear. One end is whittled down as a peg to fit in a hole, the other end has what looks to be a decorative point. This one is a bit over 2 feet, others are similar or a bit smaller. 4 were found together, this latest one by itself. It is also interesting that they are not perfectly symmetrical, but are made with a purposeful bow and do not lay flat...notice how they lift off the table on the ends. They do NOT have to be strictly NA, the site was in continuous use from pre-contact to first settlement. I actually know the family that made the first claim in the 1860's, they are married into the local Chinooks BUT the pre-contact site MAY be Athabaskan based on certain other artifacts found there. Any ideas welcome.

Yes. As someone mentioned looks like a net repair tool. I used to live by a fishing weir and found a few of those scatter amongst the rocks. The weir was made of rocks and was only exposed during moon tides, but the entrance point was covered with a net before tide ebbed. As it flowed out the fish were caught in the net.

 

[unclemac]

Hello unclemac. It just occurred to me that my grandfather used to whittle down sticks of hickory and used them to hang up hogs by their back legs for butchering--a primitive gambrel. They look very similar to yours.

boy howdy those are an "almost"! you may be onto something.

 

[unclemac]

Yes. As someone mentioned looks like a net repair tool. I used to live by a fishing weir and found a few of those scatter amongst the rocks. The weir was made of rocks and was only exposed during moon tides, but the entrance point was covered with a net before tide ebbed. As it flowed out the fish were caught in the net.

can you find an example? there is evidence of some perhaps fish trap made of tree limbs.

 

[unclemac]

ANSWER!!! AHA!

I had the opportunity to connect again with the archeologist that studies the watershed that I am most familiar with. He has taken my wooden pieces and is doing some dating, writing, study on them. Through his connections he has identified these artifacts as part of a set of "rectangular style" wood wedges that were once likely used to split planks from logs.

here is a great read on them...

The Archaeology and Ethnology of Wedges on the Northwest Coast | Staff Profiles

staff.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

and a great attachment too.

 

[releventchair]

Great update!

I'd not have guessed such.

Also not familier with wedges used to repair a bark....
Certain they had thier reasons though.

Heard about one recovered from being sunken in a lake.
Many years later I encountered in in a tiny museum.
Always wondered if it was deliberately sunk to preserve it (keep it pliable in it's bones) , or to keep it stored over a season.

This guy skipped wedges. On a different split condition.
My Radisson canoe mimics his "tar scars" at seams with something else as a sealant.

 

[unclemac]

I also had a no-brainer aha moment reading the material.... often times when the native folk needed a log for a canoe or for planks they would just ... well... TAKE ONE OFF THE BEACH! good lord of course, the coast is knee deep in logs!

 

[dirstscratcher]

This is the 5th one I have found at the same coastal site. PNW. They are local spruce, hand formed with an adz, and show no signs of wear. One end is whittled down as a peg to fit in a hole, the other end has what looks to be a decorative point. This one is a bit over 2 feet, others are similar or a bit smaller. 4 were found together, this latest one by itself. It is also interesting that they are not perfectly symmetrical, but are made with a purposeful bow and do not lay flat...notice how they lift off the table on the ends. They do NOT have to be strictly NA, the site was in continuous use from pre-contact to first settlement. I actually know the family that made the first claim in the 1860's, they are married into the local Chinooks BUT the pre-contact site MAY be Athabaskan based on certain other artifacts found there. Any ideas welcome.

They look a little large but look up marlinspike, used to repair large rope.

 

[southfork]

They remind me of tent stakes. Nice find anyway.

 

[unclemac]

.... the manufacturing process is fascinating! (sorry for the cut and paste)

 

[unclemac]

here are the other ones... clearly showing the adz work marks.

 

[joshuaream]

Organic items can be really hard to identify, I think back to my grand parents barn and they had lots of wooden pegs that had a specific purpose that could have been something completely else out of context. (Three prong flower drying things that looked like you could spear a whale.)

PNW had a lot of shelves in plank houses, invert them, jab the whittled end into a drilled hole, and you could put a board on them as a shelf. Look up how they dried salmon and some of the smaller fish, and you'll see something like those. (I'd expect them to be oiled and smoked from the fish and fire.)