Got something interesting here

[cti4sw]

Not sure if it's NA, souvenir, modern... Made of bone or antler. It used to have a leather finger loop that disintegrated after I got it home. First pic is laying flat, second is on one side, last pic is face down. Measurements are on white sheet of paper.



EDIT: It's got a pretty sharp point on it.


UPDATE:

Pics of the end:



Pics of Hole #1:



Pics of Hole #2:



Pic of the surface:



Okay, here's what we know:

1. It's old.
2. Pretty damn old, at that. The color of the bone indicates this.
3. The holes are neatly drilled, but Indians had good drilling techniques.
4. "Post-contact" could be anywhere from the 1620s to the 1800s.
5. The leather loop was too small for a necklace, probably a double finger loop.
6. It's difficult to deeply dye or stain bone; the green is probably from prolonged exposure to brass.

 

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[scotto]

Could be bone. Due to the texture, slight curve and luster, I'd have to think possibly a polished abalone shell section. Some abalone also have a green tint.

 

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[cti4sw]

but when i find bone , its usually solid white, and if a tool it has a gleam to it but no dark pigment is left, tough call, send it to baker
lol

That's odd, bc when I find deer skeletons laying about (and I often do up here) they are usually bleached white by the sun. I can usually tell whether one is older than the other bc they do darken with age (they get that yellowy color). Maybe bone coloration with age is dependent on climate. Where are you located?

Could be bone. Due to the texture, slight curve and luster, I'd have to think possibly a polished abalone shell section. Some abalone also have a green tint.

The green is definitely a stain, the piece is not tinted green all over or all the way through. BTW, every animal with an endoskeleton has curved ribs, just saying.

 

[Wyoming Valley Relics]

My question is , what was the context of the find? I mean were you digging in a garbage midden or in some other feature ? your from PA so i assume you found it in this great state. Only time i've found any kind of bone that didnt just fall apart ofter being dug were in middens where the shells and ash and other garbage preserved the bone.

Where you lose me is the leather strap. The only instances i know of where leather or wood indian related objects were found and preserved were inside or near brass kettles or other trade items thanks to the mineralization to the soil from the metal.

 

[cti4sw]

My question is , what was the context of the find? I mean were you digging in a garbage midden or in some other feature ? your from PA so i assume you found it in this great state. Only time i've found any kind of bone that didnt just fall apart ofter being dug were in middens where the shells and ash and other garbage preserved the bone.

Where you lose me is the leather strap. The only instances i know of where leather or wood indian related objects were found and preserved were inside or near brass kettles or other trade items thanks to the mineralization to the soil from the metal.

I wish I'd have taken a field pic or an in situ pic of the piece with the leather strap. Let me see if I can sort of show you with a Paint diagram of how the strap was situated, bc no one seems to understand what I'm saying...

There. I have updated the original post with the leather strap configuration. I highly doubt the strap was original to the piece, because I found it in the dirt outside an abandoned home that was built in the late 1700s - early 1800s. I did find it in a junk hole but nothing in the hole suggested it was an ash pit. The home was inhabited up until about 2009 when the last surviving owner was moved into a retirement community and the home fell into disrepair. The area the home sits on was once Lenni-Lenape (Delaware Indians) tribal land.

I dunno how many times or how many different ways I have to say all of this before it's understood.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Idk, are you a woman or a drag queen? lol, doesn't matter to me either way if your info is accurate.

odd method to thank someone...call them names...

oh...an no native amerian, with traditional ties, will make something perfect...that is the creators job.

 

[yakker]

Just a thought... with respect to where it was found, could it have been found previously, w/o leather lace. Finder thinks the thing is cool, and decides to tie a lace to it- maybe hang it on a nail, attach it to a belt?? I dunno, just thinking outside the box here. Yak.

 

[cti4sw]

Just a thought... with respect to where it was found, could it have been found previously, w/o leather lace. Finder thinks the thing is cool, and decides to tie a lace to it- maybe hang it on a nail, attach it to a belt?? I dunno, just thinking outside the box here. Yak.

I had thought that myself initially but didn't want to bias the ID or discussion.

 

[Sheperdess]

I was shopping 2 days ago and I saw the exact item (different size a bit though) on a vest. The leather strap went through the 2 holes and was tied onto one side of the vest. The other side of the vest had a loop and you stick the "I'll call it a button" through the loop in order to close the front of the vest.

 

[Little River Hunter]

It reminds me a fid for making knots in fishing nets. Nice piece!

 

[Aleisters]

Sure looks like an old hand held Corn Husker. They were made from bone, wood and metal and had a leather strap shaped just like the string you added. Some had holes for the leather and others had notches.
I think it has some age but not Native American, probably an early farming tool. Just a quick google search and here is an old wooden one with notches for the leather.
1712: Antique Walnut Corn Husking Peg Tool : Lot 1712

 

[Get-the-point]

A little about usage wear. Whenever a artifact is tied it sustains wear. If this were a true artifact those holes would show wear. This bone tool does not show any usage wear at those holes. To the contrary they are quite perfect and the reason I suspect if under a stereoscope you would find sanding marks around the hole. I believe that piece is modern.