moccasin last

[Jon Stewart]

Archeologist C.G. Yeager mentions them in a small paragraph in his book and remarked that he has seen only one in a collection and thats IF what he saw was actually a moccasin last. A few years ago I bought one (only artifact that I have ever purchased besides broken arrowheads) from a man that found it on the desert back in the 70's. He had a very large collection of larger artifacts, axe heads, adzes,celts etc, but it was the foot/shoe looking rock that drew my attention so I bought it . While speaking with the seller another man was standing there and said that he also found one out on the desert while deer hunting and it looked just like the one that I bought. I sent a photo of mine to Mr Yeager to get his opinion and he wrote:

"If there were, in fact, moccasin lasts, this would certainly be one. It's without a doubt one of the nicest shaped stones I've ever seen. Also, there does not appear to be "use wear marks" as would be present on a grind stone or mano."


My question has anybody else found one out there?

I would post a photo if I knew how to do it, duh!!! I would be glad to send a photo to anyone that would be interested in looking at it.

 

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[rock]

I guess no-one will really know if they were used BUT someone wrote they couldn't imagine someone dragging one around from camp to camp because of it's weight. That statement don't hold water. I have metate's that are very heavy, one weighing in at around 40# and a round rock larger than a basketball with a hole going through from top to bottom that was used as a mortor that also weighs in at around 40#. Like most everyone on this forum posts their thoughts as guesses, heavy tools were left at camps and used when the Natives came back year to year. My "guess" is that it took hundreds of years for these tools to be formed like that and they were not "drug" around from camp to camp but left at camp sites and used on return.

I was metal detecting one winter in an area where soldiers were known to hang out. I got a hit on my detector and under a very large rock was a military button. I flipped the rock over to recover the button and the upside down rock was a metate.

Your round rock with a hole trough it sounds more like a boat weight to me. Ive never heard of a mano with a hole or one that large. I do know I would like to see a pic of it.

 

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[theviking]

"My "guess" is that I completely agree with both of these comments. IMHO none of the examples shown here are helping to prove their existence. Have you looked at your foot lately?"

While Neanderthal is one of the most informed here, and has my utmost respect, and always has. (He was also the first person I met and visited with via pm on here that wasn't a mod), but both of those comments can be easily argued.

But I am not going to. It's possible we will never know for certain like a lot of other things, and I can live with that. In the meantime, I'm going to hang on to my rock in the shape of the sole of a moccasin.

Have you looked at your boot or shoe? It doesn't look anything like your foot. Now does it?

Yes I have.. And yes it does, thats what prompted me to post on this nearly one year old thread. I started to take a pic of my kids shoe that is about the same length as your example but only half as wide, but I think most folks get the Idea. I think we will have to agree to disagree, no big deal, I can appreciate the passion you have for your rock. H.H.

 

[unclemac]

this was a good posting...I have found many of these "moccasin lasts" on the beach....in fact they are pretty easy to find....I used to watch granny make moccasins and clothing (she was born smack dab in the middle of Alaska, she was not sure of the the day or even year of her birth), I promise you she never used a last. My favorite was the ribbon shirts she used to make, easy beyond belief. To make a long story short, fold over the yardage, cut out a hole for your head and sew up the sides....

 

[quito]

this was a good posting...I have found many of these "moccasin lasts" on the beach....in fact they are pretty easy to find....I used to watch granny make moccasins and clothing (she was born smack dab in the middle of Alaska, she was not sure of the the day or even year of her birth), I promise you she never used a last. My favorite was the ribbon shirts she used to make, easy beyond belief. To make a long story short, fold over the yardage, cut out a hole for your head and sew up the sides....

Well, now that I know moccasins have been made without a last, you've made a believer out of me unclemac lol.

Now, maybe you can convince the owner of this* Genuine Handsewn Moccasin Construction | Uniquely American Shoes * fine company that still makes moccasins sewn on a last, that they don't exist. He claims they have been made this way for hundreds of years.

 

[unclemac]

Well, now that I know moccasins have been made without a last, you've made a believer out of me unclemac lol.

Now, maybe you can convince the owner of this* Genuine Handsewn Moccasin Construction | Uniquely American Shoes * fine company that still makes moccasins sewn on a last, that they don't exist. He claims they have been made this way for hundreds of years.

check out this....and I swear to you that I found it in the dump site of an old NW coast village....a cobblers last...

 

[quito]

You don't have to convince me, I believe you. And now I believe in lasts again. ;-)

 

[vancevance]

Moccasin last

I would not have believed in moccasin lasts a few days ago. However, I brought home an artifact that I thought might be some kind of pestle or grinder. After checking it over carefully, I began to realize how much it looked like an actual foot. The bottom seems to have the exact shape of a foot, including the ball, arch, and heel. The entire stone is in the shape of a foot. It would be perfect for making a moccasin. Any pecking that was done to form the shape is well patinated. I also found it on a campsite near the river. Let me know what you think.

 

[unclemac]

I actually have one very much like yours...a mano used for grinding....kinda like this one...no alas, not a last

 

[redbeardrelics]

I had never even thought of, or considered, moccasin lasts until seeing this older post this morning. Upon reading all the posts, I would suspect that some prehistoric peoples might have used some sort of a "last" to assist in making of footwear, but probably only in certain areas of the continent, and at only certain times in the past. I would suspect that if a certain group had a tradition of making footwear using some sort of last, or solid form, to assist in the production of the footwear, that form would most likely have been made of wood. It could have been a very common practice for some groups, but being a wooden artifact, I will not find any in the plowed fields where I hunt for prehistoric artifacts.

 

[vancevance]

I actually have one very much like yours...a mano used for grinding....kinda like this one...no alas, not a last

Thanks for your opinion. A mano sounds good to me. The interesting thing is that the one side of it is shaped like the bottom of a foot, but on a negative side. The ball of the foot goes in, the arch come out. Kind of like a footprint.

 

[vancevance]

You're probably right. This stone is heavy. It would be hard to carry with you. However, there weren't very many trees on the Prairie in those days. Although, I did find it down by the river, and there are trees where I found it.

 

[Wvtermite]

Moccasin last found in cave by me

 

[The Grim Reaper]

These items do not exist. They are all a figment of vivid imaginations.

 

[Wvtermite]

It's possible someone made it. I am doing some research and will let you know what I find.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Not trying to be a smart ass, but no amount of research will prove that is a Moccasin Last or even a man made artifact. The was caused by natural freeze fracturing and not by flaking, pecking, or grinding. Trust the folks on here that will tell you the same. Moccasin Lasts are figments of vivid imaginations. Why would they need a rock for this when they could use the foot of the person? That rock is not going to match the foot size of very many people. This myth began years ago and people still think that is what these are but they aren't.

 

[Senner2]

Moccasin last?

Mr. Stewart, i stumbled upon this thread last night while looking for prehistoric/ ice age statues. I have something that looks like a foot and it sort of looks like a piece of a statue. I have searched quite a bit for an answer to what it might be. Maybe this is something you were referring to. Its heavy, its about the size a foot would be and it really has the shape of a foot, with all the characteristics of a foot possibly in a moccasin from along time ago

 

[quito]

Moccasins are made on lasts to this day, and have been made that way for hundreds of years. I will bet a thousand dollars against a hundred dollar bill that they do exist and have existed. And they are not imaginary.

I will ill also offer the same bet to anyone who can prove that lasts are just figments of imagination no matter what they are made of.

now anyone who even took a peek at Google know these things are in use and exist. So let's just knock off the blanket statements, and open those closed minds.

Im gonna answer one question. Grim asked why use a rock when you can use a foot. Well if someone understands the principle of a pattern, you can take one form and enlarge or shrink the size by a simple process called scribing. Yes they could have used a foot, but that makes as much sense as using them today. And who knows, maybe the natives did use the foot for the final fit. I just don't see anyone sitting still for a couple pieces of foot wear to be made around their foot.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Mr. Stewart, i stumbled upon this thread last night while looking for prehistoric/ ice age statues. I have something that looks like a foot and it sort oView attachment 1252201f looks like a piece of a statue. I have searched quite a bit for an answer to what it might be. Maybe this is something you were referring to. Its heavy, its about the size a foot would be and it really has the shape of a foot, with all the characteristics of aView attachment 1252200 foot possibly in a moccasin from along time ago

Just a simple rock from a long time ago...

 

[quito]

Yes sir, that is a natural rock.

now I am gonna answer a second question. Someone thought that a last would be necessary for both feet.
Not so. One with any smarts would just turn the cut pieces of leather over to get the opposing pattern.

 

[Charl]

NativeTech: Overview of Native American Footwear ~ Moccasins

NativeTech: Making Woodland Style One-piece, Soft-sole, Center-seam Moccasins