Puebloan stone tool or toy??

[8_Way_Santa]

3 in. long x 1 in. wide x 3 mm. thick

I found this while walking on a mesa in McKinley County, New Mexico near the village of Ramah. This was lying on the surface in an area with several overgrown ruins; the area around these ruins are full of pottery shards, stone flakes or cast-offs, and the occasional point.

Several inquires have produced guesses that this is either either a tool or a toy; one person identified it as pipestone. I suspect one of these guesses regarding the purpose of the object is correct. I would absolutely love to know more - if this is a tool, what kind? IS this pipestone? Was this used as a toy?

I've done little research online to look for similar objects. The pooching around I HAVE done brought me to this forum.

Thanks - I look forward to hearing more!

 

[8_Way_Santa]

Did the atlatl fall out of favor at all - at least regarding the area where this was found? If so, can this better put the lithic in any date range?

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Did the atlatl fall out of favor at all - at least regarding the area where this was found? If so, can this better put the lithic in any date range?

If it was a tie on weight it would have a groove on both ends or one right in the middle.

 

[8_Way_Santa]

Trying to bump my old thread from 2020:

Hoping someone has come along since 2020 who can identify/shed some light on the object pictured above? Yesterday I google-lensed photos of the object but I still cannot figure out what it is.

Any further comments from forum members old or new?

 

[Jatrox]

Just my 2 cents worth, and I'm no expert but from the color in the pic and the striations it doesn't look like pipestone to me. And surely pipestone would have broken at the groove by now, that's a thin piece.

It looks to me like it was an adornment or maybe an unfinished ritual piece. A full groove is normally a sign of cord attachment on smaller pieces like this. Similar to net weights. I think it was meant to be a piece of jewelry. Atlatl weights have holes or grooves at both ends but the grooves are on the attaching side.

If only they could talk...

 

[CreekSide]

Excellent find. I’d go with unfinished pendant due to the size of it. The groove went crooked on the one side and probably couldn’t be fixed then discarded. It’s still a good find

 

[ToddsPoint]

Well it’s my understanding that the atlatl was phased out when the bow and arrow was invented approx. 3000 YBP. Someone please correct me if I’m mistaken.

The bow and arrow showed up around 400 AD in the Midwest. This was during the late woodland time period. That’s also when skeletons in Indian cemeteries start appearing with arrow points stuck in them. The excavated cemetery at Dixon Mounds in IL has dozens of murdered individuals. With the bow came tribal warfare which was way more effective than with the atlatl.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

The bow and arrow showed up around 400 AD in the Midwest. This was during the late woodland time period. That’s also when skeletons in Indian cemeteries start appearing with arrow points stuck in them. The excavated cemetery at Dixon Mounds in IL has dozens of murdered individuals. With the bow came tribal warfare which was way more effective than with the atlatl.

I stand corrected. Learned something there.

 

[GirlWithWolf]

If only they could talk...

That’s the truth, what amazing stories they could tell. I’d love to hear from the dude making this one how that groove went from what is probably perfection for that time to going off the rails like it did.

@8_Way_Santa My guess is a pendant too. I can go by what I’ve seen and been told but I’m not an expert either (I’d say not even a strong beginner). On a side note I’ll be in Albuquerque a couple of weeks and ready to return to El Patio de Albuquerque. Yummy.

 

[8_Way_Santa]

Thanks to all who've very recently chimed-in on this old thread!

...I’ll be in Albuquerque a couple of weeks and ready to return to El Patio de Albuquerque. Yummy.

Ah yes, I once ate at El Patio's Rio Grande location ages ago - good food and a lovely location.

I'll be leaving NM just as you are arriving in 'burque. My gal and I will fly out of ABQ to Alaska for the wild sockeye salmon season - 16-hour workdays for six weeks, seven days a week with no days off! Not long after that we head back to NM for a season, spending our days enjoying the beauties and wonders around us.

Enjoy your time in Albuquerque!

 

[GirlWithWolf]

Thanks to all who've very recently chimed-in on this old thread!



Ah yes, I once ate at El Patio's Rio Grande location ages ago - good food and a lovely location.

I'll be leaving NM just as you are arriving in 'burque. My gal and I will fly out of ABQ to Alaska for the wild sockeye salmon season - 16-hour workdays for six weeks, seven days a week with no days off! Not long after that we head back to NM for a season, spending our days enjoying the beauties and wonders around us.

Enjoy your time in Albuquerque!

Thank you, and I hope that time goes by quickly for you.