Standing corn hunt

[Six S]

Decided to brave the heat, mosquitos and pollen so dove into some standing corn. Came up with a tiny triangle a hammerstonesome scraping toolsand one case of corn leaf burn.

 

[smokeythecat]

Corn here is 7' high or taller and a no go. I went over the good spots as it was just before planting all the way to knee high. Then it got too hot!

 

[Older The Better]

Never knew you could hate corn plants till I spent a summer in it running a gps unit. But a chance at a point would get me in there.

 

[Target1972]

Thought has crossed my mind as well, would have to have complete covering in the middle of August....think I can wait.

 

[Gaspipe]

They all look natural to me .

 

[uniface]

What's corn burn ? You mean leaf cuts ? Just bend from the waist to get down under the leaf level. Done it too many times to count.

 

[Six S]

They all look natural to me .

Guess it’s a context thing in relation to past artifact production on these specific spots. Not any local reliable supplies of a specific chert or flint so when I get into a 20 foot circle that contains Knife River Flint from over 200 miles away and other flakes of various material pretty sure they didn’t occur naturally that way on top of the ridge. These prairie sites saw a lot of animal processing so do occasionally find perfectly shaped beautifully crafted scrapers and some days you find these.

 

[Six S]

What's corn burn ? You mean leaf cuts ? Just bend from the waist to get down under the leaf level. Done it too many times to count.

I agree that bending works ok on corn row spacing of 30” or 36”, especially if it is a more upright leaf variety so you get the tunnel effect. Most growers around here now use 20” or 22” row spacing with horizontal leaf orientation so can’t avoid much when your shoulders are touching the stalks on either side.

 

[Gaspipe]

I understand . But from your photos I can’t see signs those pieces have had individual work done to them. The shapes may look like tools but it’s in my opinion not from being worked individually.

 

[willjo]

The little round stone sure looks like a game stone to me, if i found it that is what i would think it was

 

[uniface]

from your photos I can’t see signs those pieces have had individual work done to them.

Replay :

Guess it’s a context thing in relation to past artifact production on these specific spots. Not any local reliable supplies of a specific chert or flint so when I get into a 20 foot circle that contains Knife River Flint from over 200 miles away and other flakes of various material pretty sure they didn’t occur naturally that way on top of the ridge. These prairie sites saw a lot of animal processing so do occasionally find perfectly shaped beautifully crafted scrapers and some days you find these

 

[Fossils]

They all look natural to me .

The scraping tools are definitely worked. You can see the denticulate, sort of serrated edges that were produced by flaking.

Objects like the hammerstone are harder to identify but there's a very good case that it's an artifact given the context.

 

[Otepgod]

The little round stone sure looks like a game stone to me, if i found it that is what i would think it was

I agree. Although I would have to see it straight on and not on an angle. Most game stones or the Discoidal in which you are referring to are round in nature and were often rolled into place and used as target practice by other natives with their arrows or lances (so says the theory). Their bisquit discoidals, dimpled discoidals, egg stones, etc... I'd lean more bisquit discoidal without seeing straight on. If this is the case though a discoidal is a pretty dang rare find.

 

[MAMucker]

You’d have to be a real ‘stalker’ to wade into that August corn. (Forgive the cornball)

Very nice pecking or fine/finish hammer-stone.