Unidentified indian artifact

[Sidevalve45]

Found this a couple weeks ago. I initially thought the large notch was plow damage but after looking at it closely with a magnifying glass the notch is actually worn in. Your thought?

 

[badandy]

How big is the piece, and do you have pics. of the other side?
badandy

 

[undertaker]

I have found a peice similar to the one you have shown.....I will post it when I can locate it. Its somewhere in my chips and broken points and what is it piles. I always wonder what it was used for ....My guess is a unfinished something or other.

 

[Sidevalve45]

It measures 3 1/4" long by 2 1/8" wide and about 1/4" thick. It's flat on the other side. Maybe it's just a rock?

 

[Cannonman17]

It's not just a rock, it's a piece of worked lower quality Hixton. The little notch may or may not be intentional. Little notches like that are often referred to as "shaft scrapers" but the truth is that the many are just accidental from human hands or the plow. Notched tools like that could have also served as tools for a number of other things like cutting/stripping pieces of basswood for making string and baskets, without doing a use wear analysis with ultra high magnification it's almost impossible to say for sure. Keep hitting that area, I'm sure there's more Hixton there and that was mined and used throughout all of pre history.

 

[Sidevalve45]

Thanks for the info. Cannonman. The piece was found within sight of Silver Mound.

 

[steve71]

cannonman got it right. i just threw in a pic.