| Arkansas River Bone Tools Page 2 |
A flesher from the Arkansas
River in N.E. Oklahoma
River in N.E. Oklahoma
| Another flesher. This one has small serrations on the scraping edge. Hide scraping was a never ending task usually done by women. |
This is an unusually fine example, and has
been treated to preserve the bone.
been treated to preserve the bone.
Digging stick tip.
| The Plains Villagers did a lot of digging. House construction, trash pit excavation, kilns and fire pits, storage pits, and burials are examples. They also harvested wild roots. These artifacts have one shoulder and were tied to the end of a stick. Note use wear on tip. |
Flaking tools from the Arkansas River
| These pressure flaking tools are made of antler and assorted types of bone. Pressure flakers are used for finishing and resharpening knives and points. Removing flakes by pressure allows a great deal of control and a more refined looking point. The hard stone wears the tool in a distinctive way, pictured at right. Try it at home and see! |
| Two views of a set of bone shaft straighteners. The long piece is deer foreleg, and would have eventually been made into a pin. The others are buffalo |
Trigger Awl tips
Trigger Awls
| Trigger Awls are made from the ulna of animals. Broken ulnas often look like trigger awls, so use wear will determine if your find is an artifact or just a bone. |