USA > Kentucky > The prehistoric men of Kentucky : a history of what is known of their lives and habits, together with a description of their implements and other relics and of the tumuli which have earned for them the designation of Mound builders > Part 10
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Doctor Abbott (Primitive Industry, page 248), speaking
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of these large spearheads and commenting on their rarity among the historic tribes, refers to an Indian chief declar- ing one seven inches long to have been an implement belonging to his ancestors, and then asks, "Is it probable that they had been discarded in great measure at some remote period and were veritable relics of a distant past when the European settlers first reached our shores? The absence of direct reference to these characteristic implements seems indicative of this." It does not seem improbable that the fine ones of sword-like form were themselves prehistoric to the red men at the time of their first contact with the Europeans.
It is almost impossible to satisfactorily classify all the smaller flint implements. The simplest method is that used by Mr. Fowke, into stemmed and stemless forms, the former having a prolongation at the base for the attachment of a shaft or handle, the latter being of an oval or triangular shape. Doctor Thomas Wilson, Curator of the Archeological Section of the United States National Museum, in his work " Arrow-points, Spear- heads, and Knives of Prehistoric Times," has attempted a more elaborate classification of those used as arrow- points, spearheads, and knives. The specimens in that collection he separates into four grand divisions, according to form. Division I, Leaf Shaped .- This division includes all kinds; elliptical, oval, oblong, or lanceolate forms bear- ing any relation to the shape of a leaf, and without stem, shoulder, or barb. Division II, Triangular .- This division includes all specimens which, according to geometrical nomenclature, are in the form of a triangle, whether the bases or edges be convex, straight, or concave. They are without stems and consequently without shoulders, though
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EARTHEN BOTTLE Effigy of Beaver. Height ten and one fourth inches. Taylor Collection
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EFFIGY VESSELS From Southwestern Kentucky
Length, thirteen inches
FLINT IMPLEMENTS Length, fourteen inches. Johnson Collection
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FLINT KNIVES Found en cache at Louisville, Jefferson County
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LARGE FLINT IMPLEMENTS Upper row part of cache from Livingston County, Kentucky Johnson Collection
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FLINT IMPLEMENTS Longest, fourteen inches. From Southwestern Kentucky Johnson Collection
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THREE FINE SPEARS OR KNIVES Length of longest, eight inches
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THREE FINE PERFORATORS OR ARROWS Length of longest, six inches [ 161 ]
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ART IN FLINT-ARROW-POINTS OF RARE AND CURIOUS FORMS Johnson Collection
The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
in some specimens the extreme concavity of the base produces barbs when the arrow-shaft is attached. Divi- sion III, Stemmed .- This division includes all varieties of stems, whether straight, pointed, or expanding, round or flat, except those with certain peculiarities and included in Division IV, and whether the bases or edges are convex, . straight, or concave. Division IV, Peculiar Forms .- This division includes all forms not belonging to the other divisions, and provides for those having peculiarities, or specimens which are restricted in number and locality.
Nearly every form illustrated as belonging to Divisions I, II, and III, in Doctor Wilson's admirable work, have their counterparts in Kentucky, and of Division IV those with beveled edge, serrated edge, bifurcated stems, asymmetric forms, perforators, and several of the curious and fanciful types pictured and described therein, were known to the prehistoric men of this State. In describing some of the Kentucky implements we shall follow the classification of Doctor Wilson above given.
Implements of the leaf-shaped variety vary in length from three fourths of an inch to eighteen inches. A speci- men from Madison County now in the National Museum measures thirteen inches long, two and a half wide, and three eighths of an inch thick. It is of dark brown flint, and is too large to have been hafted as a spear. It prob- ably served as a dagger or sword. In the writer's cabinet is an implement of somewhat similar shape, of light-colored hornstone from Warren County. It is thirteen inches long, two and three fourths inches broad, and three eighths of an inch thick. The edges are slightly serrated, and what is most interesting, the serrations are set as the teeth of a saw. The object shows unmistakable signs of use;
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many of the points are broken, and the edge displays slight traces of polish, such as would be caused by constant friction. The writer believes that this flint was used as a saw. In tests made upon green wood it answered that purpose admirably. For quite a while it was difficult to understand how these people cut the handles used in mounting their spears and axes, but latterly a number of saw-like flints have been found, and upon examination it is shown that they can be used successfully in cutting any timber the size of which is less than an inch in diame- ter. With a stone ax this could not be done satisfactorily, as the blunt implement, by mashing and bruising the fibre, generally would have rendered the material unfit for use. A small specimen from Christian County shows unmistakably that it was a saw. It is rectangular in form, four inches by one and one half inches. Along one edge the saw-like serrations, though small, are very pronounced. Several other specimens have been found in Madison, Woodford, and Mercer counties. In Trigg County was found a flint disc two inches in diameter, serrated around the whole circumference. In all specimens that appear to have been designed as saws the teeth are small. The larger implement described above is one of the handsomest pieces of flint work we have seen. The flaking is long, broad, and regular, the work of a master hand. (See page 157.) In the collection of Mr. H. L. John- son are several long, slender specimens from Southwestern Kentucky. They are similar in form and material to several described by General Gates P. Thruston in his " Antiquities of Tennessee." The longest, from Trigg County (page 160), measures fourteen inches. It is made of the brown chert observed in specimens from Stewart
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County, Tennessee. The delicate, needle-like form on same page is one of the most unusual we have observed. It is eight inches in length and was found in the south- western part of the State. In Breckinridge County, not far from Hardinsburg, was found an implement of willow-leaf shape, sixteen inches long and five broad, made of white cherty limestone.
It would seem that the larger flint implements, espe- cially those of the form illustrated on page 160, and those from Tennessee, one of which, now in the Museum of the Missouri Historical Society, measures twenty-seven inches, are too delicate and fragile for use in the domestic arts or as weapons of war, but had a peculiar ceremonial and reli- gious value in the eyes of the primitive men, and should be classed with the ceremonial hooks, sceptres, et cetera, which are illustrated on pages 188 and 189. May they not have been emblems of authority or swords of state, perhaps borne by the medicine men or shamans in their incanta- tions and ceremonial dances? Reference to such imple- ments among the modern tribes may perhaps throw some light on these wonderful specimens from Kentucky and Tennessee. Otis Mason, writing of the Hupa Indians of Northern California (Smithsonian Report, 1886, Part I, page 222), says: "That among the articles paraded or worn in the dance is a flake or knife of obsidian or jasper, some of which are fifteen inches or more in length, and about two inches and a half wide in their widest part. These are wrapped in skin or cloth to prevent the rough edges from lacerating the hand, but the smaller ones are mounted in wooden handles and glued fast. The large ones can not be purchased at any price, but Mr. Powers procured some about six inches long at two dollars and
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The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky
fifty cents apiece. These are not properly knives, but jewelry, for sacred purposes, passing current also as money." Mr. Powers, in describing the weapons of war of the Yurok Indians of California, says that they formerly used large jasper and obsidian knives, but "which, nowadays, are kept only as ornaments or objects of wealth to be produced on occasions of a great dance."
Page 158 illustrates a type of leaf-shaped implement of unusual interest. These were taken from a cache of seventeen in Louisville. The average size is five and a half inches by two and one fourth; they are extremely thin, and the chipping exhibits great skill. The material is chert of light bluish cast. Near the base of each of these implements are notches, as if for ligatures, which suggest that they were mounted as knives or daggers. They are too fragile for service as spearheads or projectiles. The edges of several are convex for the greater distance, then become slightly concave near the point, thus giving a needle-like point. Doctor Wilson says such forms are extremely rare. Mr. Moorehead says they are peculiar to Illinois, Michigan, and Canada. With the exception of a smaller specimen from Christian County, these are the only examples of this type we have seen. The larger implement on the same page was found in Whitley County. It, as the others, was probably used as a knife. The edges display slight fractures, such as would come from use. It measures eight and one half inches in length by two and three fourths at its widest point, and is about three eighths of an inch in thickness.
Triangular arrow-points are found all over the State. The northeastern portion has yielded large numbers of the smaller forms with straightened base. They are
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generally from three fourths of an inch to two inches in length, and are commonly termed war points. In the middle and western parts of the State they are not nearly so numerous. The most interesting and the rarest of the triangular forms of flint implements are those with beveled edges. Occasionally serrated specimens are seen. The triangular types in Kentucky rarely exceed eight inches in length.
Flints belonging to the stemmed division are distributed in almost equal proportions over the Commonwealth. However, there are variations of form which seem to be largely confined to certain sections. The presence of the stem in this class of implements presupposes some method of attachment to a shaft or handle, according as the instrument was used as an arrow-point or spearhead, knife or scraper. These vary in size from less than half an inch in length to fourteen inches. Many of the smaller points are as deli- cately wrought as those from the Western coast, and in them the ancient flint-worker employed the most beautiful and rarest materials available. The largest specimen known is in the collection of Mr. H. L. Johnson. It measures fourteen inches, and is beautifully made of dark brown flint. It is a masterpiece of the flint-chipper's art. (See page 157.) In the author's collection is a specimen of light colored chert four inches by one and one fourth inch by one fourth inch. The flakes, which extend entirely across the blade, are parallel and of equal width. Without the specimen before one, such wonderful skill in striking off with perfect regularity flakes the same length and breadth from such refractory material as flint would seem almost unbelievable.
A very interesting class of flint implements are those
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of beveled form. The blades of the ordinary arrowheads are worked from both sides, so that the ends of the flaking meet near the center line, but in this class, the chipping by which the edge is formed is all done from one side, the edge being beveled to the opposite face. Several suggestions have been offered as to the purpose of thus shaping these implements. Doctor Wilson, in order to determine the truth of the matter, inaugurated a series of experiments, and after most careful tests came to the conclusion that they were beveled in order to give a revolving motion to the arrow-shaft while being propelled through the air. He began his experiments by mounting one of these beveled points upon a shaft and letting it drop straight to the ground from a high building; then, by throwing the arrow off, in every direction, finding a universal rotation. He carried his experiments further by arranging these specimens, mounted on a shaft, in a sort of clamp of wire, the implement being free to rotate in either direction with the application of the slight- est force. This machine was used by pushing it with its clamped arrow rapidly through water in a large tub, and it was discovered that the resistance offered by the water caused the implement to rotate. A more conclu- sive test was made by suspending the shaft, the point foremost, over the air-pipe of a driving fan, the current from which immediately set it revolving. After these experiments there can be no question that the beveling of an arrow-point would cause the shaft, when propelled from the bow, to revolve in its flight through the air, and it may be that this was the purpose of the prehistoric man in thus forming the blades of many of his flints. But it is true that the same result could be accomplished, and
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more easily and effectively, by twisting feathers spirally upon the shaft, an expedient which was well known to the modern Indian and is mentioned by Schoolcraft, Powell, Morgan, and Cheaver.
This discovery of the use of beveling by the prehistoric men was the discovery of a most important mechanical prin- ciple. It could only have been reached by much study as well as experimentation. It is really the beginning of the principles now involved in rifling small firearms and artil- lery. Modern man has discovered that the rotary motion is an efficient agency in both penetration and accuracy of movement of projectiles. The prehistoric man found out the same principle, and applied it in the beveling of his arrow-points. It is true that he produced the same rotary motion by feathering his shaft according to a particular form, but the rotary movement which would come from beveling in stone would be far more difficult to work out than that which came from the placing of the feathers spirally on the shaft. There would be no difficulty in the arrow-manufacturer reaching the conclusion that serra- tion or barbing was important. His object was to injure either the animal or the man into which the arrow- point was fired. These features would cause the arrow to become more firmly imbedded in the flesh, to remain more permanently, and render its removal more danger- ous and painful. But the idea of fashioning a stone by shaping the sides in a particular way so as to make it, when attached to the arrow-shaft, revolve in its movement through the air, would be really the most difficult task. There are many discoveries about which there is no won- derment. They are so easy and natural and readily under- stood that we can see at once that the forms into which
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they were manufactured would require no great degree of skill nor much lengthened observation. Whether this beveling system was discovered by accident or evolved after careful and patient study we can not say, but whether it came in either way, it was a great step forward, and enabled the men who fired the arrow to propel the pro- jectile with much greater force and at the same time with far more precision. And in looking back over the results of either the experimentation or the discovery by accident of this great principle, we can not but feel a high degree of admiration for the genius and the skill of these prehis- toric people in this remarkable phase of discovery and manufacture.
While many of the beveled implements found in Ken- tucky were designed for arrow-points, yet a great many are too large and heavy for such use. It is hardly likely that the Indian would have beveled a spearhead in order to give a rotary motion to the shaft when hurled, nor is it likely that the larger beveled implements were used as projectile points at all. In the author's collection are several beautifully and delicately wrought, measuring as much as eight inches in length. (See page 161.) It is more likely that these were used as knives or daggers; and then the question arises, why beveled? It has been sug- gested with some reason that many of the larger beveled flints were used for skinning game, as they are better fitted for this than anything else. The beveling almost invariably being to the right, is such as would be necessary if the implement were held in the right hand and drawn toward the user. A peculiar feature of a large number of the beveled flints is that the bases are smoothed or polished. Sometimes it seems that this polish is due to
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Kentucky Art In Flint.
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Collection of Race Forms.
ART IN FLINT-RARE FORMS From Kentucky [ 171 ]
SMALL ARROW-POINTS OF RARE AND ELEGANT FORMS From along Tennessee River. Largely from State of Tennessee
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FLINT HOES, NOTCHED Largest,¿ nine and one half inches
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FLINT SPADES Length of longest, thirteen and one half inches
FLINT SPADES Length of longest, seventeen and three fourths inches Fulton County, Kentucky. W. P. Taylor Collection
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the fastening in a shaft, or handle. Again, especially in the larger points, it clearly appears that it was given in- tentionally. In the author's collection of nearly a thou- sand beveled points the beveling is to the right in all but one specimen.
Flints of asymmetrical form are seen in every large collection. Several are illustrated on page 162 from the collection of Mr. H. L. Johnson. While many of this class appear to be arrow-points, yet their useful- ness as projectiles is largely destroyed by their lop- sided feature. It is likely that the majority were affixed to short handles and used as knives or scrapers. Indeed, the edges of many show unmistakably that such was their use.
There are few more beautiful and curious forms than the little spiral points illustrated on page 171. These could not have been so fashioned for any utilitarian pur- pose, but appear the result of a mere whim or fancy of the old flint-chipper as he toyed with his art. They have been fancifully termed hairpins, and the largest one was obtained by the author from the back of a skull in a mound burial.
The so-called drills or perforators are found in large numbers. Many show both by the form of the pile or bore and the unevenly worked base that they were designed for drilling purposes. But in a large number the base is carefully finished, frequently stemmed and sometimes pro- vided with barbs. One of the most beautiful of this class that has fallen under our observation is illustrated on page 161. This delicate implement was certainly not designed as a drill. Together with the others there shown, it was found on the great buffalo trail which led from
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Memphis, Tennessee, up through Kentucky to the salt springs at Blue Lick. It is exactly six inches in length, beveled, and exquisitely wrought. The second largest measures five inches, while the third is four and one half inches. If used for the killing of buffaloes, as the author thinks they were, these flints are probably the product of the arrow-makers of Tennessee or of those north of the Ohio, and were lost by some of the numerous hunting parties which ranged this State subsequent to the appear- ance of the buffalo, when no red man dared make his home in the " Dark and Bloody Ground." No implements made of the bones of the buffalo have been found in the mounds or graves of Kentucky, and no traces of the animal's presence occur among the remains of the people of the earliest human stages in this State, although the bones of the ordinary game animals, such as would be eaten by the Indians, are found about every ancient village site. Mr. Allen thinks that the appearance of the buffalo was comparatively recent, and like an eruption in suddenness. It certainly occurred after the red man had abandoned the mounds and earthworks and no longer made his habi- tation here. In the early part of the last century a buffalo trace worn deep into the soil until it resembled a railroad cut was to be seen passing directly through an ancient earthwork remain in Mason County.
Knives of flint played an important part in the indus- trial life of the red man. With them he fashioned his bow- staves and arrow-shafts, skinned game, and did a hundred other things requiring a cutting edge. Many of the imple- ments commonly thought arrow-points and spearheads were affixed to short handles and used as knives. The ordi- nary flint might have served equally as well as arrow-
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point or spearhead, knife or scraper, according as it was mounted on a shaft or set in a short handle. The Indians of Southern Utah as late as 1875 used as knives flint blades identical with the typical arrow-point and spearhead, fasten- ing them in short wooden or bone handles. It is impos- sible to determine exactly where the knife begins and where the projectile point ends. A cutting edge is the absolute requisite of a knife. Many arrow-points and spearheads furnished this, and unworked flakes of flint might.answer equally as well as the finished product. Some implements, however, show by their form that they were designed solely as knives. On page 185 is shown one of this type with a smoothly ground or polished blade, from the collec- tion of Mr. Johnson. The writer has two of similar form; also a leaf-shaped knife eight inches in length, which shows about the base unmistakable marks of having been hafted.
BUNTS.
An interesting class of the smaller flint implements are those called bunts. These are usually of the form of the stemmed arrowhead, but are squared or rounded instead of being pointed. Many appear to have been made from broken or rejected arrowheads by working off the point. Usually this was all done from one face, giving the implement a beveled edge. Sometimes the chipping was done from both sides, bringing the edge in line with the center of the implement. Many of these objects doubtless served as scrapers; others may have been attached to arrow-shafts and used in killing small game when penetration was not desired. It has been
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suggested that they were used as arrowheads in target practice, but if this be true it is strange that none show chipping or fracture about the edge, which would necessa- rily come from impact with a hard substance. Some are seen having a polished or glazed edge, such as might be produced by use as scrapers, as the writer thinks most of these implements were. Southern Kentucky has been prolific in these objects.
Some years since a gentleman in Franklin County was kind enough to secure for the author a large number of this particular form. He collected at one time between three and four hundreds of these little specimens from along the Kentucky River in Franklin and Anderson counties. In other parts of the Bluegrass these bunts are compara- tively rare, and why in this particular locality, covering a space of thirty-five miles along the Kentucky River, they should have been found in such abundance is a puz- zling problem. It may have come from the fact that the men who lived in Franklin and Anderson counties at some particular time of the prehistoric period in Kentucky were largely engaged in tanning, or in some particular form of preparation of skins which would require a large number of these bunts. Up to the time of the sending of this box by this gentleman, very few specimens of this character had come into the writer's possession. But the party sending these was a most reliable collector, and had been moved in gathering this large number by a grateful recognition of a slight favor which had been shown him. The finds of pieces of tanned bearskin and deerskin in caves in Kentucky indicate that these people understood in a somewhat unusual degree the preparation of skins for blankets, coverings, or cloth, and in the curing of these
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skins these bunts probably played an important part. For these curious implements the manufacturer used broken arrowheads, and the arrowheads of sufficient size to pro- duce a rounded surface large enough to render them helpful in scraping and cleaning skins, where they had been broken and rendered useless for other purposes, were changed by these people into these blunt or rounded points, thus economizing the material from which arrowheads were made and utilizing implements which would otherwise have been worthless and would have necessarily been thrown away.
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