26 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 95 



on both faces (pi. 9, e), suggests the use of an implement such as one 

 of the so-called gravers. A fragment from a similarly marked bone 

 was found by the Denver party, and a portion of a correspondingly 

 shaped and cut object made from soapstone — found by Maj. R. G. 

 Coffin — shows that materials other than bone were subjected to 

 ornamentation of a type which could be executed only by use of such 

 a tool. 



Another possible function for the graver type of point has occurred 

 to the writer, namely, its use in tattooing. This custom prevailed to 

 a greater or less extent throughout the country among the later Indians 

 and may have been one of the traits of Folsom man. The small, very 

 sharp tips would readily puncture the skin for the application of pig- 

 ment. Unfortunately, the " canvas " on which such designs are drawn 

 is highly perishable, and there is little likelihood of finding direct 

 evidence that tattooing was done. 



Most of the gravers consist of chance flakes modified only by the 

 presence of short, needlelike points on one side or end. Any piece 

 of stone, provided it was thin enough, was suitable. Sometimes a 

 channel flake (pi. 9, a), was employed, and occasionally a fragment 

 from a broken scraper. On the whole, however, nondescript scraps 

 from chipper's debris were all that the maker required. The small 

 sharp points were not fortuitous : they were definitely chipped. They 

 dififer from the usual drill in that one face of the point is flat, and the 

 other is beveled along the edges and has a slight bevel at the tip of 

 the point. Drills are chipped on all sides. The gravers may have from 

 one to five points on a single flake. The implements in this group range 

 in size between one with a length of 19 mm, breadth of 13 mm, and 

 thickness of 3 mm, and another with a length of 55 mm, breadth of 

 33 mm, and thickness of 6 mm. The actual graver points do not vary 

 greatly in size. They consistently range between 1.5 and 2 mm in 

 length and i and 1.5 mm in width at the base. 



The chisel-gravers are more definitely shaped than the gravers. 

 They are not as numerous, the type forming only i percent of the 

 total collection, but they nevertheless are a distinct tool (pi. 9, k, I, m). 

 They also were made from flakes. In contrast to the gravers, the 

 points are broader and more elongated. There is a pronounced bevel 

 on the tip, and the end of the latter is a straight edge, convex on rare 

 examples, rather than a sharp point. These implements exhibit better 

 workmanship than that on the simple gravers. The chipping is not 

 confined to the points but as a rule extends along the edges, sometimes 

 even around the base. The chisel-gravers range from 25 to 37 mm in 

 length, from 13 to 27 mm in breadth, and from 3 to 8 mm in thickness. 



