FROM CALIFORNIA, 9 



generally abandoned before his time. The digging sticks described by 

 the half-breed were made of a very heavy wood and were not artificially 

 weighted. The half-breed, however, stated that he had seen such a 

 stick with a small stone sunk into the top parallel with its axis. This 

 could hardly have been for a weight, but might have been a charm. 

 Subsequently this Indian stated that on inquiry among the old people 

 he learned that the stone disks were formerly used as weights to digging 

 sticks on Santa Cruz Island, as also were disks of similar shape made 

 of whales' bones. 



With reference to the disuse of digging sticks in recent times, it may 

 be remarked that, as the Mission Indians became more and more de- 

 pendent for their support upon the whites and implements of their own 

 manufacture fell into disuse, it would happen naturally that the method 

 of evolution would be reversed, that stone weights would be first aban- 

 doned and the digging would be performed with a heavy stick alone. 

 The stone weight was, in fact, a refinement never attained by many 

 tribes. Subsequently the digging stick itself would fall into disuse, 

 together with other primitive implements. Hence, a comparatively 

 young Indian might be in utter ignorance of one of the chief functions 

 of this or of any other specific class of implements. 



With reference to the use of this class of stones as weights for dig- 

 ging sticks, the testimony of Mr. Paul Schumacher should not be over- 

 looked — testimony which seems not to have carried the weight it 

 deserves. While pursuing arclueologic researches on the Island of 

 Santa Cruz, Mr. Schumacher obtained from aw aged half-breed a state- 

 ment similar to the above as to the use of these perforated stones for 

 weights to digging sticks. Much proof corroborative of the function 

 of many of these stones as digging weights is to be derived from a 

 study of the specimens themselves and of their fragments, and this 

 testimony did not fail to impress Mr. Schumacher strongly. He says : ' 



These implements — as are so many others that have a hole, a notch, (if other 

 means of fastening a line — are often considered as sinkers. One of the less fre- 

 quent types of net sinkers, indeed, resembles the weight for a digging stick, but 

 yet there is as much difference between the two as between a mortar and an ollu. 

 The sinker is of a different material, is coarsely finished, the hole is much smaller 

 and narrower in the middle, and is hardly ever drilled or finished by drilling, but 

 simply pecked. My first impression on finding these perforated stones was that they 

 were the heads of war clubs, to which those of a pear shape especially seem to answer. 

 By examining a large number of fragments, however, I found most of tho stone rings 

 had been broken in two, parallel with the hole, which could not he caused by the side 

 pressure of the club, but by a wedgelike action against the inner sides. Tin; sugges- 

 tion that these stones were weights for digging sticks, such as are si ill in use among 

 the Hottentots, I received from an aged half-breed while working on Santa Cruz 

 Island, two years ago, and I have since become convinced that such was their use. 

 If we examine a stone ring which has done some service we find the hole shows a 

 polish and fine strhe running lengthwise and wear on one end of the ring, imparted 

 by the hand while in use and in carrying the digging stick, where it naturally would 

 rest, with its projecting stone weight against the hand. I found some of the weights 



1 Eleventh Annual Report of the Trustees of tho I'cabody Museum, 1878, p. 265. 



