176 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 179 



MATEKIAIi CULTURE 



The Hat Creek site did not yield a large sample of material culture, 

 but nevertheless the recovered materials permit certain conclusions. 

 In addition to a certain amount of noncultural data, some 97 artifacts 

 were recovered from beneath the volcanic ash. 



Most frequent among the artifacts recovered were projectile points 

 and fragments thereof. Twelve of these were either complete or 

 lacked only the tip of the point, so that their shape could be deter- 

 mined with some accuracy (pi. 32, &). Of these 12 artifacts 10 were 

 of a simple "leaf" shape, with no notches, barbs, or shoulders. They 

 were oval in outline with convex bases. Two traits of manufacture 

 were shown. Several of the projectile points were markedly plano- 

 convex in cross section, and several had deliberately serrated edges. 

 Some specimens had one or both traits, some had neither. The speci- 

 mens that could be measured varied from 39 to 51 mm. in length and 

 from 17 to 24 mm. in width. 



Another variety of projectile point was represented by two speci- 

 mens. The only noticeable difference between this and the preceding 

 type lay in the base, which is concave instead of convex. Complete 

 specimens of the second type were not recovered, but there appeared 

 to be a close similarity in size and general appearance. 



The 33 fragmental projectile points bore out the conclusions made 

 earlier, that no notching or shouldering was apparent and that piano- 

 convexity and serration were common. Workmanship throughout 

 was considered excellent; the people who made these artifacts knew 

 what they were doing, and excelled in flaking several kinds of ma- 

 terial. Twenty of the points and fragments were of basalt, and the 

 rest were of local quartz family rocks, jasper, agate, or chert. Ob- 

 sidian, which became popular at a later time, was absent. 



One fragment, tentatively classified as part of a projectile point, 

 merits some further discussion. It was a midsection, of basalt, but 

 wider and thicker than the other fragments. When complete, it would 

 have been larger than the other projectile points, possibly much larger. 

 The flaking was not as well done as the rest of the points, and there 

 is reason to believe that it may have been a knife. Large basalt knives 

 were typical of the early occupation of the Cold Springs site, strati- 

 graphically later than the Hat Creek culture (pi. 35, 6). They were 

 associated there with projectile points identical with those from be- 

 neath the ash at Hat Creek. 



Since every flake recovered from the Hat Creek site was brought 

 back to the laboratory, a large number of used flakes were counted. 

 The majority of these were primary flakes of jasper, basalt, and chert 

 that had been used for cutting or scrapmg. Usually, one edge showed 



