hrdliCka] stone industries OF THE ARGENTINE COAST 



131 



they yielded the requisite result more readily than any other. Again, 

 it is equally plain that the stroke on the end was expected to produce 

 a particular kind of result and two results only could have been 

 desired or anticipated: (1) the making of flattish, round, or oblong 

 sharp-edged flakes of the teshoa^ type (fig. 22, h) for use of the cutting 

 edge or for elaboration by secondary chipping; (2) the shaping of 

 one or both ends of the body of 

 the pebble for use as an imple- 

 ment. We are therefore called 

 upon to determine whether one 

 or both of these results were 

 actually utilized and in what 

 way. 



That there was a definite pur- 

 pose in view for the flakes made 

 seems practically certain. Split 

 pebbles and especially large 

 teshoa flakes were almost universally employed by primitive peoples 

 for cutting and scraping as well as for elaboration into projectile 

 points and other implements. Perhaps the most universally employed 

 stone implement of Argentina is the plano-convex knife blade or 

 scraper, the simplest and most readily made type of which is the 

 teshoa flake. An examination of the flaked pebbles — the nuclei — 

 collected on the shore-land sites, shows that most of the flakes 

 driven off were quite small, but that many were large enough for 



tG. 18. Jasper pebbles chipped irregularly from 

 the side, (i actual size.) a (Campo Peralta). 

 b (Necochea). 



a b c 



Fig. 19. Flakes from black jasper pebbles specialized for use as knives 



or scrapers. (^ actual size.) Necochea. 



use as knives and scrapers is shown by the presence in the collection 

 of a dozen or more specimens which have been specialized by remov- 

 ing, probably with a pressure implement, a number of small chips 

 from one margin of the convex face to make the cutting edge more 

 stable and effective (fig. 19). Others by more abrupt chipping were 

 especially fitted for use as scrapers, while many others, both large 

 and small, probably served for cutting and scraping without secondary 



1 This form of flake was found by Dr. Joseph Leidy, of the Hayden Geological Survey, m common use 

 among the Shoshoni Indians of Wyoming for scraping skins and is thus conveniently referred to by its 

 Shoshoni name. 



