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BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[bull. 52 



chipping. No one can estimate the number of these flakes that were 

 carried away for use elsewhere. The flakes thus utihzed were usually 

 substantial portions of the pebble, having a body of considerable 

 strength and one keenly incisive edge. The relation of the half 

 pebble to the several varieties of flakes will be understood by an 

 examination of figure 20. When split into approximate halves as 

 indicated in n,, the pebble yields two potential implements, but 

 generally with thick margins, not particularly well suited to any 

 purpose without further elaboration. The well-proportioned teshoa 

 flake h has on the other hand a rounded margin at the top and a thin 

 incisive margin below, well suited for immediate use for cutting or 

 scraping. 



It may be remarked that comparatively few of the specialized 

 flakes are found in our collections, but if they were really the designed 

 product of the chipping work, they would not have been left, except 



Fig. 20. The several forms of flakes, a, Split pebble. 6, Large teshoa flake, o, Small flakes or chips. 



incidentally, on these sites, but would have been carried away to the 

 permanent dwelling places for utilization in the practice of the primi- 

 tive tribal arts. No form of pebble other than the long flattish one 

 would yield suitable flakes so readily and no other process would be 

 more effective in producing these flakes than that employing the 

 hammer and anvil. 



As a result of the above considerations, it is manifest that the 

 larger flakes made on these sites were much utilized, and it remains 

 to consider the possible utilization of the remaining portions of the 

 pebbles. 



The pebbles from which the flakes were detached by strokes of the 

 hammer — the nuclei — took certain shapes already described and 

 fully illustrated in figures 15-17. The questions of their purpose, 

 if they represent a purpose, and their use, if they were really intended 

 to be used, require particular attention. 



There can be no doubt that these pebble nuclei occur on sites where 

 the pebbles were collected and worked by a Stone-age people. The 



