322 BUREAU OF AMEEICAX ETHNOLOGY [BrLL. 60 



rio<l out in forniin,L' their axes frcin liasaltic lava, but i«rol)al)ly performed in the 

 latter instances with stone hammers. I myself witnessed at the convent of 

 :\I(iiiterey the captured Indians forming their arrowheads out of obsidian simi- 

 larly In tlie mode practiced by the Eskimos.^ 



Sellers, who has contfibnted larirely to our knowledao of tlie flint 

 Avorkiiiii; of the aborigines, oljtained from George Catlin much in- 

 teresting matter regarding the i)rocesses in vogue among the tribes 

 of the middle and far West. 



He [Catlinl considered making flakes much more of an art than the shapini^ 



them into arrow or spear points, for a thorotigh knowledge 

 [Western Tribes] of the nature of the stone to be flaked was essential, as a 



sli.^ht dilTerence in its quality necessitated a totally different 

 mode of treatment. The principal source of supply for what he termed home- 

 made flakes was the coarse gravel bars of the rivers, where large pebbles 

 ai"e found ; those most easily worked into flakes for small arrow points were 

 chalcedony, jasper, and agate, ilost of the tribes had men who were expert 

 at flaking, and who could decide at sight the best mode of working. Some of 

 these pel)])les wotild split into tolerably good flakes by quick and sharp blows 

 striking on the same point; others would break by a cross fracture into two 

 or more pieces; these were preferred, as good flakes could be split from their 

 clean fractured surface by what Mr. Catlin called impulsive presstire, the 

 tool used being a shaft or stick of between 2 and 3 inches diameter, varying 

 iri length from 30 inches to 4 feet, according to the manner of using them. 

 These shafts were pointed witli bnne or buckhorn, Inserted in the working end 

 as represented in ttgure 1, bound with sinews, or rawhide thongs, to pre- 

 vent splitting. For some kinds of work the bone or horn tips were scraped 



1(1 a rather l)lunt point, others with a slightly rounded end 

 [Methods of rTolri- ^^^ about one-half inch in diameter. He described variotis 

 ins the Stone] <• , , t ^, <- i -i +i i • 



ways of holdnig the stone wlnle the pressure was being 



!ip]»lied. A water-v.'orn pebble broken transversely was connnonly held by 



being sufficiently embedded in hard earth to prevent its 

 [hinbedclea in slipping when held by the foot as the pressure was applied. 



Large blocks of obsidian or any easily flaked stones were 

 held between the feet of the ojierator while sitting on tlie ground, the imptilsive 

 |ii-essni-(' Iteiiig given to the tool gi-as])ed in l)oth hands, a crossjiiece on the upper 

 end i-esjing against the chest, the bone end against the stone in a slight indenta- 

 tion, previously i)repared, to give the pi-oper angle and to prevent sliiijiing. 

 In some cases the stone oiterated on was secured between two pieces or strips 



(»f wood like the jaws of a vise, bound together by cords or 

 [Claiuij] thongs of rawhide; on tlu'se sti'ips the operator would stand 



as be aiijilied tlie [iressure of his weight by imjiiulse. 

 The best tlakes, outside of tlie lioinemade, were a subje<-t of commerce, and 

 came from certain localities where the chert of the best (|uality was ([uarried 

 in sheets or blocks, as it occurs in almost continuous seams in tlie intercalated 

 limestones of the Coal Measures. These seams are mostly cracked or broken 

 into blocks, that show the nature of the cross fracture, which is taken ad- 

 ^•anlage of Ity the operators, who seemed to have redticed the art of flaking to 

 almost an absolute .science, with division of labor; one set of men being 

 exjiert in (|uarrying and selecting the stone, others in prei)aring the blocks 



1 Belcher, quoted l)y Wilson, Arrowpuints, Siiearheads, and Knives of Prehistoric Times. 

 p. 9SG. 



