BUSSELL] 



ARTIFACTS 



97 



Agricultural Implements 



Digging sticJc. The earliest agricultural implement was the dig- 

 ging stick. It was used in planting maize and other crops, as a lever 

 to pry out bushes when clearing the ground, as a pick when digging 

 irrigating ditches, and in case of surprise it made an efi'ective weapon 

 of defense. It was made of ironwood or from the spiny tree, Zizyphus 

 lycioides." The short handle necessitated a crouching or sitting 

 position by the operator. (Fig. 10, a. ) 



Shovel. Wooden shovels were used to throw out the earth that 

 usuallj' required loosening by the digging stick when constructing 

 the irrigating canal. They were of cottonwood, in the case of the 

 larger, lighter ones, or of mesquite. 

 The handle and blade were in one 

 piece, the former being very short 

 and the latter having the natural 

 curve of the trimk from which it 

 came.* (Fig. 10,6.) 



Hoe. Another implement of 

 early adoption by the Pimas com- 

 bined the functions of spade and 

 hoe. It was used to loosen the soil 

 around plants and to cut awaj^ 

 weeds. It was made of ironwood 

 and was tliin, hard, and heavy. 

 As it was quite short and curved 

 but slightly it could be used only 

 when the workman was in a kneel- 

 ing or sitting position. It was 

 sharpened along the convex curve 

 at the wider end. The entire im- 

 plement was so thin that it must 

 have chafed the hands. But one specimen was found on the reserva- 

 tion (fig. 10, c).' 



Dibble. The implement described above was superseded by one 

 obtained from the Mexicans who frequently came to trade with the 

 Pimas. The new implement more nearly resembled the primitive 

 digging stick than it did the fiat "hoe" (fig. 10, d). It was furnished 



o No genuine specimen being now obtainable, the writer had a digging stick (fig. 10, o) made, which 

 measures 1.140 m. in length. It is 40 mm. in diameter, and is flattened at the lower end. 



6 The old people yet remember how the wooden shovels were made. Whether the Pimas have 

 directly descended from the Hoholcam or not, it is very probable that the former have used the 

 same form of shovel that was used by the latter when constructing the great irrigating canals of that 

 region. The specimen figured here (fig. 10,6) may tlierefore he accepted as a representative of the 

 shovel that was probably the instrument that made those canals a possibihty. It is 0,850 m, long; 

 the blade i.s 0.276 m. long and 0.167 m. wide. 



c It is O.Om m. long and 0.083 m. wide; the cutting edge is 17 cm. long. 



26 ETH— 08 9 



LI 



Fig. 



10. Agricultural implements, a, Digging 

 sticJc; 6, shovel: c. hoe: d, dibble. 



