88 



STONE ART. 



[ETH. iSS. 13 



mers or jjestles;' one found at Ty Mawr was thick, with a cavity on 

 each face.2 In preparing peinniican, the American Indians are known 

 to have pounded the dried meat to a powder between two stones. ■' 

 This gives the impression that any suitable stones may havebe^n used; 



and the ancient California Indians worked 

 out a round stone as an acorn sheller, 

 modern tribes using any smooth stone.^ 



The pestles which have the liottom round 

 or convex are generally found in the same 

 localities as the hollowed stone mortars. 

 Several forms of pestles are represented in 

 the collection. They may be grouped as in 

 the following description and tabulation. 

 t 'ma^^m ^' With expanding base; bottom flat or 



I" \»hI^. slightly convex, often with a slight depres- 



/ ^^W^B^ ^^^^ ^" ^^^ middle. Handle tapering, or of 



J* ^^^^H^^ uniform diameter to the top; in a few, 



slightly swelling above as if to give a 

 firmer hold. Top rounded, flat, or pointed. 

 Bottom may be very little expanded or may 

 have twice the diameter of the handle. 

 Fig. 82.-HaiKiie,i i„stie, with expand- Probably uscd for pouudiiig grain or seeds 

 '"^ '"""'• on a flat stone, as it could not be used in a 



mortar even slightly hollowed. None seem to have been used as muUers 

 or rubbers. They may have served for hammers, and would be excellent 

 for cracking nuts, as the pit in the bottom would tend to keep them 

 from flying out to the side. The type is shown in figure 82, of quartzite, 

 from Sullivan county, Tennessee. The distribution is modera.tely wide, 

 and the material chiefly granite and quartzite, with a few of other rock 

 varieties, as shown in the table: 



B. Almost cylindrical, from 6 to 18 inches long and about two inches 

 in diameter. Some of the larger ones were probably rolling-pins, as 



'Evans, John ; Stone Implementa, p. 218. 

 'Ibid., p. 227. 



3Dodgo, R. I ; Wild Indians, p. 254. Schoolcraft, H. R. ; Indian Tribes, vol. IV, p. 107. Catlin, Geo. ; 

 Nortb American Indians, vol. I, p. 416. 

 ^Powers, Stephen: Contributions to N. A. Ethnology, vol. Ill, p. 433. 



