96 Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters. 



with a depression, either natural or artificial, was se- 

 cured and placed under the limb of a tree. A rope of 

 deer hide was fastened to this limb and to the rope at 

 the correct height so that it would be a few inches above 

 the boulder the hammer was fastened by its groove. The 

 corn or roots to be ground were placed in the boulder and 

 the operator taking the hammer in his right hand would 

 bring it down on the corn with a slight rotary motion, 

 the limb of the tree assisting in the work. When a tree 

 was not convenient, then one of the long poles used for 

 building the tepee was pressed into service. Without 

 doubt there were many other uses for this instrument 

 of which we do not know. 



The hand hammer was a very different thing from 

 the one just described, and is what is known as a "flak- 

 ing hammer." There are many sizes, depending upon 

 the size of the original stone, strength and skill of the 

 user, and the purposes for which they were intended to 

 be used. The larger ones are called "battering ham- 

 mers'" by some of the archeologists. The larger ones are 

 pecked rough; the smaller ones are rubbed and polished. 

 Three have been taken from this mound. The smaller 

 one is one and three-fourths inches in diameter and six 

 inches in circumference, weighing two and one-half 

 ounces. It was used for flaking and large chipping and 

 is highly polished. Another is two and three-fourths, 

 inches in diameter, eight inches in circumference, is 

 much thicker and unpolished, and weighs eight ounces. 

 The largest one is four inches in diameter and eleven 

 and three-fourths inches in circumference, is over three 

 inches thick and weighs twenty-four ounces. All these 

 hammers are made in the same manner. Their circum- 

 ference is circular and there is a slight depression in the 

 center of each side to keep the hammer from slipping 

 out of the fingers. They are used in the following man- 

 ner: The thumb and second finger are placed in the 

 depressions on either side, the first finger on the top to 

 prevent slipping, and the blow is struck with the wrist, 

 the fingers simply guiding the hammer and remaining 

 loose in the depressions and not holding the hammer 



