62 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



sandstone. There are very few specimens of polished flint or chert. 

 Celts reveal all the processes of manufacture from the first rough 

 chipping to the pitting process and the final polishing. There are 

 some localities where celts appear to have been better made than in 

 others. The Seneca River region is noted for its beautifully formed 

 celts. There are more than two hundred in the Otis M. Bigelow 

 collection. 



In the ordinary symmetrical celt used by the Algonkian tribes 

 there is little or nothing, save the site upon which it is foimd, to 

 distinguish it from specimens made and used by Iroquoian or 

 mound-building peoples. In other words, the celt is common to 

 nearly all forms of aboriginal culture and variations are only local, 

 unless we except extreme forms. The size of Algonkian celts varies 

 from a length of i inch to ii or 12. The average length is approxi- 

 mately 5 to 6 inches. (For forms see plate 115.) Consult Skinner; 

 Coastal Algonkin. 



Adzes. A celt with one side more flattened than the other may 

 be regarded as an adz. This is easily determinable when the cutting 

 blade is flattened on one side and beveled on the other. Some adzes 

 have a slightly concaved underside and closely approach gouge 

 forms. Adzes in general are finished with more care than celts. An 

 interesting form of adz is that having beveled sides, that is to say 

 with a cross section an approximate oblong with the upper corners 

 ground off. Most beveled adzes are made with great care, the plain 

 surfaces are smooth and the entire blade is well polished. It is not 

 yet definitely established whether beveled adzes are original with the 

 Algonkian culture or belong to the mound area in New York. They 

 are not widely distributed and do not seem to be found on the 

 coast. 



Gouges. Gouges were made and used by the Algonkian tribes. 

 There are several types of gouges and as many variations of types 

 as the individual makers could produce. All have curved cutting 

 edges and are concaved on the underside. The backs may be round, 

 flat or beveled. The types are those having, first, a short scoop, 

 leaving the remainder of the implement ungrooved ; second, the 

 trough or channel running the entire length of the implement; third, 

 the type with knobs or a groove on the back for fastening the 

 handle. Some gouges have the butt end sharpened as a chisel. 

 Gouges when ha f ted were fastened much as adzes, to a T handle. 



Many Algonkian gouges are finely formed and polished. They 

 are not so common as celts and as specimens are considered more 

 valuable than adzes or celts. 



