Vermilion County, Illinois - Chapter 19: Stone Implements, 1879

Chapter 19: Stone Implements

The stone implements illustrated in this chapter are introduced as specimens of workmanship of the comparatively modern Indians, who lived and hunted in the localities where the specimens were found. The author is aware that similar implements have been illustrated and described in works which relate to an exclusively prehistoric race. Without entering into a discussion concerning the so-called "Mound Builders," that being a subject foreign to the scope of this work, it may be stated that some theorists have placed the epoch of the "prehistoric race" quite too far within the boundaries of well-established historical mention, and have assigned to the "Mound Builders " remains and relics which were undoubtedly the handiwork of the modern American Indians.*

Indeed many of the stone implements, also much of the pottery, and many of the so-called ancient mounds and excavations as well, found throughout the west, may be accounted for without going beyond the era of the Xorth American Indian in quest of an explanation. It is not at all intended here to question the fact of the existence of the prehistoric race, or to deny that they have left more or less of their remains, but the line of demarkation between that race

* Mr. H. N. Rust, of Chicago, in his extensive collection, has many implements similar to those attributed to prehistoric man, which he obtained from the Sioux Indians of northwestern Dakota, with whom they were in daily use. Among his samples are large stone hammers with a groove around the head, and the handles nicely attached. The round stone, with flattened sides, generally regarded as a relic of a lost race, he found at the door of the lodges of the Sioux, with the little stone hammer, hooded with rawhide, to which the handle was fastened, with which bones, nuts and other hard substances were broken by the squaws or children as occasion required. The appearance of the larger disc, and the well-worn face of the hammer, indicate their long and constant use by this people. The round, egg-shaped stone, illustrated by Fig. 9, supposed to belong to the prehistoric age, Mr. Rust found in common use among this tribe. The manner of fastening the handle is illustrated in the cuts, Figs. 9 and 36. The writer is indebted to Mr. Rust for favors conferred in the loan of implements credited to his collection, as well, also, for his valuable aid in preparing the illustrated portion of this chapter. The other implements illustrated were selected from W. C. Beckwith's collection. The Indians informed Mr. Rust that these clubs (Figs. 8 and 9) were used to kill buffalo, or other animals that had been wounded; as implements of offense and defense in personal encounters ; as a walking-stick (the stone being used as a handle) by the dandies of the tribe; and they were carried as a mace or badge of authority in the rites and ceremonies of the societies established among these Indians, which were similar in some respects to our fraternities.

and the modern Indian cannot be traced with satisfaction until after large collections of the remains of both races shall have been secured and critically compared under all the light which a careful examination of historical records will shed upon this new and interesting field of inquiry.

Stone implements are by no means peculiar to North America; they have been found all over the inhabitable world. Europe is especially prolific in such remains. While the material of which they are made varies according to the geological resources of the several countries in which they are found, there is a striking similarity in the shape, size and form of them all. At the present time like implements are in use among some of the South Sea Islanders, and by a few tribes of North American Indians living in remote sections, and enjoying but a limited intercourse with the enlightened world.

The stone age marks an important epoch in the progress of races of men from the early stages of their existence toward a higher civilization. After they had passed the stone age, and learned how to manipulate iron and other metals, their advance, as a general rule, has been more rapid.

The implements here illustrated are specimens of some of the more prominent types of the vast number which have been found throughout the valleys of the Maumee, Wabash and Illinois Rivers, and the sections of country drained by their tributaries. They are picked up about the sites of old Indian villages, in localities where game was pursued, on the hillsides and in the ravines where they have become exposed by the rains, and in the furrows turned up by the plowshare. They are the remains of the early occupants of the territory we have described, - testimonials alike of their necessities and their ingenuity, and were used by them until an acquaintance with the Europeans supplied them with weapons and utensils formed out of metals.*

It will be observed from extracts found in the preceding chapter that our Indians made and used implements of copper and stone, manufactured pottery, some of which was glazed, wove cloth of fiber and also of wool, erected fortifications of wooden palisades, or of palisades and earth combined, to protect their villages from their enemies, excavated holes in the ground, which were used for defen-

* It may be well to state in this connection that the implements illustrated in tins work, except the handled club, Figs. 9 and 36, were not found in mounds or in their vicinity, but werejgathered upon or in the immediate neighborhood of places known to the early settlers as the sites of Piankeshaw, Miami, Pottawatomie and Kickapoo villages, and in the same localities where have been found red-stone pipes of Indian make, knives, hatchets, gun-barrels, buckles, flints for old-fashioned fusees, brooches, wristbands, kettles, and other articles of European manufacture.

sive purposes, and erected mounds of earth, some of which were used for religious rites, and others as depositories for their dead. All these facts are well attested by early Spanish, French and American authors, who have recorded their observations while passing through the country. We have also seen in previous chapters that our "red men" cultivated corn and other products of the soil, and were as much an agricultural people as is claimed for the "Mound Builders."

The specimens marked Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are samples of a lot of one hundred and sixteen pieces, found in 1878 in a "pocket" on Win. Pogue's farm, a few miles southeast of Rossville, Vermilion county, Illinois. Mr. Pogue had cleared off apiece of ground formerly prairie, on which a growth of jack oak trees and underbrush had encroached since the early settlement of the county. This land had never been cultivated, and as it was being broken up, the plowshare ran into the --nest." and turned the implements to view. They were closely packed together, and buried about eight inches below the natural surface of the ground, which was level with the other parts of the field, and had no appearance of a mound, excavation, or any other artificial disturbance. Two of the implements, judging from their eroded fractures, were broken at the time they were deposited, and one other was broken in two by the plow. The material of which they are composed is white chert. The samples illustrated are taken as an average, in size and shape, of the whole lot, the largest of which is 3J inches wide by 7 inches long, and the smallest 2 inches wide by nearly 4 inches in length. Some of them are nearly oval, others long and pointed at both ends, in others the. "shoulders" are well defined, while, for the most part, they are broadly rounded at one end and pointed at the other. They are all in the rough, and no finished implement was found with or near them. Indeed the whole lot are apparently in an unfinished condition. With very little dressing they could be fashioned into perfect implements, such as the " fleshers," "scrapers," " knives," "spear" and "arrow"" heads described farther on. There are no quarries or deposits of flint of the kind known to exist within many miles of the locality where these implements were found. We can only conjecture the uses for which they were designed. We can imagine the owner to have been a merchant or trader, who had dressed them down or procured them at the quarries in this condition, so they would be lighter to carry to the tribes on the prairies, where they could be perfected to suit the taste of the purchaser. We might further imagine that the implement merchant, threatened with some approaching danger, hid them where they were afterward found, and never returned. The eroded appearance of many of the "find" bear witness that the lot were buried a great many years aero.*

The material is a fine-grained granite. The handle is attached with thongs of rawhide passed around the groove, or with a split stick or forked branch wythed around, and either kind of fastening could be tightened by driving a wedge between the attachment and the surface of the implement, which on the back is slightly concaved to hold the wedge in place.

*Tke writer has divided the "'lot," sending samples to the Historical Societies of Wisconsin and Chicago, and placed others in the collections of H. 1ST. Rust, of Chicago; Prof. John Collett, of Indianapolis; Prof. A. H. Worthen. Springfield, Illinois: Josephus Collett, of Terre Haute, while the others remain in the collection of W. C. Beckwith. at Danville, Illinois.

and for scraping hides when preparing them for tanning. The recent discoveries of remains of the ancient "Lake Dwellers," ' of Switzerland, have resulted in finding similar implements attached to handles, making them a very formidable battle-axe.

From the implements obtained by Mr. Rust of the Sioux it can readily be seen how implements like Fig. 6, although tapering from the bit to the top, could be attached to handles by means of a rawhide band. Before fastening on the handle the rawhide would be soaked in water, and on drying would tighten to the roughened surface Of the stone with a secure grip. A blow given with the cutting edge of this implement would tend to wedge it the more firmly into the handle.*

* In the Fifth Annual Report of the Regents of the University of New York (Albany. 1852. page 105), Mr. L. H. Morgan illustrates the ga-ne-a-ya-o-dus-ha, or war cluli, used by " the Iroquois at the period of their discovery." The helve is a crooked piece of wood, with a chisel-shaped bit formed out of deer's horn - shaped like Fig. No. 7, on the next page - inserted at the elbow, near the larger end; and in many respects it resembles the clubs illustrated in Plate X, vol. 2, of Dr. Keller's work on the " Lake Dwellings of Switzerland and other parts of Europe." Mr. Morgan remarks that " in later times a piece of steel was substituted for the deer horn, thus making it a more deadly weapon than formerly." There is little doubt that the Indians used such implements as Figs. 5, 6 and 7 for splitting wood and various other purposes. The fact of their being used for splitting wood was mentioned by Father Charlevoix over a hundred and fifty years ago, as appears from extracts on page 181 of this book, quoted from his Narrative Journal.

Historic Notes Ox The Northwest

rial ont of which it is composed is greenstone, admitting of a fine polish. There would be no difficulty at all in shrinking a rawhide band t- 1 its surface, and the somewhat polished condition of its sides above the "bit" would indicate a long application of this kind of a fastening. It could also be used as a chisel in excavating the charred surface of wood that was being fashioned into canoes, mortars for cracking corn, or in the construction of other domestic utensil.-.

Fie. 8 is a club or hammer, or both. Itmaterial is dark quartz. Some varieties of this implement have a groove cut around the center, like Fig. 9. The manner of handling it involves the use of rawhide, and. with some, is performed substantially in the same manner as in Figs. .">. »l ami 7. except that the band of rawhide is broader, and extends some distance on either side of the lesser diameter of the stone. In other instances they are secured in a hood of rawhide that envelops nearly the whole implement, leaving the point or one end of the stone slightly exposed, as in Fig. 36.*

*Mr. Rust has in his collection a number of such implements, some of them weighing several pounds, which, along with the ones illustrated, were obtained by him from the Sioux of northwest Dakota, and which are "hooded" in the manner here described. Mr. Wm. Gurley. of Danville. Illinois, while in southwestern Colorado in B76, saw many such clubs in use by the Ute Indians. They were entirely encased in rawhide, having short handles. The handles were encased in the rawhide that extended continuously, enveloping both the handle and the stone. The Utes used these implements as hammers in crushing corn, etc.. the rawhide covering of some being worn through from long use, and exposing the stone.

Implements Foe Destructive Purposes

Figs. 10 and 11 were probably used as sj)ear-heads, they are certainly too large for arrow-heads, and too thick and roundish to answer the purpose of knives. The material is white chert. The edges of both these implements are spiral, the "wind' of the opposite edges being quite uniform. Whether this was owing to the design of the maker or the twist in the grain of the chert, from which they are made, is a conjecture at best.

It is introduced to illustrate the manner in which the work Fig. 13=%, progresses in making such implements. From an examination it would appear that the outline of the implement is first made. After this, one side is reduced to the required form. Then work on the opposite side begins, the point and edges being first reduced. The flakes are chipped off from the edges upward toward the center of and against the part of the stone to be cut away. In this maimer the delicate point and completed edges are preserved wdiile the implement is being perfected, leaving the shoulders, neck and shank the last to be finished.

to point. It is neatly balanced, and if used as an arrow-head its wind or twist would, without doubt, give a rotary motion to the shaft in its flight. It is very ingeniously made, and its delicately chipped surface shows that the man who made the implement intentionally gave it the peculiar shape it possesses.

Fig. 15 is made out of fine-grained blue flint. It is unusually long in proportion to its breadth. Its edges are neatly beveled from a line along its center, and are quite sharp. Its well defined shoulders and head, with the yoke deeply cut between to hold the thong, would indicate its use as an arrow-point.

Arrow Heads

Fig. 16 is a perfect implement, and its surfaces are smoother than the observer might infer from the illustration. Its edges are very sharp and smooth and parallel to the axis of the implement. Its head, unlike that of the other implements illustrated, is round and pointed, with cutting edges as carefully formed as any part of the blade. It has no yoked neck in which to bury a thong or thread, and there seems to be no way of fastening it into a shaft or handle. It may be a perfect instrument without the addition of either. It is made out of blue flint.

Several different forms of implements (commonly recognized as arrow heads) are illustrated, to show some of the more common of the many varieties found everywhere over the country. Fig. IT has uniformly slanting edges, sharp barbs and a strong shank. The material from which it is made is white chert. For shooting fish or in pursuing game or an enemy, where it was intended that the implement could not be easily withdrawn from the flesh in which it might be driven, the prominent barbs would secure a firm hold.

Fig. 18 is composed of blue flint ; its outline is more rounded than the preceding specimen, while a spiral form is given to its delicate and sharp point.

Fig. 19 is composed of white chert. Its surface is much smoother than the shadings in the cut would imply. Its shape is very much like a shield. Its barbs are prominent, and the instrument would make a wide incision in the. body of an animal into which it might be forced.

Fig. 20. like Fig. 17, has sharp and elongated barbs. It is fashioned out of white chert, and is a neat, smooth and well-balanced implement.

Fig. 21 is made from yellowish-brown quartz, semi-transparent and inclined to be impure. The surfaces are oval from edge to edge, while the edges themselves are beautifully serrated or notched, as is shown in the cut. It is, perhaps, a sample of the finest workmanship illustrated in this chapter. Indeed, among the many collections which the writer has had opportunities to examine, he has never seen a specimen that was more skillfully made.

Fig. 22 may be an arrow-point or a reamer. The material is white chert. Between the stem and the notches the implement is quite thick, tapering gradually back to the head, giving great support to this part of the implement.

Fig. 23 is an arrow-point, or would be so regarded. Its stem is roundish, and has a greater diameter than the cut would indicate to the eye. The material from which it is formed is white chert.

Figs. 24 and 25 are specimens of the smaller variety of "points'1 with which arrows are tipped that are used in killing small game. Fig. 24 is made out of black "trap-rock," and Fig. 25 out of fleshcolored flint.

Fig. 26 is displayed on account of its peculiar form ; the under surface is nearly flat, and the other side has quite a ridge or spine running the entire length from head to point. Besides this the head and point turn upward, giving a uniform curve to the implement. If used as an arrow-point, the shaft, in consequence of the shape of the stone, would describe a curved line when shot from the bow. It is made of white flint. No suggestions

Varieties Of Implements For Domestic Uses

Fig. 27 is a pestle or pounder. It is made out of common granite. There are many different styles of this implement, some varieties are more conical, while others are more bell-shaped than the one illustrated. They are used for crushing corn and other like purposes. The one illustrated has a concave place near the center of the base ; this would the better adapt it to cracking nuts, as the hollow space would protect the kernel from being too severely crushed. In connection with this stone, the Indians sometimes used mortars, made either of wood or stone, into which the articles to be pulverized could be placed ; or the corn or beans could be done up in the folds Vermilion county, Illinois, of a skin, or inclosed in a leathern bag, and (H- N- Rust's collection.) then crushed by blows struck with either the head or rim of the pestle. The stone mortars were usually flat discs, slightly hollowed out from the edges toward the center.

illustrated is made of white flint. It is very thin, considering the breadth and length of the implement, and has sharp cutting edges all the way around. It might be used as a knife, as well as for a variety of other purposes. It is an unusually smooth and highly finished tool. It and its mate, which is considerably broader,

Fio. 30= H. Fig. 30, as the illustration shows, is rougheredged than the two preceding ones. The side opposite the one shown has a more uneven surface than the other. A smooth, well-defined groove runs across the implement (as shown by the dark shading) as though it were intended to be fastened to a helve, although the groove would afford good support for the thumb, if the implement were used only with the hand. The material is a coarse, impure, gravish flint. Fig. 31 might be said to combine the qualities of a p_ M_v knife, gimlet and bodkin. Its cutting edges extend all Fig. 31=^. around, and along the stem the edges are quite abrupt. The implement was originally much longer, but it appears to have lost about an inch in length, its point having been broken oft'. The blade will cut cloth or paper very readily. The material is white flint.

Fig. 32 may be classed with Fig. 31. The material is dark fine-grained flint, and the implement perfect. There is a perceptible wind to the edges of the stem, while the edges of the head are parallel with the plane of the implement, and so sharp that they will cut cloth, leather or paper. It was probably used to bore holes and cut out skins that were being manufactured into clothing and other articles.

Fig. 33 may have been made for the same uses as Figs. 31 and 32. The blade is shaped like a spade, the stem representing the handle. It tapers from the bit of the blade where the stem joins the shoulder, which is the thickest part of the implement, and from the shoulder it tapers to both ends. The bit is shaped like a gouge, and makes a circular incision. It is a smooth piece of workmanshiD, made material of which it is made is flesh-colored flint, stem is nearly round, and the implement could be used for piercing holes in leather or wood. Another use attributed to it is for drilling holes in pipes, gorgets, discs and other implements formed out of stone where the material was soft enough to admit of being perforated in this way.

Fig. 35. By common consent this implement lias received the name of k'discoidal stone.'' The one illustrated is composed of fine dark-gray granite. Several theories have been offered as to the uses of this implement, - one that they are quoits used by the Indians in playing a game similar to that of "-pitching horseshoes"; that they were employed in another game resembling "ten-pins," in which the stone would be grasped on its concave side by the thumb and Termilion county, 111. (H. N. Rust's second finger, while the fore-finger Collection.) rested on the outer edge, or rim, and that by a peculiar motion of the arm in hurling the stone it would describe a convolute figure as it rolled along upon the ground. We may suggest that implements like this might be used as paint cups, as their convex surface would enable the warrior to grind his pigments and reduce them to powder, preparatory to decorating his person.

The implements illustrated were, no doubt, put to many other uses besides those suggested. As the pioneer would make his house, furniture, plow, ox yokes, and clear his land with his axe, so the Indians, in the poverty of their supply, we may assume, were compelled to make a single tool serve as many purposes as their ingenuity could devise.