The Archaeology of the Yakima Valley Part 7

[141] Spinden, Fig. 6, Plate X.

[142] Lewis and Clark, V, p. 16.

[143] Gibbs, (a), I, p. 407.

A pile of stones shown in Fig. 2, Plate V[144] and mentioned on p. 20 as uncovered by the wash of the flood waters of the Columbia, was seen on the bottom-lands on the western side of the Columbia, south of Sentinal Bluffs and within a hundred feet north of the house of Mr. Britain Everette Craig. It is possible that this may have been a house hearth or ancient cooking place, although the presence of human bones among these stones, suggests that it was a grave covered with flat oval river pebbles. Near by, uncovered by the same wash, was a small patch of fresh water unio sh.e.l.ls shown from the west of south in Fig. 1, Plate V.[145]

This was probably kitchen refuse. The little pits, each encircled with a slight embankment made up of the soil thrown out in making it, p. 15, are probably the remains of food caches near the houses.

[144] Museum negative no. 44530, 8-8 from the southwest.

[145] Museum negative no. 44531, 8-9 from the west of south.

TOOLS USED BY MEN.

A number of objects which seem to be tools intended to be used by men are found in this region. Among these may be mentioned a wedge, hammerstones, a celt, a hand-adze, drills, sc.r.a.pers, and an arrow-shaft smoother.

_Wedges._ Wedges made of antler were not frequently found by us as in the Thompson River region,[146] although according to Lewis, elk horn wedges or chisels were used for splitting wood in the general plateau region of which this is a part.[147] One specimen, however (202-8378b), was found on the surface near the head of Priest Rapids, which is apparently a longitudinal fragment of a wedge broken off at the top and cut by longitudinal grooving along one edge, the other edge being a portion of the surface of the wedge formed by cutting convexly across the antler. The specimen is bleached from exposure on the surface.

Another wedge, shown in Fig. 39, was found on the surface near the Columbia River below the mouth of the Snake. It is made of antler which has since been bleached from exposure on the surface of the ground.

[146] Smith, (d), p. 141; (c), p. 414.

[147] Lewis, p. 186.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 39 (20.0-1464). Wedge made of Antler. From the surface near the Columbia River below the Mouth of the Snake. 1/2 nat.

size. (Collected and presented by Mr. Owen.)]

The top was partly cut off and then broken across, while one side edge shows where the antler was grooved lengthwise for over half its length, from the inner surface and then broken out. This shows that the process of cutting up pieces of antler in this region was similar to that employed in cutting both antler and nephrite, in the Thompson River region and on the coast of British Columbia and Washington. It has since been battered. One side shows the nearly flat outer surface of part of the antler, the other has been cut off to form the wedge, which is constricted towards the point so that it a.s.sumes a somewhat spatulate form. This specimen is twisted, until the point is in a plane about 45 from the poll. It was collected by Mr. Owen who believes it to have been used as a spatula for grinding paint upon the surface of a rock. Wedges made of elk antler are common in the Nez Perce region where they are said to have almost completely supplanted celts.[148]

[148] Spinden, pp. 182 and 189, Fig. 5^7.

Although no wedges were found by us in the Yakima Valley proper, and we can mention only these two specimens in the whole Yakima region yet it seems probable that they were here used and for the same purposes as in the Thompson River region to the north, the Nez Perce area to the east and on the coast to the west for splitting timber, for cutting firewood and for general carpenter work. Perhaps their relative scarcity here, as compared with the Thompson and the Nez Perce country, may be explained by supposing that wooden wedges, such as are more common than antler wedges on the coast, and which may have decayed were here used more than those made of antler.

While the stone hammers or pestles with convex bases, which are described on p. 39 et seq. were probably largely used for crushing food and other material; yet some of them and those with concave bases, were undoubtedly sometimes used as hammers for driving wedges, setting stakes, pinning out skins and for similar purposes.

_Hammerstones._ The deeply pitted hammer, such as is found in the Mississippi Valley, was not seen here, and it will be remembered[149]

that they were not found in the Thompson River region. Tough pebbles, however, were used for pounding. At the quarry shop mentioned on p. 16, we found a number of pebbles that were evidently used in breaking up the material out of which to make chipped implements. One of these (202-8129) is merely a water-worn pebble, 73 mm. long, an edge of which has been broken off, and a sharp corner shows signs of its having been used as a hammer, as it has been battered and shows where one large chip has come off. It will be remembered that in the vicinity of the shop where the specimen was found, pebbles were rarely if ever seen, although the surface of the ground was covered with weathered fragments of volcanic rock. Another specimen (202-8127) found at the same place, shown southeast of the quarry pit, in Fig. 1, Plate III, is 155 mm. long and of a rather irregular cross section. The ends are battered and fractured from use. Apparently it may have been held between the two hands and used in breaking off large pieces of material. A longer hammer pebble, bearing the same catalogue number, and found at the same place, shows on the top of the quarry dump to the left centre in Fig. 1, Plate III. It is about 270 mm. long. In cross section it tends to be triangular with rounded corners. The ends are battered and long slivers have been broken off. The specimen shown in Fig. 40 is from the same place, shorter, but similar in that the section is sub-triangular and that each end is both battered and slivered. Other battered pebbles and fragments slivered from them were found at the same place. The hammerstone shown in Fig. 41 was found on the surface near the head of Priest Rapids. It is an oval pebble, nearly twice as wide as it is thick, of yellowish brown color, which has been used for a hammer, as is indicated by the battered and chipped condition of its ends.

[149] Smith, (d), p. 142; (c), pp. 415 and 440, Fig. 38.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 40 (202-8128). Hammerstone. From quarry on north side of Naches River about two miles above its mouth. 1/2 nat. size.]

Another specimen, shown in Fig. 42, is made of a hard, dark green or bluish, water-worn pebble. It was found in the Snake River Valley, twenty miles above the mouth of the river, and is in the collection of Mr. Owen. Both ends are battered and the margins of the battered surfaces are chipped. Mr. Owen says such objects were used in pecking pestles, mortars, and similar implements into shape. Fig. 43 ill.u.s.trates one of these hammerstones, found on the surface at Kennewick. It is a part of a pebble of tough dark blue material, apparently gla.s.sy basalt.

One side edge and one end have been chipped and show large scars on each side of the side edge and several on one side of the top. Near the middle of one side, and opposite it on the other side edge, there are signs of pecking which suggest an attempt at grooving. The lower corner of the pebble shows signs of having been used as a hammer for pecking. A small spatulate pebble slightly curved (202-8215), found at the same place, is battered entirely around the edge of its larger end and in one place on the side of the narrow end. The battering has given it a smooth surface in places which suggests that it was used for pecking, rather than chipping. A large, rather flat, oval pebble (202-8213) from the same place has large chips off from both sides of its edge in three places, three fourths of its edge being so chipped. This seems more likely to be a hammerstone used for chipping.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 41 (202-8292a). Hammerstone. From the surface, near the head of Priest Rapids, 1/2 nat. size.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 42. Hammerstone made of a Hard, Water-worn Pebble.

From Snake River Valley twenty miles above its mouth. 1/2 nat. size.

(Drawn from a sketch. Original in the collection of Mr. Owen.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 43 (202-8119). Hammerstone. From the surface, Kennewick. 1/2 nat. size.]

The long, narrow, oval pebble, shown in Fig. 44, is about 140 mm. long, of a yellow, volcanic, coa.r.s.e-grained rock, and is in the collection of Mr. Austin Mires of Ellensburg. This was found at Priest Rapids. The top is battered and slightly chipped, the other end has been battered to a rather flat edge, and this battered surface extends one half way up one side of the specimen and two thirds of the way up the other.[150] A large flat oval pebble (202-8214), found on the Cherry Creek camp site, has a notch pecked in each side edge and is battered slightly on one end. It may have been notched for hafting as a hammer, or for use as a net sinker, but the battered end suggests the former use. These pebbles which have been used as hammerstones, remind us of the unbattered pebbles found with pieces of gla.s.sy basalt in certain caches near Kamloops.[151] Pebbles used as hammerstones are also found in the Nez Perce region to the east[152] and according to Lewis stone hammers were used for splitting wood in the general plateau region of which this is a part.[153]

[150] Museum negative, no. 44534, 8-2.

[151] Described by Smith, (c), p. 415.

[152] Spinden, p. 188.

[153] Lewis, p. 186; Lewis and Clark, III, p. 124.

A pebble, oval in outline and in cross section (202-8303), found on the surface of the bank of the Columbia River, near the head of Priest Rapids, is battered on one side edge near the middle in a way that suggests that the place was for the reception of the end of a handle.

The lower edge is battered and the top has a large chip off of each side. It was probably used as a hammerstone. Another flat oval pebble of lava (202-8305) found at the same place, is chipped on both sides of the entire edge; but the edge is not sharp, apparently having been dulled by sc.r.a.ping, the natural sand blast or weathering. A disk or sub-oblong-shaped pebble (202-8304) also found at the same place is chipped from one side only across the entire edge at a slight bevel so that it has a nearly flat edge. The high places of the edge are smoothed as if from its use in pecking, yet it does not seem to have been much used for such a purpose or to need to have been chipped into disk form for that use.

None of the pebbles which were notched and supposed to be net sinkers, as mentioned on p. 30 and that were found in this region, show battered ends or appear as if they had been used as hammers. On the other hand, some of the grooved pebbles described as net sinkers are battered, p.

30. It will be remembered[154] that no notched hammers or those grooved entirely around, like those found here, were found in the Thompson River region, although a pebble which had been notched or grooved on two edges was found and figured as a hammer.[155] Nor was the grooved stone maul used by the Nez Perce to the east according to Spinden[156] although many specimens are found on the Umatilla in northern Oregon to the south.[157]

[154] Smith, (c), p. 415.

[155] _Ibid._, Fig. 347.

[156] Spinden, p. 188.

[157] Lewis, p. 186; Lewis and Clark, III, p. 124.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 44. Hammerstone made of a Close-Grained Yellow Volcanic Pebble. From Priest Rapids. 1/2 nat. size. (Drawn from photograph 44534, 8-2. Original in the collection of Mr. Mires.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 45. Celt made of Serpentine. From an Indian at Ellensburg. 1/2 nat. size. (Drawn from photograph 44507, 6-8. Original in the collection of Mr. McCandless.)]

_Celts._ Celts made of stone such as were common in the Thompson River region[158] were not found by us in the Yakima region; but one typical specimen which apparently resembles the celts found on Puget Sound, more than it does those found in the Thompson River region is shown in Fig.

45. It may be seen in the collection of Mr. McCandless who secured it from an Indian at Ellensburg. This celt is made of serpentine and is 190 mm. long.[159] A similar specimen, in the same collection, resembles this one but shows grooves along the side edges by means of which it was cut out. There is a celt made of green serpentine, only about 3 mm.

thick in the collection of Mr. Owen, but it was found at Umatilla, Oregon.

[158] Smith, (d), p. 142; (c), p. 415.

[159] Museum negative no. 44507, 6-8.

Celts of jadeite (?) narrow and oblong were found on Snake River above Lewiston in the Nez Perce region to the east.[160] Spinden states that these were evidently acquired by trade from natives of the northwest coast and that they have been cut by grooving and breaking. Also, that this method and material was not employed by the Nez Perce who considered the objects to have been used as wedges. I am inclined to believe, therefore, that these more nearly resemble the celts of the Thompson River country[161] than they do those of the coast. At least one celt of this general style has been found near Lake Chelan lying between the Thompson River region and both the Yakima and Nez Perce regions. It is a long stone celt and was found in an ancient grave on the bank of the Chelan River near the house of Hon. Amos Edmunds, of Chelan, Washington. In the graves of this group, according to Mr. C. G.

Ridout, who cooperated with Mr. Edmunds in excavating at this place, and from whom all of our information on this specimen was obtained, stone knives and skinning and sc.r.a.ping tools were found. This celt is of a mottled green "marble resembling onyx" (probably serpentine or nephrite) 400 mm. long, 47 mm. wide and 15 mm. thick. It is slightly concave on the two sides, while one side edge is flat and the other is concavely bevelled. The poll is of the natural unworked stone and judging from the drawing furnished by Mr. Ridout, was broken off. It is raggedly diagonal. The cutting edge is sharpened by long convexly ground surfaces of nearly equal size and curve. The bevel of the side edge suggests that the material for the celt was cut out by grooving and breaking as was the case in the Thompson River region, where the celts showed similar traces of grooving.[162] It is true that similar grooving may be seen on celts from the Coast, but in that region the celts are short, while in the Thompson River area they are long like this one and the material is more often of the mottled green color than on the coast. The specimen is owned by Mr. Edmunds and is in the collection of Mr. Ridout.