Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-05-03
INTERESTING TOPICS BEFORE THE ANTHRO.
BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

observation-disclosures In Regard "a
Color.Rlimdness-W Less AT.
fected Than Men, and Negroes than
Whites
At the last meeting of the Anthropologica
Society at the Smithsonian Institution, Mr.
cushing, who has made an original and expert
mental study Of Aboriginal processes in tn,
manufacture OF pottery, stone axes, and fin
arrow heads, using only the tools which were
within the reacn OF the Aboriginal manufac
turers, gave an Interesting description of the
manner In which flint implements, especially
arrow and spear heads, were made by the pre-
historic Inhabitants OF this country and Europe
previous to the discovery or Introduction OF
iron. It is the popular impression that flint
arrow heads were all Clipped into shape Dy
striking of fragments with q rude stone ham
mer, and this was the method first tried BY MI.
Gushing. He found, however, that 1t was I'M
and more delicate specimens of Indian arrows.
and that three out OF four, even OF tne coafser
forms, were broken in the process OF manuiaC-
ture. It was evident, tbereloLe, tat eoe an
dams had other and more delicate processes
After many unsuccessful experiments, ne aCCl
dentally discovered that small fragments couI0
be broken of from pece oa 'ht WIN ,,rassnra
With a noinfed rod Of bone or horn, than by
blows with q hammer stone. The sharp edge
Of the flint would cut signify lnto ad Ine zone
ward a flake would fly OF from the point where
the pressure was applied In are :tlon winch
could be foreseen and controlled. 10 TINS pro
cess Mr. Cushing gives the name OF faElng 10
distinguish IL from chipping produced by per
cussion And its discovery removes most OF the
diff1cultfes which previous experiment0rs had
met with in trying to work flint without the
use OF iron Spear and arrow heads could In
this way be faxed even into the most delicate
and apparently fragile shapes with certainty
attaina6e 10 no o1nef way, anu VIII grSag
then described with the aid of blackboard Illus
trations all the steps In the manufacture Of an
arrow. beginning with the striking of OF
suitable flake from the mass OF material Sc
lected. trimming 1t roughly with pebble Into
q leaf shape with a beveled edge, scaling OIL
surface flakes by repeated blows with ham
mer stone upon this edge at right angles to its
Ing the arrow head with the bone taking In
strument previously referred to. Surface f1ak-
ing, which is the thinning Of the unfinished
from tie edge to the center, Is the most difficult
Part Ct the whole process. Arrows upon which
no signs Of 1t appear were always the work of
rect blows with a hammer stone, by pressure
with fiaker, or by combination OF the two
methods, the hammer being used with the
haker as If the latter were stone chfsel Each
OF these methods leaves Its unfhiStakable mark
upon the finished implement, so that 1t Is easy
to determine by simple inspection OF the Clipped
article to what degree OF perfection the art mad
can be proven that the marvelously clipped
axes Of the Danish shell heaps were produced
by using q horn naker as II 1t were stone
while the beautifully finished daggers, arrows
and spear heads from the same region had been
FAXED by q combination of the latter process
hint implements found in the drift we've made,
the art Of using the daker In either OF these
methods had not yet been discovered. Ham,
mer stones, however, which bear marks OF hav-
where where arrow or spear heads occur, show
ing that savages universally pursued the
method followed by MT. Gushing OF first block
whether they afterward used flaker to finish
1t more perfectly or not. Since, therefore, AM
the specimens found In the great depOSitsn
throughout this country bear marks Of the
hammer stone, but not OF any other 1nstru-
ment they may be definitely regarded as nm.
finished articles laid by for future completion.
TIE VARIOUS PROCESSES AND IMPLHNENrs
used IN chipping and taking had grown out Of
the difference OF material to be worked. Where
the latter was tough, as was the case with the
hornstone Of western Arctic America, &c would
not De TAXED by pressure In the hand but must
faxed by means of an instrument the handle
OF which lifted the palm like that of an um-
0reua, enabling the operator to exert q pres
20 Wesn9 Of tSs cnPRa
shaped wooden kD1fe-naker Of the Aztecs was
the outgrowth OF the easily worked obsidian:
ana the slender horn Takers OF California and
the southwest, OF the fragile chalcedony and
Jasper or that region. Material often contained
small masses OF harder or tougher substance.
MneIe these occurred the ordinary taxing
was likely not TO remove them, In which case
they formed Objectionable protuberances on
Sne DIMINISHED arrow point, When nearer one
edge than the other, their removal was at
making the arrow head one-sided. The almost
1nvar1aDe occurrence OF traces Of such pro-
tuberances on the edge most Clipped of these
the 30 called ''knife-type," was OF accidental
origin.
ments which had been regarded by archBolo-
really articles never finished because of the
presence OF such prominences on the center of
D ne side or the other.
middle OF the side OF specimen of choice ma
ter1al or On which much labor had been ex.
pended, its removal was undertaken by the
chipping down OF both edges, thus resulting In
the bell shaped outline Of spear head so much
admired by psychologists, which being recoo-
nfseo as ornamental was afterward purposely
produced, and even survived In the weapons OF
lowing the age OF stone.
The difficulty OF making long narrow surface
flakes made It much easter to form narrow and
delicate points than the larger, though even
ruder forms On which much surface fiaking was
necessary, ard the sleDCer fragile perfOfators
which had been regarded as inimitable by any
rapidly made OF ALL
In taking large arrow or spear head In the
1and it was necessary TO hold it alternately by
the point and by the base. AS the CRASH by the
base was much nrmer, tue pressure Wasyreater.
and hence the flakes scaled OF further toward
or over the center, and as this unayo,dably nan.
pened on opposite edges Of the specimen a
twisted and even at times distinctly beyeIied
point was the result when hard material was
faxed. This not only accounted for the beveI.
led type Of srear head so c0mmonin Tennessee.
but also Indicated that wherever this type Oc-
CURED the method Of making was by pressure
In the hard and not as among the Eskimo aud
Shell-heap people. Mr.. Cushing added that
since all specimens OF this kind were found to
be twisted enc way-frOm right to left-the
inference was unavoidable that the Abor1g1nes
who made them, were like ourselves,
A kIGHT-HANDED PEOPLE.
Prof. Mason here mentioned that he had seen
two examples beveled from left to right, fndi-
eating OF course an occasional left handed indi-
vidual
Mr.. Cushing then explained how 1t could be
known Cd examination whether an imperfect
arrow had been broken during the process of
manufacture, or by use. He then referred to a
recent annual report OF the Archaeological a.
ciety, OF Portugal. on the covers and title PAGE
OF which appeared the figure of a ssthree
pointed arrow" This had been regarded as
the most important archaeological discovery of
that year and It's figure adopted as the seal of
tie society. Bu' had the members OF that
society been practically familiar with flint
chipping, they probably would not have re-
garded as 50 rare. the inverted base of a com
mon barbed and stemmed arrow. head. from
which the point had been removed by acct
dental chipping.