The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-16
Indian Relics


A further examination of NJ MT
mond's relic collection. writes 80
.lonarle. n. l., correspondent of the
.aioany journal. showed hanging over
me aoor hne card OF arrows. spears.
- ives. ~ ana scrapers. from the banks
u u sne eongaree river, North Carolina.
IA ~ aorm ana material they are quite
hke many heretofore described fbev
80 al a. ngeo IN the form of the symbol
the door. covering almost the eTfira
space to the floor. hang grooved 49,.
they are OF various sizes and ma,s-;aI'
nearly all In good state of nraserys
uon- Many States and territoriaS -,
represented, one of the most ,,eysao,
being from the cliff DWELLINGS, ~ A.;
1ohs. II IS symmetrical in form. has /.
sooo cutting edge. SC made fror,
Srinoihg down from both sides. with q
ueep groove running entirely aronnS
II IN size 1t IS about six inches lone
oy three wide. Another, about tbs
same size, IS from Kansas, and note
very large one from Michigan. upus-
uai IN form and not worked To a.
snarp an edge as those spoken Of
ABOVE Instead OF being grooved il il
so formed by depression on the sides
that 1t could easily be held in place bv
wlthe. The material resembles
granite In size it is ten inches long
oy four IN breadth. Some are thick
heavy, and seemingly clumsy, while
others are so small as to give an idea
that they were intended for ornaments
rather than use.
Many OF them are made with the
sides alike, while several have one side
square, that is they are straight down
from the head of the ak to the blade.
others have a groove down one side.
The object of making them in this
manner is that a wedge may be insert
ed for the purpose Of tightening the
wlthe. The manner of holding the ax
that was made with rounded sides. or
as before stated, with sides alike. was
TO insert the AK in a split in a small
growing tree, allowing it to remain
there until the wood had closed tightly
around the groove. Another method
was to insert a strong withe in the
groove. letting it follow around the ak.
bringing the ends together. when they
were firmly lashed by means of deer
sinews or thongs of buekskin.
Grooved axes were extensively used
in deadening forest trees and bruising
the outer fiber near the roots, so that
fires kindled around them might the
more readily eat into the trunks and
insure their early fall, also removing
the charred surface from time to time,
thus atfording fresh fuel for the flames.
Often the head of the AK is splintered
or bruised. which indicates that they
were used as clubs or wedges for split
ting wood, in the latter case the edpe
being placed and held in position by
the wooden handle. The ak was driv-
en- into the wood by blows struck upon
its head by some other object of Wood
or stone.
In parts of this country the grooved
ak is found in goodly numbers, either
in graves, upon the sites of old villages
or in cultivated fields. In this imme-
dlate section | do not think any have
been found; neither do / think that
New York has ever furnished many.
To my knowledge l do not now think
of but two. They are also very rare in
Europe; in fact but one or two are
known to have been found there.
What makes this seem singular is that
so many objects are found in all parts
Vi tne WoIlu tHdt are slnlllar IN shape
to those found at great distances from
each other. Axes more than anything
else seem to differ in form in different
countries. While this country had
plenty of grooved axes, Europe had
none, and the perforated AK found
there is not known here. In almost
everything else used by primitive man,
the world over, a similarity in form OF
objects existed, for instance, arrow and
spear heads, celts, gouges. bone avis.
beads, pottery, mortars, pestles, CHS
els, etc.