Fragment Of Metate
date: label: Accession Date
content: 14 Feb 1895
label: Collection Date
content: 1894 to 1895
name: label: Collector
content: William J. McGee
label: Donor Name
content: Bureau Of American Ethnology
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "MEALING STONE--OVER THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND, ON THE SITES OF THE ANCIENT RUINS OF SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA AND OF SONORA, MEXICO, MAY BE FOUND FRAGMENTS OF ... FLOUR MILLS, MADE FROM A BASALTIC LAVA, HIGHLY VESICULAR IN STRUCTURE. THE SAME ROCK AND THE SAME FORM OF MILL REMAINS IN USE TODAY AMONG THE PAPAGO INDIANS. THEY ARE USUALLY MADE FROM IRREGULAR MASSES OF ROCK, CHIPPED AND BATTERED INTO MODERATELY REGULAR BLOCKS, NEARLY 2 FEET IN LENGTH AND 12 TO 18 INCHES IN WIDTH. THE BOTTOMS ARE GENERALLY QUITE ROUNDED, BUT THE UPPER, OR FLAT SIDE SOON BECOMES WORN DOWN BY THE CONSTANT ATTRITION OF ITS SURFACE, CAUSED BY THE RECIPROCAL SLIDING MOTION OF A LONG RUBBING STONE UPON ITS SURFACE, HELD IN THE HANDS OF THE OPERATOR GRINDING CEREALS, UNTIL A DEEP, OVER-ENDED TROUGH, WITH HIGH NARROW SIDE RIDGES IS SHAPED IN THE STONE. 174447A. FROM CARD: "174447B. FLOOR MAT.--MADE OF PLAITED AGAVE LEAVES (TASYLIRIONI WHEELERI). SIZE 6 FEET 5 INCHES BY 4 FEET 4 INCHES. PLAIT STRIPES 1/4 INCH WIDE. HERRINGBONE PATTERN, PRODUCED BY PASSING THE BANDS OVER THREE AND UNDER THREE STRIPS ALTERNATELY. A DOUBLE EDGE TO THE MAT IS MADE BY PLAITING TO THE SINGLE EDGE A SECOND 2 1/4 INCHES."CONT. SEE CARD.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 24 Mar 2021
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Sonora, Mexico, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Papago (Tohono O'odham)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 029025
label: USNM Number
content: E174447-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Mortar