A collection of stone implements from the District of Columbia

A COLLECTION OF STONE IMPLEMENTS FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

BY

S. V. Proudfit, Department oftheInterior.

(With plates x-xiv.)

The

collection of stone implements from the Districtof

Columbia and

its environs, which is herewith presented to the Smithsonian Institution as anaddition to the donationof

December

22,1887,isthe resultof personal

work

inthe field. It

was

not

made

with apremedi- tateddonativeintent, buthas

grown by

degrees until thecollector no longerfeelsjustified inclaiming or exercising the right of soleowner- ship therein. In the hands of the Institution it will not onlybeac- cessibletoothers

who

are interested in such matters,but willprobably

draw

toitfurther contributions fromthe

same

area,

and

thus serve a betterpurpose thanit possibly could inprivate possession.

The

collectionisfairlytypicalofthe aboriginal

work

as^itis

now

found inthe |ields of the District.

The

greater part of the large stone imple- ments

had

foundits

way

into public

and

privatecollections long before thisone began, hencethe

number

of polished implements

now

^offered

iscomparativelysmall. Yet, while this is true, asufficient

number

of these implementshave been found to fairlyexhibitthe degree of skill attained

by

the

Potomac

Indian in this class of work.

A

^tribute here to the handicraft of this people is not misplaced.

The

material with which they

wrought was

the most obdurate

and

refractory of all substancesfound availableto

any

considerable degree

among

the

American

Indians. Quartz, quartzite,

and

argillite for the greaterpart were used from necessity, no better material being withinreach.

The

first

two

areveryhard,

and

inthe

hand

ofthework-

man

^fullof unpleasantsurprises.

A

^long, slenderflake,such as

might

beeasily driven offfrom a

mass

of flintor obsidian,could be but with greatdifficultyproduced fromthebowlderorpebble of the

Potomac

grav-

els.

The

^argillite,thoughsofter,isnot susceptibleofreceiving orretain- ing

any

high degree of finish. Notwithstanding these obstacles the material

was

treated with such patience, care,

and

skill,that the

work

of this region,not only in matters of utility but in points of finish comparesfavorably with that of

any

other.

Proceedings"United StatesNationalMuseum,Vol.XIII—No.810.

187

188 STONE IMPLEMENTS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — ^PROUDFIT.

In gatlieriug theserelics specialcare has been taken to preservean accurate record ofeach addition to the collection, so that, if it were desired,everypiece

might

be reidaced in the veryfieldfrom

which

it

was

obtained;

and

inorder that the record

and

catalogue

may

bebetter understood

and

perpetuated, as against the ultimate result of the growthof thecity

and

continued cultivation of the fields, a

map

has been prepared

and

is submitted herewith, whereon are

marked

the variousfields from which thecollection

was

made.

The map

willalso serve to

show

the locationof all Indian village sites

and

aboriginal workshopsinthe District,

and

from

what

part of each contributing villagesite thecollection

was

gathered.

Thus

^it will be seen

by

con- sulting the

map

(Plate x,) that the eastern shore of the Anacostia, or Eastern

Branch

of thePotomac, isdotted with wigwam-like

marks

to indicate a village site, while but three fields on the stream are

marked

from which relics have been taken; one at Anacostia

marked

A,

and two

at Benniugs

marked B

and C.

The

village is old Na- cotchtanke, which stretched along the whole eastern shore from the

mouth

ofthestream

up

to Bladensburg.

While many

places alongthe eastern shore of the Anacostia, are equallyrich in relicsas the three indicated, the ease with which the latter are reachedfrom thecity ac«

counts for their

marked

prominencein this collection.

Again,it will be noticed thata ^village site is laid

down

along the eastern

bank

of the Potomac, froma short distance above

Georgetown

totheLittle Falls, whilebut

two

fields,

D and

E, are there

marked

as having contributed to the collection. In this case the other fields

were not available to thecollector, being either covered with a

heavy

sod, or socloselycultivated that

no room was

leftfor the antiquarian.

A

small village is

marked on

the Virginia shore of the Potomac, over- lookingOhain Bridge

and

LittleFalls; another atthefoot of Analos- tan Island, on the

same

side of the stream;

and

still another a little farther down, at the southern

end

of the

Long

Bridge

(Namaraugh

quena) ; oneatthe

mouth

of

Four

Mile

Run

;

and

one atFalls Church, on the

same

stream.

It should not be understood thatany oneofthesesites or fieldshas beenexhausted

by

thecollector.

The ground

covered

by

thevillage siteshas been butpartiallyunder search,

and

thesearch even

where

it

hasextended has not been prosecuted closely

enough

to ajipreciably diminish the

amount

of relics, exceptin the matter of large stone im- plements, suchas

would

strike the attention of those cultivating the

fields,

and

so find their

own way

into public

and

private collections.

In fact, the

amount

of material that

may

yet be gathered from these village sites is only emphasized

by

the present collection, which in effect is substantiallyconfined to thefields atBennings.

With

eachplowingof thefields afreshsupply of relicsis turned

up

for thecollector,

and how

^{long this} will hold

good may

be indicatedin the following observation :

The new

bridge across theAnacostiaatthe

U. ^S. NATIONAL MUSEUM

PROCEEDINGS, ^{VOL. XIII PL. X}

Map ofthe District of Columbia, showing anc ent ^Village Sites, etc.

'"iBOo'"]

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 189

eastern endof Pennsylvaniaavenueleads directly into one of the old

camps

of Nacotcbtauke. In preparing the grade for the eastern ap- proachto the bridge, the sarface soil

was removed

from at least

two

acres of this camp.

The

field, a level sandyplain,

was

first plowed, theloosesoil taken

up and

deposited on the grade,

and

the process repeated.

Each

time the shovel followed the

plow

nearly everything turned

up by

the latter

was removed

from the field.

On

one side of thefield, however, the

work was

notcarriedoutto include thefullarea

firstlaidbare, but

was

confined within lesserlimits,and, the

same

thing occurringagain, two low terraces were formed, each but a little

more

than thedepthof oneplowing.

Thus

: theupperterraceis theoriginal surface of thefield, thenext lowertheresult of the first plowing,

and

the foot of this terrace the result of the last i^lowing.

The

whole depth of the excavation at this point

was

a littleover

two

feet.

An

examination

showed

that theupperterracecarrieda large

number

of relics

common

to the locality,bits of

worked

quartz, quartzite,arrow- heads, etc, the second an equal quantity of the

same

^material, while the bottom,thoughinlessdegree, still furnished a considerable

num-

ber of implements, fragments,

and

chips.

To

illustratethe

amount

of material on the surface of the ground, attentionis directedto ExhibitKo. 140,503, a tray of 107 pieces picked upin two hours' work, April 20,188S,fromthefield

marked A

^:

A

^pol-

ished ax,arrowheads, knives, scraps of pottery, etc.; all the odds

and

ends of theold villagelife.

In studying the distribution of stone implements inthe District it

shouldbe

remembered

thatan Indian villageof the

Potomac was

nota compact assemblageofhouses,butscattereddwellings along a water- course,with the intervening spaces usuallyundercultivation. In

some

instances, however, aclusterof houses might be found at such points as afforded

more

than the ordinary riparian advantages, but usually thedwellingswere comparatively isolated. Again,the establishment of temporary hunting

and

fishing stationsis to be taken into consid- eration.

An

examination of

any

cultivated field that lies alongthe

Potomac

orAnacostia will furnish

more

orless evidence of temporary occupation.

The

^difterence between these places

and

village sitesis readily discernible in the character of the remains, as well as in the quantity.

The

^former

show

flakes,

and

chips of stone, with here

and

therean implementof the knife

and

arrowhead type, while the latter, with its ever-present pottery, seems to have left its

mark on

every stone inthe field.

The

wreck of an old village can never be mistaken

forthecamp-ground of asingle season.

In additionto theimplements found in the vicinity of villages

and

hunting camps, the occasional arrowhead lost in the chase,

and

the greater

number

spent in battle, should notbeoverlooked.

After an

engagement

with the

Mannahocks,

it isrelated bj- Capt.

John

Smiththat "

we

contented

Mosco

(afriendly

Moraughtacund)

in

190 STONE IMPLEMENTS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROUDFIT.

helpiog

him

togather

up

theirarrowes,which were

an

armefull,whereof hegloried not alittle.'"*

In passingover thefields of the district, thefrequent occurrence of a few chips of quartz, or quartzite, at places which do not otherwise

show

anysigns of occupation,callsto

mind

anotherstatement

by Smith

concerning the readiness with whichthe

Potomac

Indian prepared

an

arrowhead for use.

His arrowhead hequickly miketh withalittle bone, which heeverweareth at hisbracer,ofanysplint ofa stone orjjlasseiutheformeof a hart; and ^thesethey glewtotheendof theirarrows.*

The

term'^arrowhead," asgenerally used, is appliedto animplement witha rangeof usefulness

much

wider thanis suggested

by

the

word

itself. It isa conventionalism, descriptive as toform,but not as to use.

Wherever

a sharp, cuttingedgeorpointis required, eitherasthe tipof an arrow or the blade of a knife, the generalform is the same.

By

itswedge-shaped butt,orbarbed shank, the point is easilysecured inplace to serve thepurpose of the hour.

Inthe evolution of the arrowhead, invention confineditself mainly to

metaods

ofhafting,

and

inthisdirection

much

ingenuityisdisplayed in the variationsof

shank and

base. It

may

be said with truth that thearr)whead, considered in itsuse as a projectile,reached itsperfec- tion inthe handsof primitive

man,

so faras form goes, and that only in the matterof material

was

the point of theEnglish archer's arrow superiorto that of the

American

Indian.

That

it

was

onlyafter protracteduse of the simpler forms that the perfected arrowpoint

was

secured, goes without argument, but that

we

can

show

the stages of thisevolution is another

and more

doubtful matter.

The

reason for this lies in the fact that the most highly finished arrowhead

must

of necessity pass through theruderformsin the proc- essof manufacture, so that if

work

onthe

modern

arrowhead is sus-

pended

beforetheimplementis finished,

we have

an archaictypeof the

same

implement.

The

remains of an old village sitewillillustrate this statement.

From

the chipped pebble without definite form, to the rudely ovatepoint,

and

fromthat stage to thethin blade,all

may

be found mingled ^together.

Here

^rudenessin form is noevidence of an- tiquity, ^itbeing but a necessary incident in the production of the im- plement in

any

age. Catalogue No. 146G51, U. S. National

Museum,

a tray of eighteen quartz ^pieces,with flakes

and

chips,from thefields at Bennings, will serve as

an

illustration.

The

course of

any

chipped implement, whether arrowhead or knife, from the rock in

mass

to completionis the same.

At

each stage of successive chippings the stone assumes thefamiliarforms which

have

often been mistaken forcom[)leted implementsofarudetype

and

great

*Smith'sWorks,vol.2, p. 427,Arber'sed.

Mbid.,vol.1,p. G8.

^°i89o!"']

PKOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. ₁₉₁

antiquity.

To

secure a knifeof the larger variety the

employment

of astone of considerablesize isnecessarytoallowfor thewastein work- ing,

and

this fact should not be overlooked in determining the true character of certainforms of primitive

work

foundin the district

and

elsewhere.

In confirmation of these conclusions, attention is asked to Nos.

146589 to146616, forty-fivepiecesfrom various fields ofthedistrict

and

vicinity. Also Catalogue Nos. 146572-146604,U.S.National

Museum,

atray of thirty-fourpiecesfrom the

same

fields.

Thesethreeexhibits comprise the various materials

commonly

em- ployedforchipped implements,

and

in each substance the

methods

of treatment, asdiscovered fromthe unfinished implements, serveto em- phasize the primal forms of theknife or arrowhead asitemerges from the pebble or rockin mass. In

many

cases theuntouched crust ofthe pebble

shows

here

and

there on the face of the unfinished piece; in

.

some

the

work

is only begun ; in othersit is nearly finished; in most cases

abandonment

oftheoriginalintentionissuggested,ifnot actually apparent.

But

onthe other hand,

many

oftheseapparently unfinished pieces are as well calculated in their present form, if not better, to servecertainpurposes thanif

more

finelywrought; so thatthe separa- tionofthefinished from the unfinishedimplements can not beeffected with

any

great degreeof exactness,a rough

and

jaggedpoint ofstone, set in theknotted end of a clubadds

more

to thesavageeffectiveness of the

weapon

thana polished stonewould,though formedfor the

same

purpose.

But

the

same

jagged point with afew well-directed touches can be reducedtoa cuttingtool,capable of

many

uses,yetit isquite as

much

afinishedpiece in thefirst form as in the last. Thisagainsug- geststhe futilityof accepting form as indicative of antiquity in the line of chipped stone implements, especially

when

itis seen that the ruder formsare constantly repeated

and

perpetuatedinthelatestefforts of the stone worker.

The

persistentsurvival ofessentiallyprimitivetypes,underthe press- ure of

changed

conditions, also adds

an

element of confusion to the labor ofclassification.

In the

Ray

collection from the

Hupa

Reservation,* jasper knives are

shown

thatwere foundinactual usein 1885.

The

formoftheblade

isidentical with the leaf-shaped knife of the Potomac.

The

hafting is effected

by

settingthe butt of the bladein theslit endof a shortpine stick

and

the liberal use of pitch. In

some

instances the handle is

formedof

two

pieceslashed together, andinonespecimenofthis kind thelashingusedisordinary cotton twine.

The

aboriginalconception of theimplement remains unchanged, thoughthebitof cottonstringunites

it to the presentwith startlingeffect.

A

suggestion the reverse of thisis foundin a curious thing set

down

in Smith'saccountofthe relations existing between the

Jamestown

col-

*Prof. OtisT.Masou, Siuithsouian Report,1885, Part1,pages205-239.

192 STONE IMPLEMENTS,

DISTRICT

OF COLUMBIA PROUDFIT.

ony and

the people ofPowbatau. Inquirybeing

made

astoSmith's in.

tended

movements

he answered

:

We

^seuthim wordweintendedno such thing(an invasion)butonlytogoetoPow- hatan(thecountry) to seek stones tomake hatchets; excepthismenshotatus, as Paspaheghhadtoldustheywould^;which^iftheydid shootebut onearrowe,wewould destroyethem,etc.

Now

did Smith tell the truth ?

Did

the colony in fact

make

stone implementsinexchangefortheproducts of the Indian fields, ordidhe merelyassign acause forhisintended trip which would appearreason- able tothe Indians'?

Whatever

the truth

may

have been,it is to be

hoped

thatthe statement proved

more

satisfactory to theIndian then than ^itdoesto the archieologist now.

This

much however

of valuable suggestion isfound in the Smithin- cident.

The

Indians of the

Powhatan

Confederacywere accustomedto frequentcertain places for the purpose of obtaining suitable material for their tools

and

weapons,

and

the fact

was

well

known

to thecolo- nists. Inshort,the place thus indefinitely designated

by Smith may

be accepted as&historic "workshop,"forthepracticeofreducing therough material to at least primary formsat the placewhereit

was

found seems to have beengenerallyfollowed.

Workshops

were established

where abundance

of material

was

found

in conjunction with special conveniences for working it, such asnear- nesstowater,etc.

The

materialsmostavailablewerequartz

and

quartz-

ite,

and

thesewereto be

had

fromthe gravel beds ofthevalley.

That

the pebble, or small bowlder,

was

used instead of the rockin

mass

is easily tobo seenfrom anyseries of chippedimplements

made

of these materials. Itdoes notfollow, however,that surfacepebbles were used.

The

Indian well

knew

that the stone freshfrom theground

worked

bet- terthan thesun-bakedstone,

and

it isquiteprobable that he took pains to secure the former, though absolute proof ofsuch practice in theDis- trictis yet wanting.*

A

placepossessingallthe requisites foran Indian

workshop

isfound on Piney Branch, a small stream that enters

Rock

Creek on theout- skirtsof

Mount

Pleasant.

On

the north sideofthe branch,

and

justbe- lowwhereit is crossed

by

Fourteenth street road,Blagden'shill rises abruptly from thebedofthe stream, a steep gravelly hill,with itssides

and summit

well covered

by

nativeforest trees. Here,over aspace of severalacres,lie scatteredthe chips, flakes,

and

chipped stonesleft

by

the native

workman

as the arrow-head

and

knife

grew

under the deft touch of a practiced hand.

The

groundin places is literallycovered withthis work.

Some

stones

show

but a single fracture, while others are fashioned intothe rude subovate forms, so familiaron the village site.

One

of the

most common

forms is the splitpebble withitsouter face

worked

at the edges

and

the center untouched;

and

another not

*Thispaperwaswritten before Mr.Holmes'scxplora<'ion ofthePiney Branch work- shop. (See "The Anthropologist,"Vol,3,No. 1, p. 1; also,Vol. 2,July, _1889,pp.

241-246.)

^°l89o"'']

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 193

infrequently found isthe"domestichand-ax,"* a pebble withone

end

roughly chippedto an ax-likeedge. These rude forms,togetherwith

tliechips

and

flakes,

make up

for themost])artthe great

mass

of re- mains,buthere

and

tliere occur the butts

and

tips,

and

occasionally

a

perfect specimenof the leaf-shaped knife. (See Figs. Plates ix-xiv.)

No

pottery isfound,

and

butthreearrow-headshave thusfarrewarded the search of -the writer. (Cat. No. 146571, U. S. Nat. Mus.) These were found atthefoot of thehill

and

are

made

of argillite, while the other

work

is inquartzite,thepebbles of whichin

main

constitute the gravel bedsof thehill.

On

thelevel atthetop of thehill

may

beseen smallpatches of

ground

littered with the smallerchips,

among

which have been found quitea

number

of the tips

and

butts of knives.

A

deep ravinewith a small stream ^atthebottomcuts thehillabout

midway, and

in thebed of this stream, as well as that of the branch, thedebris occurs in abundance.

The

sides of the ravine furnish an exposurein placesof several feet,

and

from theface of thisexposure thewriter has takenchipped stones thatwere underfourfeetofsoil

and

gravel.

The same

thing

and

under

like conditions

may

be observed along the

bank

of the branch

where

it hasbeen cut

away by

the action of the water.

At

thefootof

many

^ofthetrees standing on thehill-side areconsid- erableaccumulationsof chips, with

worked and un worked

stones, that have drifted

down

thehilltill intercepted

by

thebase of thetree.

These observations have been confined to theremains

and

the con- ditions under which they are found on thenorth

bank

of Piney

Branch and

belowtheFourteenth-street road; but ^similarwork,though in less quantity,is found on thatpart of the hill abovetheroad, as well as on thesouth sideof thebranch

and

opposite Blagden's hill.

Along

the banksof

Rock

Creek,below Piney Branch,otherworkshops have been located, though not covering so large an area or showing an equal

amount

of

work

in the

same

space.

One

ofthese,however,onthe west sideofthe creek

and

justabove

Oak

Hill Cemetery,willdoubtless

make

as good returns underthe

same

exploration as the largershop on the Piney Branch.

The

grading on the eastsideof the creek during the pastyearhassomodifiedthe originaltopographyof that

bank and

the adjacenthillsthatbut littleremains

now

tobeseen of places thatonce furnished considerableevidence of aboriginal

work

in stone.

The

collection from Piney

Branch

is

made up

of unfinished imple- ments, forty pieces; butts

and

tips of knives, thirty-one pieces; rude implements, cores, etc., twenty-seven pieces;

and

a

box

of flakes

and

chips. (Seecatalogue.)

The work

from thisi)lace shouldbe

compared

with that from thevillage sites.

The

wonderful similarityof corre- sponding series (a similarity whichrenders the substitutionof onefor

"See Abbott'sStoneAgeiu

New

Jersey.

Prpc, N.

M, 9()—

13

194 STONE IMPLEMENTS,

DISTKICT

OF COLUMBIA PKOUDFIT.

the other amatter nottobedetected

by

the expert) cannot failtosug- gest

how

smalla place

mere

form has in settlingthe antiquity of

a

chippedstone implement.

ARROW-HEADS.

An

efforttoward the classificatioQ of the arrow-heads foundon the village siteshas been made,

and

though itisonly tentative

and

based

upon

arbitraryconventionalities inform, it

may

be useful in callingat- tention to the

many

variations possible in so small a matter as the

method

of attaching the pointto theshaft, orthe bladetothe handle.

The

classification is

made upon

the baselineofthearrow-head

and

the form ofthe butt or shank.

The

forms, however, frequently blend,

and

vary from one shape to another, with such slight shadesof difference thatan attemptto classify

them

on any basis of form

would be

worse thanidle.

Some

beautiful pieces inquartz

and

quartziteareshown.

Long

slen-

dertips, with symmetricaledges,

and

carefully

wrought

shank.

Importedmaterial,flint,jasper,

and

chalcedony, occasionallyappears in thecollection.

AXES, CELTS, ETC.

A

^{few fine specimens are submittedj the}

^most

^are, however, not worthyof special mention,though the whole collection in this classis

perhaps a fair illustration of the handicraft of the

Potomac

Indian.

Special attentionis askedtothe descriptive catalogue herewith.

POTTERY.

One ^box

^{of sherdsfrom thefields at}Benning'scomprises the exhibit ofpottery.

The

long continued cultivation of the

ground

has grad- uallyreducedthe pottery to such small fragmentsthat the shape

and

sizeof theoriginal vesselcanbut rarelybe determined.

But

fromthe smallpieces

now

obtainable, the material used, the

method

of temper- ing theclay,

and

taste in decorative-art,

may

bereadilylearned.

SOAP-STONE

VESSELS.

The

lastfour

numbers

in the catalogue are from asoap-stonework- shoplocated on Four-Mile Eun,.and about onemilebelowFallsChurch.

A

considerable

amount

of the material

was

found at this place, butthe greaterj)ortion of it

showed

butslightevidences ofartificialhandling.

The

supply

was

doubtless from a point a short distanceabovethework- shop, whereinlateyears the stone has been quarriedto

some

extent.

No

indicationsof aboriginalmining

however

remainatpresent.