Fig. 259. (S. 1–3.) Grooved axe, long slender type. C. D. Romig’s collection—Audenried, Pennsylvania. In this specimen the groove is slightly diagonal, a peculiarity noted in a number of instances in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin axes.
“Though he used quartz abundantly for other purposes we do not find him selecting the massive forms of that mineral for axes except occasionally. Then again the axe-maker selects rocks that are relatively free from mica. Rocks rich in that mineral are used for pendants and ceremonials, but not for axes or other tools that have to undergo hard usage. Micaceous rocks flake readily, and they also show a marked tendency to disintegration through hydration. Here again the aborigine recognized a mineral which contributed undesirable qualities to a rock and he rejected it. Again he refrained from using coarse-grained types of rocks, as a rule. He chose rather those of fine and even texture. The only common exception in Wisconsin is the employment of feldspar porphyry where the porphyritic crystals are sometimes of fair size. The crystals in coarse-grained rocks have coarse structural planes. They tend to fracture along such planes readily, and fragments will break out from the parent mass and mar if not ruin the tool. Experience taught early man the inefficiency of such materials and his judgment, of which we are speaking, kept him from wasting his time in experimenting with them.
Fig. 260. (S. 1–4.) An illustration which presents two axes from the collection of A. E. Marks, Yarmouth, Maine. The one to the left has the same sloping groove noted in Fig. 259. This form of groove is intentional.
“Again the aborigine avoided the use of rocks that contain gneissic and schistose structures. Rocks that contain well developed planes of any sort are obviously unfit for axes, as they tend to split along these structural planes and become unfitted for use; hence, metamorphic rocks are not useful for axes and are not commonly employed save the greenstone, a metamorphosed igneous rock which was used quite extensively by axe-makers along the shore of Lake Michigan, especially in the neighborhood of Manitowoc and Sheboygan. Greenstone possesses a fine texture. It is hard and tough and forms an ideal material in many respects, but it has this one drawback, it does contain a great many structural planes, and the axe sooner or later comes to grief. How rarely a greenstone axe is well finished, the aborigine knew all too well that in some unexpected hour it would break. If ninety per cent of our Wisconsin axes are made of igneous rocks, about eight per cent perhaps are made of metamorphic rocks, while the remaining two per cent are formed from sedimentary rocks of various types, chiefly sandstone and limestone. The latter were not used if any better material were at hand, and axes made of this material are generally found in the southwest portion of the state in the Driftless region, where better material was and is scarce, and where it was often necessary to use the local limestone or sandstone. Clastic rocks lack the cohesion and hardness that is desirable in axes; they break easily, become dull very readily and need constant attention. Aborigines did not restrict themselves to this somewhat limited choice of materials from volition. Wherever opportunity afforded he selected unusual types of rock and thus showed his desire for variety and wide range of materials. This is shown by his employment of jadeite, hematite, actinolite, etc., wherever they were obtainable. It is noticeable that in this country, the axe-maker sought a type of material that could be pecked and polished. He did not use flaking material very abundantly, but just the reverse seems to be true in Europe. This may be due partly to the fact that a better grade of flint is found in Europe than here, and it is obtainable much more readily in the soft chalk than in limestone, or it may be due to an entirely different trend in culture. In contrast to the selection of materials for axes, we find that the large hammers or bone crushers, etc., were made of a greater diversity of materials, in which quartz-bearing rocks are not infrequent. The aim seemed to be to select a cobble as near to the desired shape as possible without much reference to material. Comparatively little work needed to be done upon these types beyond pecking a groove. On the other hand, in pestles and mortars, we find that tough, fine-grained, quartzless rocks of igneous origin are employed, as a rule, though the use of fine limestones is not unusual. Here again there seems to be an avoidance of quartz-bearing rocks, possibly because they disliked the coarse grit which would inevitably arise when such rocks were employed.
Fig. 261. (S. 1–3.) These three axes are in the Museum of the Historical Department of Iowa. They are highly polished, with sharp edges, and the two to the right shaped somewhat like tomahawks. Inspection of these figures will acquaint readers with the fact that Iowa axes, in some instances, may be distinguished from those of other sections of the country.
“What has been said regarding the axe illustrative of aboriginal judgment and knowledge might be repeated for each type of artifact. In each case we should find that the worker had particular reasons why he selected material for a certain artifact, and that these reasons were founded in an understanding of the mineralogical and structural differences in rocks. If we study ornaments and ceremonial stones, we shall see that ordinarily he selected a soft ornamental rock, especially the banded slates, but if he chose to use igneous rocks he rarely employed the types used for axes, but ordinarily the handsome porphyries which made showy and attractive objects. If he wished material for net-weights or sinkers for lines or weights for spears, he took the easily worked and abundant sandstones and limestones, which he rejected for other and harder usage.”
On writing Professor Harlan I. Smith of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, regarding axes of the Columbia Valley, British Columbia, Alaska, and the Northwest, generally, Professor Smith replied and quoted from the data collected by the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, part vi of vol. vi of the Memoirs.
