The generally accepted theory, indicated by the name we have given them, that they were used in drilling, seems to me to be incorrect. I conclude that more of them served as coat-fasteners, hairpins, and ornaments.
Fig. 195. (S. 1–1.) Drills from Colorado sites. Materials: jasper and chalcedony. Collection of Luther A. Norland, La Jara, Colorado.
One must not forget that both sexes of Indians wore their hair long and ornamented the locks with copper bands, narrow strips of bead-work, feathers, etc. Narrow beaded bands were popular among certain tribes, not only as hair ornaments, but were worn across the forehead, while ornamented tassels of various kinds hung down on either side, or behind.
It must be remembered that long, slender shell pins, not unlike the long drills, were worn as hairpins. These could not by any possibility have served as drills, as they are too fragile. Shell hairpins were easier to make and, naturally, more common than those of flint or copper. The manufacture of the long, slender, drill-shaped objects was no more difficult than the making of fine flint implements, but it is my opinion that there was greater risk of breakage.
Another class of perforators which will fall, on form, under the classification presented above, was frequently called “reamers.” Illustrations are presented of these in Figs. 198 and 203. Reamers apparently were used for different purposes from the long drills. No sensible man will conclude that they were both identical in purpose. A reamer would be more effective for punching holes in soft, thin substances and drilling shallow holes in wood. I suppose buckskin was perforated by the means of bone awls, although the smaller reamer might be used for such purposes. The shorter drills seem to me to be more suitable for drilling in stone than the longer ones.
An ironclad classification on size and form is, from a mechanical and technical point of view, impossible in this class of objects. The reamers shown in Fig. 198 have both sharp and dull points and are classed together. One may drill with a dull-pointed stone drill, not with a sharp slender point. It will invariably break. The sharpest reamers were for perforating, for lancing, etc., in soft substances, such as leather and flesh.
There are in all museum collections many rough, thick perforators. It would appear that these are more suitable for drilling than other forms. I never believed that the long, slender, beautifully worked perforators were used for perforating. I think that they would break; I have often experimented to a limited extent with these and find that the rougher drills shown in Fig. 194 are much better for drilling purposes than the long slender ones.
Drills with stems expanding either gradually or suddenly, placed side by side, would appear to one who was familiar with these things as quite different objects. If the term “stem expanding suddenly” means that these two belong to the same class and are used for an identical purpose, one may with propriety retort that the real purpose is unknown save by inference, that one does not believe that these two specimens were used for precisely the same purpose.
