File:Antiquities of the southern Indians, particularly of the Georgia tribes (1873) (14590701139).jpg

Identifier: antiquitiesofsou00jone_0 (find matches)
Title: Antiquities of the southern Indians, particularly of the Georgia tribes
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors: Jones, Charles C. (Charles Colcock), 1831-1893
Subjects: Indians of North America Indians of North America
Publisher: New York : D. Appleton and Co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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oned by the Indians, Captain Romans1 noticed somestones deejay marked by the savages with some un-couth marks, but most of them straight lines andcrossed. He conjectured that they had been used forgrinding awls. The only means the natives possessedof restoring an eds;e to their worn and blunted axesand other stone implements was, by rubbing themagainst whetstones. Hence we frequently meet withirregularly-shaped stones, grooved and scarred by thisprocess. It will be remembered that the hard canesof the Southern swamps supplied the red hunters ofthis region with convenient and abundant store ofarrows. The material was most suitable for this pur-pose, combining, as it did, requisite size, durability andlightness. No labor was necessary in shaping thearrow, save such as was expended in removing theexterior sheath, in smoothing the joints, in straighten-ing and in cutting the reed off at the desired length. 1 Concise Natural History of East and West Florida, p. 327. New York,1115. Piaie mr
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WHET STONES. PIEECED TABLETS. 367 When the green cane was subjected to a certain degreeof heat, its natural moisture was readily expelled, andthe reed easily freed from any irregularities. If made,while heated, to assume a direct line, it would not de-viate therefrom when cold and dry. In order to facili-tate this straightening and polishing of the arrow, itwas, while hot, passed through grooves made in sand-stone or in some other coarse-grained stone. Thesegrooves are generally carefully made in direct lines,are even in their diameters, and frequently intersecteach other at right angles, thereby presenting the ap-pearance of crosses. An example is represented inFig. 1, Plate XXII. It will be perceived that the heated cane arrow,when pressed and rubbed in these grooves, would notonly be freed from all irregularity of surface, but wouldalso be compelled to assume a direct line. Such a con-trivance equally facilitated the manufacture and polish-ins; of wooden arrows—the rousvh. surfac

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