(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Ancient America: A collection of Columbia River artifacts (museum exhibit 209) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-09-24 The Cashmere Museum in Cashmere, Washington includes several exhibits of collections of ancient American Indian artifacts found in the Columbia River area. Artifacts such as these can provide important clues about prehistory—that period of time for which there are no written accounts. Unfortunately, when such artifacts are removed from the sites where they had been for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years, they tell us almost nothing about life in the past. In terms of geography, Cashmere is located in the Plateau Culture Area and the items in this exhibit seem to be Plateau Indian artifacts. This is an area which has been inhabited by American Indians for tens of thousands of years. When artifacts such as those in this display are removed from their original context they cannot be accurately dated. In other words, we do not know the age of any of these items. Shown below is the collection of artifacts in the museum exhibit 209. Shown above is white stone mace which was probably mounted on a staff of authority. The surface is worn and polished. Shown above are two obsidian blades. Obsidian, a natural glass produced by volcanic action, was a valued natural resource for many tribes. A blade knapped from obsidian is sharper than a surgical scalpel. In some places obsidian is found in massive flows but it can be difficult to extract. According to the display: “The obsidian was likely obtained, in trade, from what is now central Oregon or California.” Today’s professional archaeologists often use obsidian artifacts such as these for visualizing ancient trade routes and changes in these routes over time. It is often possible to determine the actual quarry from which the stone was obtained. Shown above is a blade flaked from chalcedony. Shown above is a blade flaked from chalcedony. Shown above is a blade flaked from chalcedony. One important thing to understand about stone tools is that not all stone can be used in tool-making. In flintknapping, Indian people needed stones that would break in a predictable fashion and would provide a sharp edge. Stones used for flintknapping include obsidian, flint, jasper, quartz (chalcedony), and quartzite. Thus, for thousands of years Native Americans operated quarries to obtain the stone needed for toolmaking. The three flaked blades shown above are made from two different kinds of chalcedony indicating that the stone came from two different quarries. The use of different chalcedony may be due to: (1) the blades are from different sites and/or (2) the blades are from different time periods. Without the archaeological context, we don’t know the story of these blades. Shown above are two tubular pipes. The larger pipe is made from steatite (a dense form of soapstone) while the small pipe appears to have been made from pipestone and may have originated from a quarry in Minnesota. Smoking—more specifically, the use of the pipe—is a cultural pattern that goes back for more than 2,000 years according to the archaeological data. Along the Columbia River, there were two types of stone pipes: an elbow pipe which was associated with the Upper Chinookans and a tubular pipe used by the Columbia Sahaptins. Tobacco (Nicotania attenuata) was cultivated by broadcasting the seeds in a plot which had been burned. When tobacco was not available, the people used kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) and when tobacco was available it was often mixed with kinnikinnick. Shown above are two combs made from bone. Shown above is stone club. The grip of this club would probably have been wrapped with strips of leather. This object was shaped by grinding rather than flintknapping. More Ancient America Ancient America: Columbia River cave artifacts (museum exhibit) Ancient America: A collection of Columbia River stone artifacts (museum exhibit 204) Ancient America: The Willis Carey collection of Columbia River artifacts (museum exhibit) Ancient America: Some Artifacts from the Columbia Plateau (Photo Diary) Ancient America: The Richey-Roberts Clovis site (museum diary) Ancient America: A collection of stone fishing weights (photo diary) Ancient America: A collection of stone tools (photo diary) Ancient America: A collection of food processing artifacts (photo diary) [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/24/2194923/-Ancient-America-A-collection-of-Columbia-River-artifacts-museum-exhibit-209 Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/