Maul, Stone Item Number: 2973 from the The Burke: University of Washington
Stone hammer.* Fide donor GTE: Stone hand hammer. The most common stone implement found about Lytton, either dug up on old village sites or preserved by the present generation, is the hand hammer or pestle. It is made from a variety of fine-grained rocks, generally of convenient size and shaped boulders that require the least amount of labor to bring them to the required shape. Such pieces are pecked into shape, having a heavy base sometimes deep, the sides meeting the bottom at right angles, and again greatly expanded. The body of the hammer where it is grasped by the hand is generally smaller than the expanded head which is variously shaped with a conoidal knot or contracted to a long conical point. Although the rudest specimens taper gradually from the base to the rounded head. The rudest specimens are simply pecked into shape, while the finer ones, after shaping, are beautifully ground or smoothed. In several instances among those here described, the heads are given the forms of animal heads. These hand hammers were used for a variety of purposes and the worn surfaces readily indicate their use. Those used as hand mashers for crushing roots, nuts, berries, etc. show smooth flattened or slightly convex bases, while those used as hammers for driving wedges, stakes, etc., show a well worn concave base and offer flattened and worn sides of the base. Remarks: Vein-like grooves on smaller end. *Information is from the original accession ledger.
British Columbia Canada North America Pacific Northwest Plateau