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Kim Akerman
tural factors that ensured the continuation of spearhead production in the
area. Harrison sees the continued production of points of stone or glass in
tinued production of points by Kimberley men incarcerated on the island
prison of Rottnest, nearly 2000 km to the southwest of the Kimberley, Har
men of other regions. Prison production of points was also seen as a way in
which artefacts, made by a few artisans, could become valuable artefacts of
exchange between other Aboriginal men or their white gaolers (ibid:360.
As recently as 1986 a glass Kimberley point of 100 mm or more could com
mand a price in excess of A$100 among Aboriginal men in Central Australia.
Large, clear glass points were seen as valuable tools used for both sorcery
Lithic Zone 3
form of tabular boulders or slabs of material; that occurred within the more
commonly outcropping micaceous schists and sandstones of the area, the
range of formal tool types was not as extensive as in the previous zones.
clubs were made of hardwood. Women used hardwood digging sticks/spears
by the fall of the 10m tides of the area. All other artefacts were made from
softwood, bark or shell.
1. Ground-edged tools
As mentioned above, stone, such as basalts, dolerites etc, normally associ
ated with the production of ground edged tools did not seem to occur in this
edged tools produced locally were made of crystalline silcrete. These ranged
stricted to the immediate area of the cutting edge.
important trade items to this area. Most wooden artefacts apart from spears,
clubs and boomerangs, were made of softwood – usually that of the helicop
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