Tikchik village: a nineteenth century riverine community in ... - Cluster

278 FIELDIANA: ANTHROPOLOGY, VOLUME 56at one end (PL 5,2,5). Type 2 awls, of which there are ten, aremade from sections of antler tine, blunt at one end and sharpenedto a point at the other (PL 5,i). A thirteenth specimen, tentativelyidentified as an awl, is made of bone. It is spatulate shaped at thedistal end and could conceivably have been used as a bark peeler(PL 5,3).A small sliver of antler with a very sharp point but without ahole for the thread at the proximal end may be an unfinished needle(PL 5,4).Three crooked knife handles are made from slightly curved piecesof antler. The curved blade slits are 3.5 cm., 7.3 cm., and 8.5 cm.in length, respectively. One of the handles has three drill bearingholes on one side and a suspension hole at the proximal end. Anotherspecimen (PL 5,ii) has a deeply cut groove toward the proximal endon one side and also has a series of small tooth-like projections at theproximal end which suggest itssecondary use as a defleshing tool(see Steinbring, 1966).A single composite knife handle consists of two rectangular piecesof antler flat on the inner side and rounded on the outside. Holeshave been drilled laterally through both pieces in two places and theremains of wooden pegs are still inserted. The blade slit is broken,but it was rather wide and was probably meant to receive a tangedslate blade; there is a raised lashing lip at the distal end of the bladeslit (PL 6,10).A tentative identification is necessary with regard to a singleantler implement that may have been a scraper handle. The specimenis pointed at one end, and at the other is a small, triangularsocket, possibly for a flint or metal scraper (PL 6,ii). Anothertentatively identified artifact is an antler engraving tool handle. Thespecimen does not appear to be complete and no slot is visible for ananimal tooth or metal blade. There are, however, a series of threeraised bands running around the implement near one end, a type ofdecoration that is characteristic of Alaskan Eskimo engraving tools(PL 5,10).Three crudely made bone objects may have been used as barkThey are spatulate shaped at one end and measurepeeling tools.12, 13.5, and 24 cm. in length, respectively (PL 5,12).A single antler spoon has a deep, oblong bowl and a straight handle(PL 6,1).