Tj's Old Shank

[tracer]

tracer jr. found the below pictured item, which he immediately decided was a paleo shank. it appears to be from a deer shin to me, and it also appears to be worked on one or both ends. i've been trying to decide how it could have gotten like it is without being worked, like through being rolled or eroded by natural forces, and that just doesn't seem plausible to me, so i'm leaning toward agreeing with tj that it's a paleo shank. but i know nothing of prehistoric prison life, and really hate to agree with him on things, so unless some of our more expert personages agree with him, i'm not going to. especially since he always ends up with everything interesting anyway. so whaddayathink, huh?

[Phoenixflood]

tracer jr. found the below pictured item, which he immediately decided was a paleo shank. it appears to be from a deer shin to me, and it also appears to be worked on one or both ends. i've been trying to decide how it could have gotten like it is without being worked, like through being rolled or eroded by natural forces, and that just doesn't seem plausible to me, so i'm leaning toward agreeing with tj that it's a paleo shank. but i know nothing of prehistoric prison life, and really hate to agree with him on things, so unless some of our more expert personages agree with him, i'm not going to. especially since he always ends up with everything interesting anyway. so whaddayathink, huh?

Two theories: one, the heavy end was buried leaving the "shank end" up to be plummled by floating debris/gravel which in some area of water can swirl creating a whirlpool effect, thus creating the point. The other, perhaps it was created as a spear and the point has been dulled over time. Just theories and speculations

[Roz]

I can't say I know but really nice find, Tracer Jr.

[Auspex]

I have seen such a thing before, labeled as an artifact. There's a real easy way to tell for sure:

The next time you have to fly somewhere, put it in your cary on bag; the nice TSA agent will let you know...

[tracer]

mom, auspex is trying to get me in trouble again!

[Auspex]

The business end really looks to have been artificially shaped, and I can't imagine that bone would split lengthwise so neatly (while green, anyway).

I've been looking (without much success) for the reference I've seen on very similar items; as I recall, they were referred to as "bone pins". I think Auriculatus has (had) some for sale, too.

Do you have eminent domain in your household?

[tracer]

no, i more have "irrelevant domain". if nobody else wants it, including the cat, it becomes mine by default, particularly if there's any maintenance involved. but in their magnanimity, i'm also allowed to maintain the possessions of others.

[PrehistoricFlorida]

This piece is made from a deer metacarpal/tarsal. Deer, nation-wide, is known to be one of the Indian's favorite species of bone to use for tools, ornaments, etc (turkey, raccoon also among favorites). I have found several very similar "dagger" type artifacts here in Florida, made from this same section of metacarpal/tarsal. The Indians would mark the bone (while complete) along the sides as to where they wanted the bone to split. They would do this by drilling small holes. Refer to edited picture to show where they would've marked the bone to split. This bone is obviously well water or wind polished so any tool/grinding marks that would've once been there are now long gone. In my opinion, it is more likely than not that this is a bone artifact. The main deciding factor in my mind would be where it was found. Since any Native American artifacts would not be truly fossilized, if it was found in an acidic region where non-fossilized bones are not found, it is likely to not be an artifact. If found in water where early/late Pleistocene of Holocene bones are found all jumbled together, I would say it is very likely to be an artifact.

[PrehistoricFlorida]

Also, not sure what a "Paleo shank" is, but I believe you're trying to reference a Paleo foreshaft, which it definitely is not. If an artifact, it is likely a dagger-type piece. If it were mine, I would call it a dagger.

[Pristiformes]

It looks to me like a shuttle used to make nets. The shuttle was used similar to a needle, but the palm-fiber rope was just wrapped around the base of the tool instead of threading it through a needle. If anyone has a copy of Robin Brown's Florida's First People (1994), it shows a replica shuttle being used to make or repair a net in Plate 8.14. The replica in the plate looks very similar to the find, except not as worn. I wish I had a camera or decent scanner to show you all but I don't.

Whatever it is, it's a really nice find!

[Auspex]

Also, not sure what a "Paleo shank" is...

In today's vernacular, a "shank" is a hand-made prison dagger (not that I have first-hand knowledge...).

[PrehistoricFlorida]

In today's vernacular, a "shank" is a hand-made prison dagger (not that I have first-hand knowledge...).

Ah ha! hood language...

[tracer]

thanks, guys. tj found it in a coastal area with pleistocene to recent exposure, in which, in my opinion, it would not be surprising to find anything from the pleistocene forward to made last week. we've both hefted a fair amount of bone before, and this one is partially mineralized - it's heavier and darker than just a tannin-stained recent bone.

[tracer]

yeah, a shank is a handmade prison weapon. tj's verbalizations have been unfortunately altered by high school and television. he thinks he's funny. he doesn't realize that only i am funny.

[Phoenixflood]

Ah ha! hood language...

Or, the verb, "to shank" implies pulling someones shorts off revealing their underwear for everyone to see

[tracer]

Or, the verb, "to shank" implies pulling someones shorts off revealing their underwear for everyone to see

perhaps in your area, sir, but here in s. e. Texas, that's called a "suicidal tendency".

p.s. - what's "underwear"?

[FossilFreak]

Since any Native American artifacts would not be truly fossilized.

A question on this. Is your thought on the matter, that they would work on fresh bones and that they turn black over time due to the subsequent environment which they are exposed in?

I was admiring your fish hooks earlier as well as this potential shank that Geronimo made while imprisoned in Ft Pickens and now has been passed down to Tracer Jr. I was under the assumption that they shaped these objects from already fossilized material, but I guess it would be much easier to work with nonmineralized material.

[tracer]

obviously stone axes and arrow heads and stuff were made from stone, but the bone tools would have been made from "green" fresh bone normally, because of it's working strength and resistance to breakage, i would think. plus, they were killing and eating the critters, so the bones were "in hand" already to be used.

seems like florida rivers are just black with tannin or something that stains everything. texas rivers vary wildly from crystal clear to really muddy and murky. i've noticed that when we find things in texas water areas near the coast, (not in cretaceous limestone, of course), the stuff that's the darkest also seems to be the heaviest and the "clinkiest". now if i could just figure out how long it takes to get that way, i might be on to something.

i definitely don't think tj's find would have been mineralized when it was worked, assuming it was. i was just guessing it was made by a fairly ancient guy to leap on a mammoth's back with and commence to making paleo-western combat. either that or or making a net with it or something. i don't know. tj's always complicating things.

[Auspex]

...i was just guessing it was made by a fairly ancient guy to leap on a mammoth's back with and commence to making paleo-western combat...

Yee-haw! Ride 'em Thag! (Tough way to make a living...).

[tracer]

well true, but think of the sense of accomplishment.

i tell you what, though. i bet they did some serious pissin' and moanin' about A-1 sauce not having been invented yet...

[Pristiformes]

well true, but think of the sense of accomplishment.

i tell you what, though. i bet they did some serious pissin' and moanin' about A-1 sauce not having been invented yet...

Yup, especially if any Paleo-Daytraders had bought stock in Kraft on Paleo-Wallstreet, they'd be disappointed with the poor performance at the time.

[PrehistoricFlorida]

obviously stone axes and arrow heads and stuff were made from stone, but the bone tools would have been made from "green" fresh bone normally, because of it's working strength and resistance to breakage, i would think. plus, they were killing and eating the critters, so the bones were "in hand" already to be used.

seems like florida rivers are just black with tannin or something that stains everything. texas rivers vary wildly from crystal clear to really muddy and murky. i've noticed that when we find things in texas water areas near the coast, (not in cretaceous limestone, of course), the stuff that's the darkest also seems to be the heaviest and the "clinkiest". now if i could just figure out how long it takes to get that way, i might be on to something.

i definitely don't think tj's find would have been mineralized when it was worked, assuming it was. i was just guessing it was made by a fairly ancient guy to leap on a mammoth's back with and commence to making paleo-western combat. either that or or making a net with it or something. i don't know. tj's always complicating things.

Green bone is incredibly hard to work, but also very hard to snap. A bone fish hook or bone pin when green would be a very stout weapon. Today, these artifacts would easily snap and crumble if put under the forces that they had to withstand at one time. Working already mineralized bone would be virtually impossible and just doesn't make sense.

[JohnJ]

Tracer,

TJ's bone presents evidence of both suppositions. You said that it could be partially mineralized. If so, it certainly qualifies as "paleo" in age. It would be amazing if it was an artifact of that age. If you know of Clovis or San Patrice artifacts that have been found in the general vicinitiy, then it lends more credence to the artifact argument. It has the look of some artifacts....hmmm.

On the other hand, the chances of finding an artifact of that age are very small. There are many factors that would prevent its survival. I'm trying to think of ways that bone could naturally result in the form of TJ's "fossil". We've all seen recent bone that has weathered and split. But it is usually unstable at that time, and I think unlikely to regain much stability even in environment that favored mineralization.

Nate makes some excellent points. Whatever primarily shaped this bone happened when it was fresh.

Here's an artifact I found several years ago in SE TX bay:

[Ronbo]

Were there any other signs of NA presence in the area,pottery shards,points flakes or stone tools?

IT may have been partially fossilized when it was worked as well, I have some stone artifacts that are polished so well that they look like they have been store bought,

The ingenuity of the NAs was nothing short of miraculous and the things they made all had a purpose, That bone sure looks modified to a purpose, I am thinking it is a tool but I still would like to know if anything else was found in the area,post it on arrowheadforums.com them guys will know what it is..

Ron

[tracer]

i have done a fair amount of research on the area. we have not looked there that much, but i am aware that a number of extinct pleistocene fauna fossils have been found, and clovis points have been found in the area also.

the underlying formation of a large area near the coast is montmorrilonitic in character, which seems to entomb and preserve things well until such time as they erode out, whereupon they rapidly attempt to return to their most basic components to be recycled.

tj's shank just doesn't jibe with the other bones we've seen from the area. other stuff has just been less dark, less dense, more randomly broken and weathered by natural forces. and little of it has been from deer.

anyway, thanks all for the input. i guess we'll treat tj's find as a coolness and consider him one step closer to upstaging my favorite find from north Texas - a really nice exogyra ponderosa that i call "gyra". gyra's my baby...