Pre-Contact Anasazi Knife

colin henshaw · 26th January 2013, 08:22 AM

Thanks for posting - a beautiful piece, and no doubt very collectable. We don't see much of this material in the UK, although the British Museum in London has a smallish but good display of Native American objects. Presumably collection provenance is very important for such stone or flint artefacts ?

Regards, and do post any further such objects if you care to

KuKulzA28 · 26th January 2013, 01:42 PM

Glad you posted this laEspadaAncha. Just throwing it out there, that while this does look like obsidian, there is a rock called dacite which can be almost as sharp but seems less brittle. It's grainier than obsidian, more like stone than glass, but still a very good blade-making material.

I wonder what kind of glue it is that holds it in... Pine pitch? Birch tar?
I'm not familiar with the materials that the indigenous Southwestern Americans used.

Tim Simmons · 26th January 2013, 02:25 PM

Very interesting and a lovely item to have in a collection. The stone looks as if it is a lime or sand stone?

laEspadaAncha · 26th January 2013, 10:02 PM

Thanks Colin - I've included another item below...

KuKulz, regarding the pitch on the knife, I'm not sure what exactly was used - pinyon pitch, maybe?

Tim, with regards to the stone, while I am certain it is netiher sandstone nor limestone, I am (again) at a loss as to the type...

Okay... staying with the artistic lithic theme, I'm attaching a photo of another item below - Tim, this one is carved from steatite. Does anybody know what it is?

colin henshaw · 27th January 2013, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laEspadaAncha

Okay... staying with the artistic lithic theme, I'm attaching a photo of another item below - Tim, this one is carved from steatite. Does anybody know what it is?

Hi laEspadaAncha, thanks for posting this. The only thing I can imagine this could be is an Inuit doll, maybe originally to be in a model cradle ?

I have one Native American piece, as per this image - I think its a Pueblo pot ? The design looks like Art Deco... (hope the moderators will permit a non-weapon item).

Regards.

laEspadaAncha · 27th January 2013, 06:40 PM

Hi Colin,

In overall appearance, the design on your olla seems to resemble Casas Grandes (Ramos Polychrome) pottery, but even though the shape and clay (color) are atypical, the design seems to speak to a Hopi, or possibly Santo Domingo origin IMO.

However, I am no altogether sure... I'll look through some old Indian auction catalogs and let you if I can give you a more definitive answer.

Regarding the item I posted above, I am attaching another photo below, which contains a rather revealing clue as to the object's purpose...

Cheers,

Chris

colin henshaw · 27th January 2013, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laEspadaAncha

Hi Colin,

Regarding the item I posted above, I am attaching another photo below, which contains a rather revealing clue as to the object's purpose...

Cheers,

Chris

Thanks Chris - so its an arrow-straightener !

26th January 2013, 10:02 PM	#4
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Thanks Colin - I've included another item below... KuKulz, regarding the pitch on the knife, I'm not sure what exactly was used - pinyon pitch, maybe? Tim, with regards to the stone, while I am certain it is netiher sandstone nor limestone, I am (again) at a loss as to the type... Okay... staying with the artistic lithic theme, I'm attaching a photo of another item below - Tim, this one is carved from steatite. Does anybody know what it is? Attached Images

27th January 2013, 06:40 PM	#6
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Hi Colin, In overall appearance, the design on your olla seems to resemble Casas Grandes (Ramos Polychrome) pottery, but even though the shape and clay (color) are atypical, the design seems to speak to a Hopi, or possibly Santo Domingo origin IMO. However, I am no altogether sure... I'll look through some old Indian auction catalogs and let you if I can give you a more definitive answer. Regarding the item I posted above, I am attaching another photo below, which contains a rather revealing clue as to the object's purpose... Cheers, Chris Attached Images

26th January 2013, 08:22 AM	#1
colin henshaw Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,429	Thanks for posting - a beautiful piece, and no doubt very collectable. We don't see much of this material in the UK, although the British Museum in London has a smallish but good display of Native American objects. Presumably collection provenance is very important for such stone or flint artefacts ? Regards, and do post any further such objects if you care to

26th January 2013, 01:42 PM	#2
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	Glad you posted this laEspadaAncha. Just throwing it out there, that while this does look like obsidian, there is a rock called dacite which can be almost as sharp but seems less brittle. It's grainier than obsidian, more like stone than glass, but still a very good blade-making material. I wonder what kind of glue it is that holds it in... Pine pitch? Birch tar? I'm not familiar with the materials that the indigenous Southwestern Americans used.

26th January 2013, 02:25 PM	#3
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,843	Very interesting and a lovely item to have in a collection. The stone looks as if it is a lime or sand stone?