Bridgewater State University Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University Bulletin of the Massachusetts Archaeological Journals and Campus Publications Society 4-1951 Bulletin of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, Vol. 12, No. 3 Massachusetts Archaeological Society Follow this and additional works at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/bmas Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Copyright © 1951 Massachusetts Archaeological Society This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. BULLETIN OF THE MASSACHUSETTS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. XII NO.3 APRIL 1951 CONTENTS A Polynesian Adze from Martha's Vineyard Howard R. sargent ................... .. 27 Tomahawks of Central New England William S. Fowler ..................... .. 29 An Unusual Burial at Plymouth Charles F. Sherman ....... • . .. 37 Geology and Archaeology: Partnership with Profit Joseph H. Hartshorn. ..................... .. 41 Bibliography .. .......... 45 PUBLISHED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Douglas S. Byers, Editor, Box 71, Andover, Mas~. William S. Fowler, Secrt'tary, Attleboro Museum, Attleboro, Mass. Winthrop F. Barden, Treasurer, 18 North Main Street. Attleboro, Mass. PEFlCLICjd.S I '0r. THE Cll:MENT C. M;\.xY~t:LL L1~?ti'''R'1 Sr.',TE COLLEGE BRIDGEWATER, MASSACHUSEm This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. ©2010 Massachusetts Archaeological Society. A POLYNESIAN ADZE FROM MARTHA'S VINEYARD Howard R. Sargent In the interpretation of cultural material from ab­ The adze is made of black aphanitic basalt and is original sites, the archaeologist is occasionally con­ highly polished over its entire surface. No special fronted with the problem of dealing with intrusive ob­ note was made of the specimen until recently when a jects. Usually, however, such intrusive material can similar though somewhat larger adze was found il­ be recognized as having come from a fairly close lustrated in Volume 1 of Moorehead's book, "The neighbor. For that reason the subject of this article Stone Age in North America" (Fig. 246, page 285). requires special attention because it has come not That specimen (Fig. 12) was in a collection in Rhode only from a remote culture area, but also from a to­ Island and presumably came from a site in that area tally distinct region with no historical connections although no mention was made of the locality. The whatsoever. occurrence of two specimens of such an obviously in­ trusive nature in New England Indian collections made The adze (Fig. 11) was in a collection of Indian ar­ the subject seem worthy of special consideration. tifacts purchased by the writer several years ago. The identification of the adze as of Polynesian origin came essentially through comparative studies of adzes known to have come from that region. One such specimen was purchased by the writer in Honolulu. It is very similar in shape (though about FIGURE 11. Adze from Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts from the collection of Howard R. Sargent. Scale - 2/3. The collection had been made at the end of the 19th century and was a hodge-podge of specimens from FIGURE 12. Adze after Moorehead from Rhode numerous sites in eastern Massachusetts. The only Island. Scale - 2/3. information available on the adze was that it had been found at Cottage City (now Oak Bluffs), Massa­ twice as long) to the adze under consideration, but it chusetts. Whether or not other intrusive artifacts received less care in its manufacture and apparently have been found at that locality is not known to the was used in the practical tasks of canoe-building and writer, but information from readers concerning any other forms of woodworking. Another adze of about will be appreciated. the same size as the Martha's Vineyard specimen 27 28 MASSACHUSETTS ARCHAEOLOGiCAL SOCIETY: BULLETIN is to be seen in its original ceremonial hafting in the mation is lacking concerning the cultural identity Yale Peabody Museum (such specimens are quite of the site. The most that can be stated with certain­ common in Polynesian exhibits). ty is that the artifact is of PolyneSian manufacture. That it was found in an Indian site seems inherent The presence of the adze in an Indian site seems in the available information and also in the fact that best explained by the trading activities of early whal­ a similar specimen was treated by Moorehead, as ers who sailed to the Pacific from New England. mentioned above. From this it is inferred that the site which produced this specimen was historic, but unfortunately infor- Sargent Museum George's Mills, New Hampshire July 29, 1950 This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. ©2010 Massachusetts Archaeological Society. TOMAHAWKS OF CENTRAL NEW ENGLAND William S. Fowler PREFACE Archaeological reports dealing with the Northeast d'Alene and Thompson tribes. These peoples made during the past century have said little or nothing general use of round or oval stones wrapped in raw­ about the existence of stone blades whi ch might have hide and attached to handles in various ways. They been used as weapons in time of war. However, re­ also employed an antler or stone spike sunk and se­ cent research has uncovered many stone implements cured with pitch into the upper end of the face of a that seem to belong in this category, and an investiga­ wooden handle as another form of club. 1 tion of them now appears opportune. Historical evi­ dence leaves little doubt that in Colonial days some It is not strange, therefore, to find Algonkians of sort of hand clubs were used as weapons, and it is the Atlantic seaboard using war clubs in Colonial probable that the source of such a war-like trait times and referring to them in their tongue as toma­ reaches back into prehistory. The apparent impor­ hawks although the name is pronounced variously in tance of fighting clubs to aboriginal peoples as re­ their different dialects. The "Handbook of American ported by many historical accounts has inspired this Indians" of the Bureau of American Ethnology gives the report, and it is presented in order that a better un­ derivation of the name as follows: derstanding may be had of the different forms of war clubs, which probably existed in prehistoric central "The name (tomahawk) is applied to a weapon or New England. a group of weapons in common use among the Al­ gonquian tribes of the United States. The early Grateful acknowledgement for the use of speci­ writers in Virginia cite the word from the dia­ mens illustrated in this report goes to Richard W. lects of that region as tommahick, tomahack, Hatch of Deerfield's Memorial Hall, Mrs. John B. tomohake, tamahaac (Strachey, 1612); other ear­ Mason of Haverhill Historical SOCiety, Maurice Rob­ ly forms are tommyhawk and tomhog (Church's bins of Massachusetts Archaeological SOCiety's Mu­ Philip's War, 1716) - A common conception of seum, and to Norris L. Bull, Mrs. Paul F. Robinson, the tomahawk is that it was the nearest aborigi­ Walter S. Rodiman, David H. Straight, and Carl W. nal representative of the European hatchet, al­ Hanson. though the term was early applied to various forms of the club."2 Illustrations are by the author, and represent faithful copies of actual 'specimens with due regard When the Explorers and Colonists arrived in New to all important details. England they found the natives USing clubs of different kinds. Some refer to them as war clubs and others as HISTORICAL EVIDENCE tomahawks. In 1604, Samuel de Champlain sailed down the coast of New England and wrote of his voy­ Clubs of many different shapes have been used ages. He speaks only of a war club made entirely of as weapons in combat from the earliest days of wood that has an oval wooden knob at one end of the man's struggle for existence. No archaeological evi­ handle. He illustrates it by means of a rough sketch dence seems more important than that which has to that is reproduced here for purposes of comparison do with stones of various sizes and shapes, which ap­ (Fig. 13). pear to have been variously hafted and used to pre­ serve human life. Whether they are referred to as Other early commentators have given reports of clubs, battle axes, maces, war clubs, hatchets or what they saw, and their descriptions of war clubs, tomahawks, there are probably few people today who varying somewhat in detail, suggest that there was will deny the existence of some sort of fighting clubs no set pattern for a fighting club among the different in prehistoric ages. tribes. Rogers relates as follows: Ethnological investigation of western tribes of North "Another instrument of great esteem and impor­ America during the past century has revealed man's tance among them is the tomahawk. This weapon prevailing dependence upon some form of club for is much like a hatchet, having a long stem or combat use. For example, several different kinds of clubs have b~en reported among the Indians of the 1. Boas, 1927, 45th Report pp. 115, 256. Columbia River basin, such as the Okanagon, Coeur 2. Hodge, 1912, Vol. 2, pp. 773-4. 29 30 MASSACHUSETTS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY: BULLETIN probably Mohawks, who were known to war at times upon the New England natives. He says: "Tomahauks be staves of two foote and a halfe long and a knob at one end as round and bigge as a football." (This may have been no bigger than a hand ball which has sometimes been re­ ferred to as the Indian football.)5 FIGURE 13.