Tools fashioned from animal bones.
The one on the left is a bison scapula (shoulder bone)
apparently used as a digging tool. The pointed bones
and antlers were used for stone-tool making, basket
weaving, and sewing. The deer mandible (jaw) at the
bottom is polished from contact with plants - perhaps
it was used to strip seeds from grasses. From the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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Fiber-wrapped rabbit mandible thought
to be a scarifier, an instrument used to let blood or
score the skin during tattooing. Quite a few of these
have been found. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Rounded stone with incised groove.
This artifact may have been used as a bola, With a long
length of leather cording wound through the groove,
the hunter could have hurled the stone at the prey.
From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Bone awl, worn and polished from
use as a weaving tool. From the ANRA-NPS collections
at TARL.
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Fire hearth, a piece of wood used
in conjunction with a fire drill to start fires. From
the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Girl uses fire drill and hearth in
Lower Pecos rockshelter as envisioned by artist Reeda
Peel.
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The images on painted pebbles are
often difficult to make out. From the ANRA-NPS collections
at TARL.
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Painted pebble from the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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Woven band that was once part of
a tumpline. Fiber or leather cords were attached to
the ends of the band and used to secure carried burdens
such as firewood bundles. The woven band was placed
across the forehead, while the cords held the load secure
on one's back. This very old carrying technique is still
used today in rural areas of Mexico and Central America.
From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Lightweight net carrying bags were
probably important for transporting plants and other
raw materials. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Woven mat fragment. From the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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This miniature netted pack frame
may have been used by a child. From the ANRA-NPS collections
at TARL.
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Plant fibers were often used to wrap
and reinforce wooden artifacts. From the ANRA-NPS collections
at TARL.
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In the dry climate and protected rockshelters
of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands, everyday things are extraordinary just
because they still exist today. Many, perhaps most of the
region's rockshelters have been dug into by artifact collectors,
treasure hunters, and vandals, wrecking most of the upper
deposits where perishable items are present. Archeologists
have partially excavated fewer than two dozen shelters in
the area, but these have yielded very important scientific
collections. Proper excavation of a rockshelter is tremendously
time-consuming because there are so many fragile and informative
things present in the deposits. And once the fieldwork is
over, much more remains to be done. Everything important must
be cleaned, catalogued, studied, identified, described, reported,
and then conserved and stored for posterity. Barring the unimaginable,
100 years from now the items you see here will still be available
to researchers for study.
As you look through the items here, think about
the fact that in most archeological sites in Texas, only things
made of stone survive. That is one reason why the surviving
Lower Pecos Canyonlands rockshelter deposits and the excavated samples
are so important—they preserve the details of prehistoric
life that are otherwise completely lost to us. Future Texas
Beyond History exhibits will take a detailed look at various
types of perishable artifacts from the Lower Pecos and explain
how they were made and used in the daily lives of the gathering
and hunting peoples of the region.
Rodent-gnawed fragment of a painted
cane flute. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
Plant stalk with branded design. From the
ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
Drilled catfish inner-ear bone perhaps
used as an ornament. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
Late Archaic dart point with fiber binding
still attached. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
Bundle of fish-tail cactus spines tied
together. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
Ceramic figurine. Such objects are extremely
rare. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Painted pebble from the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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Painted pebble from the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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Painted pebbles are common in the
Lower Pecos Canyonlands but examples are also known from the South Texas Plains and Edwards Plateau. They are almost always made on smooth, flat,
rounded pebbles that are elongated or oval in outline.
Although they share some elements with pictographs,
they are usually painted in black only. Archeologist
Mark Parsons believes these objects represent stylized
human beings (or human-like mythical beings) with the
smaller, pointed ends representing the head. Most likely,
these are female figures. He has defined six design
styles and believes these evolved over time through
a tradition that began around 8,500 years ago.
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Painted pebble from the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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Painted pebble from the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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 Rabbit-stick wielding boys chase rabbits
toward a net fence and a certain fate. Mural and diorama scene
by artist Nola Davis, courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department.
Fiber artifacts: Tough plant fibers from
plants such as yucca, lechuguilla, sotol, and beargrass were
used to make all sorts of everyday items. Sandals were essential
in this rocky land with cactus and thorns everywhere. Woven
mats were used as sleeping mats and to keep foodstuffs off
the dusty cave floors. Woven baskets were used as containers.
Twined cord was used for many purposes including net bags
and long nets used to catch rabbits as shown in the above
mural scene.
Wide woven strip. From the ANRA-NPS collections
at TARL.
The bottom portion of a large basket that
was tightly woven and sealed with pitch or resin to make it
water-tight. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
To see many more images of artifacts from the Amistad National Recreation Area, visit the National Park Service Museum Collections.
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Prickly pear pad pouch with a carrying
loop. Large pads were split or hollowed out and used
as containers. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Carved and drilled animal bones,
perhaps used for personal or ritual purposes. From
the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Lechuguilla spine apparently used
as natural sewing needle with built-in fiber thread.
From ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Stick threaded into natural groove in large fish vertebrae.
This is one of many objects for which there is no obvious
explanation. From ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Scissors snare used to trap small
animals. It is about 9 inches long. From the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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Small digging stick about 20 inches
long. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Painted pebble from the ANRA-NPS
collections at TARL.
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Miniature sandal perhaps made for
a child. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Fragment of a large mat woven out
of yucca fibers. Such mats were common in the Lower
Pecos and probably helped keep food items free from
cave dust. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Sandals were often made of lechuguilla
leaves which provided the toughest fibers of all the
available plants. From the ANRA-NPS collections at TARL.
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Small sandal from the ANRA-NPS collections
at TARL.
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