Wow! Krankes Material was ihr da habt! :D Hätte ich auch gern, aber leider hab ich nur ne alte Fensterscheibe, die ich im Moment zu Pfeilspitzen umarbeite... :)
Hello Blatts, a variation of this was cited by I believe Sellars, around 1880, in the US. I believe he obtained the information from a miner. It may have been recorded twice. The only real difference is that they pre-loaded the limb with pressure, and then struck above the flaking spike, with a wooden mallet. It was a form of "pressure combined with percussion", which is an advanced form of indirect percussion. There is a sketch of the method that was made during the 19th century. It can be found in Moorehead's writings. Anyway, here is the text that accompanies the sketch. I share this because I believe if you combine percussion with this method you may generate even larger blades then these. If so, this could explain places that had a distinctive macroblade industry, but lacked antler tools. I believe that one such industry may be found in Haiti. Anyway, here is the text: "The hunter or trapper described to me the mode still in practice among the remote Indians, of making flakes by lever pressure combined with percussion, that is more philosophical and a better mechanical arrangement than by the use of the flaking staff, as de- scribed by Catlin. They might utilize a standing tree with spreading roots for this purpose ; a flattened root makes a firm seat for the stone, a notch cut into the body of a tree the fulcrum for the lever, either a pointed stick is placed on the point of the stone where the flake is to be split from it, its upper end resting against the under side of the lever, or a bone or horn point let into and secured to the lever takes the place of this stick. When the pressure is brought to bear, by the weight of the operation, on the long end of the lever, a second man with a stone mall, or heavy club strikes a BLOW on the upper side of the lever, directly over the pointed stick or horn-point, and the fiake is thrown off." (Prehistoric relics; an illustrated catalogue describing some eight hundred and fifty different specimens, Warren K. Moorehead)
Thanks Benjamin. We got the idea with the tree from an older book, the tree and lever was possible obtained in this book from Moorehead. Are there nice large blades in the Area of the US wich might be produced by pressure?
