36.41.25, hoe blade
Flaked and polished stone
Tseh So, Chaco Canyon (A.D. 1050–1125)
UNM field school collection
Photograph by B. Bernard
Some tools have changed little over many centuries, except for the
materials used. This hoe, of fine-grained stone, was
chipped and ground to shape. The bit is shiny due to
polishing by sand and grit during use in the soil. Archaeologists
look for such "use wear" patterns in order to understand how
tools were used.
Tseh So was a "small site" in Chaco Canyon, occupied by a few closely related families at most. The museum has another, less elaborate example that also has double notching for hafting the hoe blade (in this case from Chetro Ketl, one of the largest and most elaborate sites in the canyon).
63.50.84, hoe blade
Flaked and lightly ground stone
Chetro Ketl, Chaco Canyon (A.D. 1050–1125)
UNM field school collection
Photograph by B. Bernard
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