Hafted Knife

From Scoggin's journal:

Today's digging was very short, but exceptionally rich. ... [we] found a unique long knife blade...probably the most valuable find thus far made. February 24, 1940

Burgh and Scoggin (1948:47) concluded that this hafted knife was "the most interesting stone implement in the collection." They described the blade as coarsely chipped from a black stone of a dull finish and with sharp, jagged edges. The handle is made of cottonwood and measures 11 cm in length. It is split to allow the insertion of the blade. The handle was bound with willow splints and the blade was cemented in the handle with pine gum. Burgh and Scoggin had the knife X-rayed, which revealed that the blade in the handle was broken squarely about 4.5 cm below the slightly flaring hilt, at the junction of the handle. The overall length of the knife is 21.2 cm. The knife appears to have been used. It has not been dated.