cant figure out this bone piece

larson1951

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Apr 8, 2009
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can't figure out this bone piece

spring of 2012 john and i found a bone point and this piece which belongs to him
i can't figure out what it is
IMG_0456.jpgIMG_0457.jpgmaybe it's a toy
 

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I believe its for sewing with rawhide
 

That was the first thing I thought of also. Looks like a bone pin with a section left on it to create those barbs. Never saw that before.
 

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It looks like its made from quartered deer bone like the ones here.

ForumRunner_20130111_083145.png
 

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Would be good for spearing fish
 

Harpoon for fishing maybe! Any big rivers/lakes in your area? Nice find.

yup the missouri river is close by but still several miles
we nicknamed it 'the harpoon' but i really got my doubts......however i value your opinions and we all know if we don't ask questions we would never learn anything
it is so thin i think it would break before it got through the scales on the species of fish here like walleye, sauger, sheep head etc
these all had to be caught on hook and line with a stone weight keeping the baited hook on the bottom, i mean right on the bottom where the river fish are
it possibly could pierce a catfish and there are and were plenty here
another thing i thought is if those are barbs why are they so far away from the so called leading end
i am not trying to say i am right and i appreciate the opinion
another thought but maybe or probably not was that it could have been used as a tool to thread squash rings for hanging and drying
but they hung squash rings on horizontal poles or stick supported on scaffolds
i thought maybe it was a toy or trinket of some sort
prob never know but maybe it is some kind of unfinished projectile point except it is so darn thin
i might have already rambled on too much here
when i hold it upside down the 'barbs" remind me of a keel on a sailboat
i have never seen anything like it
 

I'm sure the bone was much stronger when it was green. Definitely different.
 

Very interesting and puzzling! Maybe it was an ice fishing spear head.


YS102_9-2h_spear.jpg


Or possibly it was worn in their hair (tied in with a ponytail). Or a feather was fastened between the barbs and was worn and fashioned on the side of the persons head.
 

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First thing I thought of was a Harpoon tip.
 

Since it is thin the harpoon thing might not hold up. I think round and strong for a harpoon. Maybe a hairpin or something? The mystery thing makes find like that fun.
 

Well seeing I have nothing else to do today seeing it rained. I looked around a bit and saw they used this type of item for the catfish. They said harpoon but who knows it might of got caught in their gills and then the fish died. Its a mystery I guess. Thats all I got from it.
 

come on ya,everyone knows it is the scratcher thing they used on the turkey call.
 

Ohhh you know what that is.... no really I have no idea. Sewing ,weaving,hair pin,pottery tool ? Made for one use only? :dontknow:
 

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