Shell hoe?

[Older The Better]

One more from my Saturday sifting. I’ve dug tons of shells since I found the site only one has had a hole through it up to this point, this second one is broken but has a hole too. I’ve seen shell hoes in archeological reports but I’m not sure. In my experience with digging the shells they tend to separate in layers or powder so I think a hole would be more intentional than a result of digging. Any thoughts?


Here’s the older find

 

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[uniface]

Could be whelk drilled.

FWIW

 

[Older The Better]

I’m no whelk expert but these are fresh water se Kansas river mussels.

 

[Tdog]

There are many fresh water mussel shells around here with bird pecked holes. Wouldn't a drilled hole be more uniform and not jagged?

 

[Older The Better]

I appreciate the response. It gives me a new possibility I hadn’t considered. I’d have to say
Maybe? I don’t know. I don’t have any experience with shell artifacts. What are the odds a mussel would end up a couple thousand feet from the river and probably 20 feet up a bluff under a rock overhang and be pecked by a bird? And why only two out of hundreds of shells? It’s certainly possible but human alteration seems more likely... or maybe I just want to believe it is more than a natural occurrence. it’s hard to avoid that trap in this hobby.

I also found a drill same spot so maybe I’m being influenced by that too

 

[Tdog]

I would think a hoe, especially out of shell, would exhibit use wear--smoothing/polishing on the business end. I'm also wondering how it would it be hafted with only a single hole? If that many mussels were brought up there to eat, seems plausible some of them could have been too stubborn to open or inadvertently overlooked and later scavenged by animals.

Edit: I've found some additional info. on shell hoes...

http://flintknapper.com/SHELL HOES.htm

https://toolsfromtheearth.com/shell-hoe/

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/paleoplanet69529/clamshell-hoe-any-pics-t53941.html

Google --> "shell hoe images"

 

[Older The Better]

Thanks for looking into it. The info you found beats the picture in my book. As far as use wear I’ll never know, most of the shells delaminate somewhat and the thin ones sometimes just turn to powder I couldn’t tell you if the edges are even there anymore

 

[welsbury]

How large are these shells?

 

[H.P.]

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