Woodworking and Cultivating in the Late Archaic of the Midcontinent: New Insights from the Microwear Analysis of Flaked-Stone Tools

Between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago, during the Late Archaic, Native groups in the midcontinent began experimenting with growing and encouraging certain plants for food, fiber, and technological materials. While much attention has been focused on the charred and fragmentary remnants of the plants, little attention has been focused on the stone tools used to modify landscapes to facilitate their growth. The authors argue that the wear patterns on the stone tools used by these groups are an important line of largely untapped information regarding methods of plant husbandry. A sample of 30 flaked-stone tools from seven sites in Missouri and Illinois assigned to the Titterington, Sedalia, and Nebo Hill phases was analyzed. Previous researchers have classified some of the tools as “diggers” and “hoes” based on visible use polish. Obversely, this analysis shows that almost all the use polish is not from digging/cultivating but rather from working wood. These woodworking tools, however, played a key role in plant husbandry by undoubtedly having been used to modify landscapes (cut trees and clear brush) and manufacture wooden tools (including digging sticks).