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On the Spur of the Moment: Effects of Age and Experience on Hafted Stone Scraper Morphology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Kathryn J. Weedman
Kathryn J. Weedman*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
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Abstract

North American archaeologists often designate spurs on scrapers as gravers or use them as temporal markers for the Paleoindian Period. The functional and stylistic aspects of spurred scrapers are explored here through an ethnoarchaeological study of stone scraper procurement, production, use, and discard among the Gamo of southern Ethiopia. This research demonstrates that the presence of so-called “graver” spurs does not have a functional significance, but is the result of inexperience and/or the waning strength of the hideworker. Furthermore, spurred scrapers occur in abundance at villages where breakage rates also are high, reflecting the presence of a number of inexperienced hideworkers. Lastly, this paper explores the relationship between the experience of the knapper and tool standardization. The analysis suggests that in lineage-based learning systems more-experienced hideworkers assist less-experienced hideworkers, and thus blur any relationship between experience and standardization.

Résumé

Résumé

Los arqueólogos Norteamericanos a menudo señalan como buriles a las puntas en raspadores o los utilizan como marcadores temporales del período Paleo-Indio. Los aspectos funcionales y estilísticos de los raspadores puntiagudos son explorados a través de un estudio etno-arqueológico sobra la consecución, producción, uso y descarte de la piedra del raspador entre los Gamo de Etiopía meridional. Esta investigación demuestra que la presencia de las puntas de los supuestos buriles no tiene significación funcional, debido a que este es el resultado de la inexperiencia y/o disminución de las fuerzas del trabajador. Además, estos raspadores con puntas ocurren con abundancia en aldeas donde los índices de fracturas en artefactos son altos, lo que demuestra la presencia de un número alto de trabajadores inexpertos. Por último, éste trabajo explora la relación entre la experiencia del tallador y la estandardización de las herramientas. El análisis sugiere que en el sistema linear de aprendizaje, los trabajadores con mayor experiencia ayudan a los menos experimentados, minimizando cualquier relación ente los estándares y la experiencia.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 67 , Issue 4 , October 2002 , pp. 731 - 744
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 2002

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