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LA 61247--WIRE HORSE SITE AT BERENDO WASH |
THE MATERIAL ON THIS PAGE IS COPYRIGHTED AND SHOULD BE APPROPRIATELY CITED (C) 2007-2008, Deni Seymour |
This horse or dog was crafted from bailing wire and was found among other artifacts that identify it as late Apache. |
Some of the glass shows clear signs of retouch to shape the pieces into tools. The aqua glass suggests a date no earlier than the 1870s. |
This late Apache site posesses a wickiup ring and many artifacts. LA 61247 is a useful site for study because it possesses both stone artifacts and artifacts made of non-native materials, such as metal and glass. Through time tools and household items made of these later materials replaced many made of stone, bone, and perishable materials because they were more durable, easier to work, and were more readily available as ranchos, stage routes, supply roads, sprung up in their territory. |
The presence of flaked-stone artifacts that are consistent with specimens found on other Apache sites, including Reservation period sites further west, lend to the ethnic association. All but the obsidian flake on the lower right are retouched. |
A metal projectile point with a serrated base was found at the site, along with a number of pieces of metal debitage from the manufacture of this or another point. The debitage is from a barrel strap, which was a common source of raw material for historic Apachean groups. The Apache used debris from historic ranch sites to make tools that were often more durable than their counterparts in stone and other materials. |