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This bone knife was recovered from the Minneapolis archeological site in Ottawa County during excavation in 1934 and was donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1987. The Minneapolis site was a Smoky Hill Aspect village occupied during the Middle Ceramic time period. Bone knives like this one have been called squash knives, cleavers, or spatulas. They were crafted from a bison scapula (shoulder blade) and would have been used to slice soft plant materials.
Date: 1232-1409 CE
Item Number: 310280
Call Number: 14OT5-162 Feature 116
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 310280
Collections - Archeology
Objects and Artifacts - Archeological Artifacts
Objects and Artifacts - Archeological Artifacts - Artifact Class - Bone
Objects and Artifacts - Archeological Artifacts - Artifact Type - Knife
Objects and Artifacts - Archeological Artifacts - Artifact Type - Spatula
People - American Indians
People - American Indians - Prehistoric Cultures
People - American Indians - Prehistoric Cultures - Smoky Hill
Places - Counties - Ottawa
Thematic Time Period - Early Peoples, 10000 BCE - 1820 CE
Thematic Time Period - Early Peoples, 10000 BCE - 1820 CE - Middle Ceramic, 1000 - 1500 CE
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/310280