Bison Bone Rasp from the Crandall Site, 14RC420
Date: 1500-1800 CE
This rasp was excavated from the Crandall site in Rice County during the 1983 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school. The rasp was made by cutting grooves into a bison rib. At some point, the rasp was broken into two pieces. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The Crandall site is a Little River focus Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) habitation site.

Bison Bone Rasp from the Shrope Site, 14CO331
Date: 1400-1725 CE
This bison bone rasp was recovered from the Shrope village site in Cowley County. The rasp was made by cutting grooves (36 still present) into a bison rib. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The Shrope site, a large Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) village, was excavated by Kansas Historical Society archeologists and crew in 1995. Forty-one archeological features, such as storage pits, hearths, and post molds, were uncovered at the site.

Bone Awl from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
This awl was found at the Saxman village in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2014. Awls such as this one are usually made from deer bone. They were used to make holes in soft material, like hides, and possibly in basket and pottery manufacturing.

Bone Awl from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
This awl was found at the Saxman village in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2014. Awls such as this one are usually made from deer bone. They were used to make holes in soft material, like hides, and possibly in basket and pottery manufacturing.

Bone Awl from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
This awl was found at the Saxman village in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2014. Awls such as this one are usually made from deer bone. They were used to make holes in soft material, like hides, and possibly in basket and pottery manufacturing.

Bone Awl from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
This awl was found at the Saxman village in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2014. Awls such as this one are usually made from deer bone. They were used to make holes in soft material, like hides, and possibly in basket and pottery manufacturing.

Bone Awl from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
This awl was found at the Saxman village in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2014. Awls such as this one are usually made from deer bone. They were used to make holes in soft material, like hides, and possibly in basket and pottery manufacturing.

Bone Rasp and Decorated Bone from the Sharps Creek Site, 14MP408
Date: 1500-1800 CE
These two modified bone tools were recovered in 1968 by Kansas Historical Society archeologists at the Sharps Creek village in McPherson County. These two tools were made on either bison or deer bones. The one on the left is a scored rib bone. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The artifact on the right may have also been a rasp or possibly a decorated bone. It was incised with a series of vertical and diagonal lines. The Sharps Creek site is part of the Little River focus of the Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita), whose people practiced fishing, hunting, gathering, and agriculture.

Bone Rasp from the Bell Site, 14CM407
Date: 1000-1500 CE
This bison bone rasp was recovered from the Bell village site in Comanche County. It was made by cutting grooves into a bison rib. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The Bell site is a Middle Ceramic period, Wilmore complex site occupied by people who gardened, fished, and hunted, primarily bison in south central Kansas and north central Oklahoma. The site was the focus of the 1984 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school.

Bone Rasp from the Bell Site, 14CM407
Date: 1000-1500 CE
These bison bone rasps were recovered from the Bell village site in Comanche County. They were made by cutting grooves into a bison rib. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The Bell site is a Middle Ceramic period Wilmore complex site occupied by people who gardened, fished, and hunted, primarily bison in south central Kansas and north central Oklahoma. The site was the focus of the 1984 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school.

Bone Rasp from the Crandall Site, 14RC420
Date: 1500-1800 CE
This rasp was excavated from the Crandall site in Rice County during the 1983 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school. The rasp was made by cutting grooves into a bison rib. At some point, the rasp was broken into two pieces. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The Crandall site is a Little River focus Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) habitation site.

Bone Rasp from the Forrest Site, 14PA303
Date: 500-1100 CE
This bone rasp fragment was recovered at the Forrest site, a Keith phase site in Pawnee County during excavations by Kansas Historical Society and University of Kansas archeologists in 1967. The rasp was made by cutting grooves into a deer rib. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments, by drawing a stick across the grooves, or as tally sticks. This rasp has a series of six long and twenty short lines. The site was occupied sometime between 500 and 1100 CE. The people who lived here were semi-sedentary hunters and gatherers.

Bone Rasp from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
This rasp was found at the Saxman village in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2014. The rasp was made by cutting grooves into a deer rib. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves.

Bone Rasp from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
This rasp was found at the Saxman village in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2014. The rasp was made by cutting grooves into a deer rib. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves.

Bone Rasp from the Tobias Site, 14RC8
Date: 1400-1700 CE
This bone rasp was recovered from excavations during the 2019 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school at the Tobias site in Rice County. The rasp was made by cutting grooves into a deer rib. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The Tobias site is a Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) village that had dense artifact deposits, house remains, and numerous deep trash-filled storage pits. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Bone Rasp from the Tobias Site, 14RC8
Date: 1400-1700 CE
This modified bone was recovered from excavations during the 1977 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school at the Tobias site in Rice County. The rasp was made by cutting grooves into animal bone. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves or as tally sticks. The Tobias site is a Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) village that had dense artifact deposits, house remains, and numerous deep trash-filled storage pits. The site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Bone Rasps from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
These four bone rasps were recovered from the Saxman village site in Rice County and donated in 2016 to the Kansas Historical Society. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these rasps could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The Saxman site is a Late Great Bend aspect village site lived in by ancestral Wichita Indians.

Bone Rasps from the Tobias Site, 14RC8
Date: 1400-1700 CE
Shown here are two bone rasps excavated at the Tobias site, a Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) site in Rice County. The Tobias site was the location of the 1977 and 1978 Kansas Archeology Training Program field schools. The shorter bone rasp was recovered in 1977, while the longer one was recovered in 1978. The rasp was made by cutting grooves into a deer rib. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. One rasp does not have as deeply cut grooves as the other, perhaps not being fully finished or perhaps having a different purpose.

Bone Tools from the Majors Site, 14RC2
Date: 1500-1800 CE
These bone tools were collected from the Majors site in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1982. Shown are a rasp, an awl, and a polished hollow bone that may have been intended for bead manufacturing. The rasp was made by cutting grooves (five still present) into a bison rib. Archeologists believe that rasps could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. Awls are usually made from deer bone. They were used to make holes in soft material, like hides, and possibly in basket and pottery manufacturing. The Majors site was a Great Bend aspect, Little River focus (ancestral Wichita and Affiliated Tribes) site that was occupied during the late 17th century, based on southwestern pottery styles.

Deer Bone Rasp from the Tobias Site, 14RC8
Date: 1400-1700 CE
Shown is one of the many bone rasps excavated at the Tobias site, a Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) village site in Rice County. This rasp, manufactured on a deer mandible, was made by cutting notches into the bone. Archeologists believe that artifacts like these could have been used as musical instruments by drawing a stick across the grooves. The rasp was recovered from the 1977 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school at the Tobias site.

Scrapers from the Saxman Site, 14RC301
Date: 1500-1650 CE
Shown are five of the numerous scrapers that were collected from the Saxman site in Rice County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. The scrapers would have been hafted on a handle and used to scrape hides. They would have required periodic resharpening. The small brown scraper was made of Smoky Hill silicified chalk, which outcrops in western Kansas and Nebraska. The others were made of Permian chert, two of which were heat treated to improve their knapping qualities. The Saxman site, a large Great Bend aspect village, was occupied by the ancestral Wichita.