These bison scapula hoe fragments were collected from the Tobias site in Rice County and donated in 1925 to the Kansas Historical Society. To make hoes such as these, the long spine that runs the length of the scapula (shoulder blade) was removed and the edges were beveled and sharpened. Then the hoe blade was hafted to a handle. 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.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Bison Scapula Hoe Fragments from the Tobias Site, 14RC8 - 2