Tools

Sites in the Upper Gunnison Basin have yielded stone tools of many interesting types.

Abraders

Ground stone abraders have been found in houses dating from 7560 BP to 5500 BP.   They may have been used for processing animal products, such as bone or leather, or they may have been used in root processing.  Western students are designing a use-wear replication project to further understanding of the function of these tools.

Bifaces

Bifaces are commonly found in houses in all time periods.  They are usually made from a silicified conglomerate that outcrops on the site.  Breakage patterns indicate that these tools were hafted in a handle.

Our current data indicate a temporal trend in the bifacial-tool-to-flake-tool ratio in the Upper Gunnison Basin.

Projectile Points

Below are pictured a few of the projectile points recovered from a house excavated in 1999.