A large and varied collection of bone implements was gathered at
Awatobi, and a few additional specimens were exhumed from Sikyatki. It
is worthy of note that, as a rule, bone implements are more common in
houses than in graves; and since the Awatobi excavations were
conducted mostly in living rooms, while those at Sikyatki were largely
in the cemeteries, the bone implements from the former pueblo far
outnumber those from the latter.
The collection consists of awls, bodkins, needles, whistles, and tubes
made of the bones of birds and quadrupeds. The two animals which
contributed more than others to these objects were the turkey and the
rabbit, although there were fragments of the horns and shin-bones of
the antelope or deer. Several of these specimens were blackened by
fire, and one was stained with green pigment. There was also evidence
of an attempt at ornamenting the implements by incised lines, while
one was bound with string. Bones of animals which had served for food
were very common in all the excavations at Awatobi, especially near
the floors of the houses. With the exception of a number of large
bones of a bear, found in one of the houses in the northern range of
the eastern section, these bones were not carefully collected.
Plate CXIV gives a general idea of some of the forms of worked bone
which were obtained. Figure _a_ shows an awl, for the handle of which
one of the trochanters was used, the point at the opposite end being
very sharp; _b_ and _c_ are similar objects, but slighter, and more
carefully worked; _d_ is a flattened bone implement perforated with
two holes, and may have been used as a needle. There are similar
implements in the collection, but with a single terminal perforation.
Other forms of bone awls are shown in _e_, _f_, _g_, and _j_.
There are a number of bone objects the use of which is problematical.
One of the best of these is a section of the tibia of a bird, cut
longitudinally, convex on the side represented in plate CXIV, _h_, and
concave on the opposite side. When found this bone fragment was tied
to a second similar section by a string (remnants of which can be seen
in the figure), thus forming a short tube. The use of this object is
not known to me, nor were any satisfactory suggestions made by the
Indians whom I consulted in relation to it. This does not apply,
however, to the object illustrated in plate CXIV, _i_, which was
declared by several Hopi to be a bird whistle, similar to that used in
ceremonials connected with medicine making.
The manner in which a bone whistle is used in imitation of a bird's
call has been noticed by me in the accounts of several ceremonials,
and I will therefore quote the description of its use in the
_Nimankatcina_ at Walpi.[91]
Then followed an interval of song and accompanying rattle, at
the termination of which Intiwa's associate took the bird
whistle (_tatükpi_) and blew three times into the liquid,
making a noise not unlike that produced by a toy bird
whistle. This was repeated four times, accompanied by song
and rattle. He first inserted the bone whistle on the north
side, then on the other cardinal points in turn. The
monotonous song and rattle then ceased, and Intiwa sprinkled
corn pollen on the ears of corn in the water, and upon the
line of pahos.
The object of the whistle is to call the summer birds which are
associated with planting and harvesting. The whistle figures in many
rites, especially in those connected with the making of medicine or
charm liquid.