The other night I glanced down at my bare feet — don’t cringe yet — and the thought occurred to me, how did the early residents living in our neck of the woods, whom most refer to as Native Americans, cut their toenails.
They didn’t have the modern clippers we take for granted, only stone tools to do all of their chores. Those designed for cutting were made of flint and could be sharpened to a keen edge. They were plenty sharp enough to slice through the hide of an animal and then divide its flesh into edible portions.
I would think trimming toenails would be an ordeal with a flint blade.
Being barefoot often and having to walk and run on a mission, I suppose the nails would have worn down, much as do the claws of animals.
My thought process, which often follows some strange streams, followed through with other functions of daily life of those who ranged hereabouts centuries ago.
Hollywood, a feeble source for historical information, would have us think North Americans of centuries ago lived a peaceful existence until Europeans arrived and began their march of politically inspired manifest destiny.
Instead, theirs was a daily struggle for food, shelter and keeping the population growing in sufficient numbers to replace those lost to disease, accident or violent death. The life expectancy was in the 30s.
It was not an easy life.
Language was simple, and maintaining any history or record of how things were to be done were passed down by word of mouth.
During the hunter-gatherer stage, which went on for centuries, learning to fashion tools mainly for acquiring animals and then processing them was the focus of education. Later, when agriculture became a feature, planting, tending, harvesting and preserving were added to the “classroom.”
In the many years of hunting artifacts I’ve found points — true arrowheads are only the smaller ones because of the physics of propulsion — I have taken note of the great differences in how they and other stone appliances were made. Some approach works of art; others are crude, to the point it seems utilitarian use might have been a reach.
I suspect some were the attempts of youngsters learning the trade. Other artistic ones, the results of years of practice. Also, some may have been more adept than others, as it is with folks today.
One last note: Vanity wasn’t lost on the early people. I’ve found three pieces that leave little doubt they were pendants. I imagine they had something to do with religious adornment.
