An Introduction to the Native American Artifact Collection of the Hunterdon County Historical Society

The Hunterdon County Historical Society has an extensive collection of Native American artifacts collected by Hiram Edmund Deats (1870-1973).  Deats, the son of a wealthy industrialist, was a true 19th-century antiquarian.  He collected stamps, books, and artifacts. His collection of Native American artifacts contains a large amount of material from New Jersey as well as artifacts from other states, including Ohio, Florida, and Tennessee.  There are also artifacts from Denmark and France as well as ethnographic pieces from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The collection is important not just for what it reveals about New Jersey prehistory but for the insights it can provide into the activities of collectors and amateur scientists during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

This blog shares the results of research by Monmouth University students enrolled in a course titled New Jersey Prehistory (AN/HS 398/598).  Students enrolled in the course worked on cataloging the collection and analyzed select groups of artifacts.  The project began the spring of 2013 under the direction of Professor Richard Veit.  It is is an ongoing project and will be updated as more artifacts are analyzed.  Feel free to contact Richard Veit, rveit@monmouth.edu for more information.  For information about the Hunterdon County Historical Society use this link Hunterdon County Historical Society.

The Deats Ulu

There is a single ulu in the Deats collection.  The ulu is slate, and measures 174.81 mm in length, 82. 18 mm in width, and weighs .142 kg and was made during the Late Archaic period (4000-2000 B.C.) The blade is 3.05 mm thick and the handle is 10.71 mm thick. Secondly, the ulu is broken. Part of the ridge that holds the handle has broken away and that piece was not recovered. The handle side also has 14 grooves on the front and the back. These grooves might have helped the wooden handle stay attached to the slate. It is also clear the ulu was most likely glued to its’ handle and not attached, i.e. no ground hole present on the handle side of the artifact. The blade is chipped and the bevel has no signs of being ground down. Ulus, although made from steel, are still used today by Native Alaskans and First Nation Arctic people. (Written by Geri Knight-Iske).

A Mississippain Effigy Pipe

Mississippian effigy pipes were used for many different things, such as recreation, ceremonies, and healing. Many tribes, including the local Lenape, used the effigy pipes. Pipes first appeared during the Early Woodland Period. The different Native American tribes believed that the pipes gave them a connection to the Great Spirit. The substances smoked varied by region. The shape of the pipes evolved over time. themselves evolved in how they were shaped over time. They were made out of many different materials. Some of the materials that were used were limestone, clay, and argillite.  This is a large Mississippian pipe.  It was found in 1890 in Smith County Tennessee.  It appears to depict a swan pecking at a recumbent animal (Written by Kelly Curci and Samantha Gottlieb).

Danish Stone Axes

These stone axes in the collection originally came from Denmark. The stone axes were made during the late Mesolithic or Neolithic period.  They were used to cut down trees as agriculture was expanding into Denmark. This was between 6000 B.C. and 1000 B.C. The tools were made of flint which is a great stone to make tools from and is found throughout Denmark. The use of the flint made the tools sharp and able to cut through what it needed to. These axes are a unique and interesting artifact that is not something you would normally find in New Jersey (Written by Matt Craig and Jessie Tredinnick).