109
A man called Muwlib putting huwbiyp basalt stones hot stones into a mumu earth oven
Hammerstones were of huwbiyp basalt, the only stone occurring in the region that was strong enough to knap chert without shattering. It occurs in small amounts throughout the valleys, particularly along and near watercourses. It also occurs in a soil type called tiyptiyp where the Wola said it sometimes 'grew'.
109
A man called Muwlib putting huwbiyp basalt stones hot stones into a mumu earth oven
Hammerstones were not prepared in any way – men used them as they found them, selecting suitably shaped and sized stones. Sometimes a stone was borrowed from a mumu earth oven though these were always returned when finished with. Stones for an oven were about the right size to be used as hammerstones, weighing around 1kg to 1.5kg (Plate 109).
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Last updated: Wed Oct 8 2003