The Use of Replicative Studies in Understanding the Function of Expedient Tools: The Sandstone Saws of San Nicolas Island, California

Malcolm J. Rogers (1930) described artifacts in his field notes that he referred to as stone saws. Recent excavations at CA-SNI-25 yielded numerous utilized sandstone artifacts that might very well be the saws noted by Rogers. In this paper, we describe the production, use, and function of these tools and their spatial distribution across the site. Experiments show that these tools were capable of working a variety of materials, including wood, sea mammal bone, and marine shell; however, our study suggests that they were probably used for the manufacture of circular shell fishhooks.