Basalt Hoe or Adze
Agriculture was a female responsibility in Native societies of the northeast. Women used tools like these to prepare the soil first for planting and then for hoeing. This example was made from basalt stone, possibly from the Connecticut River Valley. Native women took primary responsibility for tending agricultural crops known as the "Three Sisters:" corn, beans and squash. English observers noted that the work women carried out in the fields was a communal task accomplished with skill and goodwill.
Date: circa 1000 BCE - 300 BCE
Topic: Tools
Materials: Basalt
Dimensions: currently unavailable
Accession #: 1985.0635