Indians 101: American Indians Artifacts in the Fort Dalles Museum (Photo Diary)

The Fort Dalles Museum in The Dalles, Oregon, has a collection of American Indian artifacts on display in the dining room of the Surgeon’s Quarters.

The stone tools shown appear to be primarily pestles and manos used for processing seeds and grains.

Included in this batch of stone tools are some hammer stones which have been grooved so that they can be halfted. It is also not uncommon in the Plateau Culture Area to have stone pestles which have been shaped to resemble an erect penis.

Included in this collection of artifacts is a stone shaft-straightener (that’s the stone with the deep groove in it) and a stone pipe.

The clay pipe shown with these stone artifacts is probably not an American Indian artifact.

Beaded Items

The beaded gauntlet shown above once belonged to Chief Tommy Thompson.

Indians 101

Indians 101 is a series exploring American Indian arts, artifacts, museums, histories, biographies, and current concerns. More from this series:

Indians 101: Artifacts in the Sherman County Historical Museum (Photo Diary)

Indians 101: A Collection of Tenino Indian Artifacts (Photo Diary)

Indians 101: Feathered Pomo Baskets (Photo Diary)

Indians 101: Columbia River Basketry (Photo Diary)

Indians 101: The Pueblos

Indians 101: Traditional Government Among California Tribes

Indians 101: Joseph LaFlesche, Omaha Chief

Indians 101: California Indians Lose Their Home