We have a whole collection of tools that look like that. The Indians on the WA coast were still stone age in the 1800s. We have all sizes, too. You can tell that some are kid size. The Indians here probably used them to open clam shells, etc.
The one thing that no one seems to be able to identify looks like a stone hot dog.
LOL!
is a book I found quite fascinating; one of the points I found quite fascinating is that while the US of course traces from British culture, it is quite distinct as well. And the reason for that was the particular British colonial experience, which related to the particulars of their situation. The Spaniards, Portuguese, and French also colonized the Americas, but their experiences were different and their objectives were different.
- American Beliefs:
- What Keeps a Big Country and a Diverse People United by John Harmon McElroy
The Spaniards actually found bronze age countries in South America, which they conquered as they would have liked to conquer England. And since those countries were already going concerns, there was no call for importing many farmers or tradesmen from Spain. Only gentlemen and soldiers were needed.
The Portuguese did import labor - but they wanted unskilled labor, and they imported it from Africa as slaves. No Portuguese were needed.
The French in Canada wanted to trade with the "Indians," and to control navigation on the St. Laurence River. Again, all they needed were a few traders, and soldiers and leadership loyal to the king of France.
The English, OTOH, found only potential farmland and stone age Indians. Not much in the way of gold or silver, but an enormous opportunity for farmers and supporting tradesmen. Consequently the English, later British, colonies quickly adopted an ethic which says that "all honest work is honorable." Calluses on the hands have always been badges of honor among American men. We didn't get that attitude from England.
And it traces back to the fact that the Indians were stone age people.
We have a collection of similar stones found in southern Texas and northern Mexico but none as big as the one pictured.
Your “stone hot dog” might have been used for rolling something out flat. I found a stone needle or something used for punching a hole in leather, possibly.