I like Anna's suggestion for decorative borders better than tinklers.  In the case of Anna's suggestion, the upper part of the border would not have to be finished but would remain squared off.  Dedie

________________________________
From: LaBauve, Anna, DCA
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 9:55 AM
To: Snow, Cordelia, DCA; Boyer, Jeffrey, DCA; NMAC-L; [log in to unmask]; DCA-- OAS; DCA--ARMSARCH
Subject: RE: ID ideas for the scallop-edged metal artifacts

I wonder if these could be the scraps from production of decorative tinwork-nichos or candle holders with scalloped edges?

________________________________
From: Snow, Cordelia, DCA
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 9:44 AM
To: Boyer, Jeffrey, DCA; NMAC-L; [log in to unmask]; DCA-- OAS; DCA--ARMSARCH
Subject: RE: ID ideas for the scallop-edged metal artifacts

I wonder if the ca ½ inch round dots weren't used to make tinklers....

Dedie

________________________________
From: Boyer, Jeffrey, DCA
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 9:26 AM
To: NMAC-L; [log in to unmask]; DCA-- OAS; DCA--ARMSARCH
Subject: ID ideas for the scallop-edged metal artifacts

Colleagues,
Thanks to those who responded so far with ideas about our scallop-edged metal artifacts. The majority consensus so far is that the artifacts probably represent the leftovers (I appreciate one respondent who used the word "debitage") from making something else. That's my thought but I'm wondering, "what?" The results of the activity that produced these items would have been 1/2-inch-diameter, circular disks of thin, sheet, ferrous metal (Dotie, the metal is quite thin, which is why I suggested they might be from cans). As I noted, we found none of those during excavations at the site (nor, Harding, did we find any other indisputable evidence of other hand-made metal items at the site, although, being fair, most of the metal we did find is small bits of really rusty, sheet metal, so whether they represented hand-working is hard to say. Wait! We did find a homemade rosary centerpiece, of a cuprous metal, so someone repaired a rosary! Also, no clear evidence of smithing, although I expected such at a rancho, but such evidence might have gone under the highway back in the 50s or 60s, or be outside project limits.) As one respondent pointed out, they could -- probably would -- have filed the sharp edges that resulted from punching out the little dots. Generally, I'd say 1/2-inch dots would be too small for conchos, at least for Spanish saddlery and bridlery. Agree or disagree? My first thought was button manufacture, but, again, we found none at the site, and we dug one residential structure, two possible granary structures, and several trash features.
What we did find are the prerequisite (on Euroamerican sites in north-central New Mexico) tens of thousands of Native American sherds, demonstrating the extent to which Hispanic settlers depended upon and interacted with Puebloan and Apachean neighbors (and point to gendered roles in these interactions). We also found three thin, sheet, ferrous metal projectile points that, I contend, represent trade with Apaches since such points are common on Apachean (and Ute?) sites but have not, as far as I can find, been found on Hispanic sites (and, again, point to gendered interaction roles -- thanks to Sunday for pointing that out).
So, thinking beyond the site boundaries -- since we found no examples of the little round metal dots that would have come from the artifacts in the photo and the other similar ones we found -- this makes me wonder if the resulting little round metal dots left the rancho for Native American parts unknown. I'm certainly not suggesting they went to Native people, just proposing an idea. Might that encourage some of you to think about Native American sites you've seen and found similar artifacts?
Mil gracias for the ideas so far,
Jeff


Jeffrey L. Boyer, RPA
Supervisory Archaeologist/Project Director
Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico

  *   mail: P.O. Box 2087, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504
  *   physical: 407 Galisteo Street, Suite B-100, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
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"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." -L. P. Hartley, The Go-Between, 1953