The largest bifaces in North America are found on the

west coast in California. The example pictured here is

laying on top of several large Mississippian spades 

from Missouri and Illinois. It was originally in the Dr. Henry

M. Whelpley collection and is presently located in the

St. Louis Science Center's collection in St. Louis,

Missouri. These large California bifaces were made of

Obsidian and range in size up to 30 inches long. The

example shown in these pictures was collected several

years ago on the Salmon River in Siskiyou County,

California.
   W.H. Holmes, a noted archaeologist working for the

Smithsonian Institution at the turn of the century, said,

"among the most remarkable chipped implements in

America, and in the world for that matter, are the obsidian

blades of California, the largest of which are upward of

30 inches in length and at the same time are of remarkable

symmetry and beauty of finish".
   These large bifaces were in use up to and some years

after European contact. Published accounts by

anthropologists describe these artifacts as ceremonial

and were kept primarily as objects of wealth.