Teeth as Tools

Lower mandible and lower incisor from a kangaroo. The incisor is one of the strongest bones of all Australian fauna. It would typically be used as a knife and hafted to a wooden handle, bound by sinew cordage and an adhesive resin mix. Traditionally it was used in applications such as decorative carving and engraving as well as skinning and butchering. Alternatively it can be used to drill and punch holes; as a hook to hold the spear for a spear thrower; to sharpen wooden spear points and finally as a spear head for both land and aquatic based hunting. With the incisor being so readily available and with it’s inherent durability, it lent itself well to being a dependable material for tool making in general and as a result a very useful implement in traditional day to day living.