A STORY OF STONE

Perched high on a rock shelf above a stone age gorge some 1.5 to 2 million years ago, a hominid ancestor squatted over a scavenged buffalo leg bone from an earlier lion kill. He raised a fist size stone over his head and sent it crashing down time after time until the bone had been broken open revealing the life sustaining marrow.

This scenario had been acted out numerous times before, with one exception to this specific event. With the last blow upon his prize the stone he had been using sustained a glancing blow against the rock the bone had been resting on. So mesmerized was the early man that he momentarily forgot about eating. He reached over his meal and picked up the long sliver of stone that had broken off. He immediately dropped the sliver as blood dripped from his hand. The blade had severed the flesh of three of his fingers. Had the stone age began? This is the story that forever changed us, so scholar and history would encourage us to believe.

History has given us many so called factual evidences as well as thousands of cultural creation stories. One I remember well comes from my early Aboriginal ancestors of North America.

Rabbit went up flint mountain to the home of Old Man Flint and he coerced Flint down the mountain by promising him a feast. Flint ate and ate until sleep overcame him. Rabbit climbed upon sleeping Flint's great stomach. He placed a wooden stake on his chest and struck it with a mallot. This caused Flint to explode sending flint rock flying to the far reaches of the earth. This was the gift of stone to all people.

No matter what you believe to be the truth there is one fact that cannot be overlooked. All of our ancestors used stone tools. Without this early technology it would be impossible for us to be at this place and time and come this far on our human journey. By whom the gift of stone was given is for you to decide.