From Out of the Past - Part II

          Let’s consider how this critter may have been used by early humans.  Unfortunately, we have little hard evidence about how the crabs in and around Delaware Bay were utilized by Native Americans.  There are two primary reasons for this apparent lack of knowledge.  The first was that the early settlers did not leave any written records of their lives, their settlements, or their basic survival skills (Keep in mind that this was long before the invention of the iPad).  Second, since chitin – the primary substance composing horseshoe crab shells – tends to deteriorate over time there are no physical remains of supposed tools, artifacts, or utensils that may have been used by tribes inhabiting the shorelines of what was to eventually become the Delaware Bay.  Thus, we are left with a certain degree of speculation and inferencing given what we know about how other cultures used components of their environment to survive (That’s scientific talk for “Hey, we’re sorta guessing here.”).
            Nevertheless, when the always vigilant Europeans came to these shores they recorded observations of native tribes – including, among other things, how those peoples employed horseshoe crabs.  Apparently, there are some records of native peoples using the telsons (tails) of horseshoe crabs as spear tips.  Lashed to ends of long poles, the spears would be used to fish coastal waters.  Natives would stand in a boat or dugout canoe with spear in hand.  Upon sighting a fish the spear would be thrown into the water and (hopefully) into a fish.  Said speared fish would then become dinner and the spears would be used again the next day to obtain another fish (same old, same old).
            Although historians are not certain, it seems reasonable to infer that the carapaces (shells) of horseshoe crabs may have been used to bail out leaky canoes.  As you can imagine, canoe technology in the 15th or 16th century was not as sophisticated as it is today.  This often meant a lot of leaky boats.  Since there weren’t a lot of canoe technologists around or handy dandy canoe repair kits, people who traveled by canoe often had to fend for themselves – similar, I suspect, to what early 20th century automobile travelers had to do when traversing the countryside.  The horseshoe crab carapace became, therefore, a most handy device – one that predates the bailing buckets now used on most of the boats plying the Delaware Bay.
            Beyond its use as a bailer, one can only imagine the other uses a horseshoe crab carapace would have served in a primitive society.  Possibilities might include a water basin, a soup or salad bowl, a cooking vessel, or a very distinctive head covering (“Hey, do you know you have a crab on your head?”  “You silly, that’s no crab – that’s my stylish new fedora!”).  You may wish to conduct your own scientific experiments by taking a mixing bowl out of your kitchen cupboard and experimenting with all its various uses (in the privacy of your own home, of course).