This metate was excavated in Oklahoma in 1974 and sent to the St. Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for archiving. Metates were used to grind seeds, spices and other foods like maize during food preparation much like a mortar and pestle. The metate was provided by the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History at the University of Oklahoma. This artifact is among the items from Oklahoma that will be processed by veterans through Veterans Curation Program