The Science Life Archaeology Indigenous input revealed early hints of fiber making in the tropics To decipher marks on ancient stone tools, researchers turned to the Philippines’ Palaw’an people An analysis of markings on ancient stone artifacts (a selection shown) from the island of Palawan in the Philippines suggest the stones were tools used to make plant-based fibers and other textiles. © The National Museum of the Philippines Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPocketRedditPrint By Luis Melecio-Zambrano June 30, 2023 at 2:00 pm On the island of Palawan in the Philippines, a cave has yielded reams of ancient artifacts, including thousands of stone tools.