Monday, August 11, 2014

Finding arrowheads

When I was a kid, my siblings and I enjoyed finding projectile points left by the Native Americans.  We generally referred to them as arrowheads or Indian arrowheads, though some might have been made for tipping much larger projectiles than arrows.  Sometimes they could be found in a cultivated field, sometimes even in the crawl space of the house, but most it seemed we found where the grass didn't grow under the oaks, and successive rains would erode a layer of soil and expose them.
I liked to pride myself on finding treasure, but I think my siblings were actually better at spotting them.  I did find one that I especially like.  I was waiting for the school bus (and that right there was highly unusual--I usually was flying out the door in disorganized chaos as the driver tooted his horn) and looked down.  There on the ground was a wonderful projectile point with only a little chip on one side.  I like to look at it and wonder about the individual who made it and what his life was like.  We consider that a primitive culture, and yet it took a practiced skill to make the point and use it successfully.
The one on the right is the one I found at the school bus stop.
 
Do you have a collection of projectile points?

2 comments:

  1. WOW you can hold onto stuff. I know I would already have found a buyer for that jewel for some spending money.
    That seems to be perfect, Yes, we too looked for them, but I never found one that was really an arrow head, but I like to think it was. (smile)

    I wonder often if the ones that are at flea mks are real....

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    Replies
    1. I'm sure there are ways to make cheap look-alikes. A practiced eye could probably tell by how much the edges are weathered whether it was a replica or true artifact.

      Dad has a unique one that has a line going through it. In other words there was a thin streak of another mineral in the rock that it was made from. We had looked at it not so long ago, but now we aren't sure where it is. I would love to ask someone who is knowlegeable about rocks and minerals what it is made of.
      A few years ago we visited Indian Mound (historic site). One of my nephews was so inspired by what he learned that he determined to find a projectile point at my parents' house. We figured we had found them all years ago, but with his eagle eyes and attention to detail, he went right out and found one.

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