Could you hunt with arrowheads?

As an arrowhead collector, I often marvel at how the native americans brought down game using these tools. I am what you call a creekwalker. After a good rain I go and get in the creek and pick up points and blades that have washed out of the fields or perhaps out of the clay creek bottom. I have found tiny bird points about 1/2 in length up to knives and blades 5 inches or better. I can not imagine the skill that went into making these tools, much less actually hunting and killing with them! I think that it is a skill that may prove be useful again and one that I would like to learn.

Actually, once you have the necessary pieces, they are not that hard to make.

Of course it would take lots of practice to make them right, but isn't that the case with anything... lots of practice.

reply to post by Greenize

Actually yes i can, and yes i have. When i was growing up i had a native american friend(Mattawa indian) who taught me how to make them, and tie them to spears and arrows.

Originally posted by Greenize
As an arrowhead collector, I often marvel at how the native americans brought down game using these tools. I am what you call a creekwalker. After a good rain I go and get in the creek and pick up points and blades that have washed out of the fields or perhaps out of the clay creek bottom. I have found tiny bird points about 1/2 in length up to knives and blades 5 inches or better. I can not imagine the skill that went into making these tools, much less actually hunting and killing with them! I think that it is a skill that may prove be useful again and one that I would like to learn.

Great post! Absolutly! They are just as valid today as they were when used by Native Americans (some of whom still use them).

Originally posted by Greenize I am what you call a creekwalker. After a good rain I go and get in the creek and pick up points and blades that have washed out of the fields or perhaps out of the clay creek bottom.

I don't know how it works in your jurisdiction, but here in Ontario, native artifacts are, at very least, considered to be property of the Crown, if not of the aboriginal groups themselves.

Have the appropriate agencies been made aware of the cultural material you are finding? Could be there is some educational/preservation interest.

i would want those arrowheads attached to arrows.... otherwise it could prove to be quite difficult.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


I never really thought about it to be honest, but alot of people around here do this as a hobby. I hunt on private property. What I find I bring home and put in one of my display cases. I have even sent a few of them off and had them restored and certified with no problems...

Let me just say for the record, although I have been offered large sums of money for some of my oldest points (classified as paleo), I don't sell them. I love them, I love to study them, they are rich with history. They are something that I can teach my childrens children about and pass down.

Here in the states we don't have the communist attitude of everything belongs to the crown. If you find things like arrowheads and such, it's yours. If you choose to sell it to a collector or museum is your choice. And the native americans only have claims on whats found on the reservations.

I do know that here in the states you can't keep anything like this if you find it in a state park, outside of that its finders keepers as far I am aware.

Google Jim Redferm and Mike Smythe both are avid knappers, and mike has killed record book deer with primative gear......all hand made (time knowledge) hedgewood bow, rose branchs(arrows) and flint points..
www.flintknappingtools.com...
Make sure to look @ the "events" if you are in the USA there will be an active meeting/campout with "how/to" class's and lots of good fun for kids, and ppl of all ages,
fire without matchs
how to make rope from certain plants(for making snares)
knapping tutorials
on and on etc.........
usually 3-7 day camping events free to all the public!

reply to post by Doc Holiday


Sweet! Thank you so much! Sounds like just the thing that I have been looking for!

Originally posted by Anuubis
Here in the states we don't have the communist attitude of everything belongs to the crown. If you find things like arrowheads and such, it's yours. If you choose to sell it to a collector or museum is your choice. And the native americans only have claims on whats found on the reservations.

Thanks very much for enlightening me that the Ontario Heritage Act is actually a Communist device. Good thing we have your types to keep us on our toes. I'm sure that our First Peoples are pleased you're protecting their interests from the Godless Hordes as well. God bless America, indeed!

Very interesting thread. I just got home from our ranch in the mountains of San Diego where a large portion of the property has those rocks where the Indians carved holes to ground acorns and such. There is pottery all over the place and frequently we find arrowheads and other items that look like they are tools of some sort.

Does anyone know of a good website that would have photos of the various types of 'tools' (other than arrowheads) that were made and used by the Indians? I have so many items that I know are artifacts of some sort but am not sure what they may have been used for and it's driving me nuts.

As for hunting with an arrowhead - I don't know a thing about hunting but the arrowheads that I have found are so incredibly sharp I'm pretty sure that I could find something to attach them to and use them to spear fish.

Jemison

reply to post by Jemison


I am sure there are some web sites, but also you want to search out some books by Lar Hothem, he has some great books on arrowheads as well as other artifacts such as pottery.

It was never my intention when I started this thread for anyone to be offended. I kind of look at it like, if I hadn't found these pieces they may have been lost forever. I have found some beautiful pieces that were broken in half because cows had stepped on them, some broken by plows and such. I don't consider what I do as hoarding or taking something away from someone else...I feel like in a way and I am saving history one piece at a time.

[edit on 28-12-2008 by Greenize]

reply to post by Greenize

I don't consider what I do as hoarding or taken something away from someone else...I feel like in a way and I am saving history one piece at a time.

You ARE saving history, and I think it's wonderful that you treasure these items. I am the same way. Our ranch has been in the family since the late 1800's so I've grown up having the luxory of being able to search for artifacts whenever I want.

My daughters love to run around the property and join me on my artifact searches but they had no idea how unique it is to own land where finding Indian pottery pieces and other things is just as common as seeing leaves on trees until a few weeks ago. My 9 year old's class was talking about the history of California and she took some pottery and arrowheads to school to share with her friends. They called her a liar, said there was no way that she found those things and she probably bought them at some souveneir store. I e-mailed the teacher that night to let her know where the items came from and thankfully the teacher was very familiar with the area around our ranch and she excitedly asked me to have my daughter bring the items again the following day to share with the entire class.

We just got back from spending a week at our ranch and my daughters were thrilled to play in the snow the first three days but when it was all melted they were just as excited to be hunting for artifacts from dusk to dawn.

Jemison

Originally posted by Greenize
I don't consider what I do as hoarding or taken something away from someone else...I feel like in a way and I am saving history one piece at a time.

I hate being a buzz-kill on the subject, but having had some training I'm compelled to look at it from the professional side as well. There is, unfortunately, a flourishing trade in antiquities, much of which involves the desecration of gravesites.

desnews.com...
archive.durangoherald.com.../news/04/news040527_3.htm

But...U.S. rules are different from ours...us being Commies and all...and I can only hope that one conducts ones-self in an honourable manner.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


My husband and I both agree with you that some people do go about getting relics in terrible ways. We live an in area rich with mounds. We would never stoop to raid one of these burial mounds, but there are some that would and that have. Personally, my great-grandmother was a cherokee indian, even if she wasn't I would never ever desecrate a grave site or use any other means to collect points outside of what I do now and that is walk the creek.

Originally posted by Greenize I would never ever desecrate a grave site or use any other means to collect points outside of what I do now and that is walk the creek.

Thanks for sharing that. I feel I actually have an obligation to comment on the subject, though it is not always welcome. I think, though, that local researchers might be especially interested in locales where you are finding paleo points. The context in which you make a find is very often more important than the artifact itself. It should be shared with the pros.

As to flint knapping, it is an art which creates lots of bruised and cut fingers. Don't ever try knapping pink Lebanese flint, either. It'll make you nuts.

Finally, the only difference between a knife, an atl-atl and a spear is the length of the stick. Good hunting.