Indian Arrowheads

[oneshot1]

Dont know if this is the place to post this but I see an interest in Indian life ways in past threads so I thought to share another passion of mine.... First photo is of true arrowheads, they were used on an arrow sized shaft and propelled by a Bow, they are between 500 and 2000 years old. Size, weight,and performance determine an arrowhead from a dart head or knife. BTW,the Bow showed up on the NA contienent around 2000 years ago, so all true arrowheads can be no older(an interesting fact for later)... ....Second photo shows Dart points, projectile points that were on a slim shaft and thrown with Atlatl or not, usualy had a fore-shaft, shafts up to 9 feet long, shorter in the eastern/northern woods. They sure look like what we would put on an arrow these days, but they are made for a larger shaft, throw weight is getting up there, and that interesting fact pops up now...the points type from 7000-4000 years old, so even though they would be right at home on a bow of today, they are NOT arrowheads...  

[oneshot1]

Now these are knives, A knife being the most used tool of the Indian, that is what we find the most of today, spears were used to an extent. The stone/bone point would be attactched to a fore-shaft that would either pull away when used in a beast or could be removed for use as a knife. Use wear and signs of re-sharpening are also signs of being typed as a knife...from 9000 to 4000 years old. ....Now here is where it can get even more confusing, Arrowhead?? Dart??...They have the size, throw weight????Nope...Used up knifes, re-sharpened till the handle stopped them from going further. .... All these points were found by me in southern New York(except that tiny "true arrowhead", from Washington State, dont know what they were hunting...)

[oneshot1]

There seems to be the thought that a stone point used today has to be big and sharp or it wont work. I have bone arrowheads that are not sharp, yes they have an edge, but mainly designed for penatration, the poke a hole in it and we'll run it down method, and since bone is readly avaluable was probably used extensively. The big razor sharp blade is of our making, to bring along a more humane kill, but was not nessasary to get he job done.

[TimZeigler]

Great info oneshot1, thanks for sharing.  Beautiful collection you got goin on.  Thats a whole lot of history in the palm of your hands. Tim

[Robert Honaker]

Neat.

[mcgroundstalker]

Now That's Cool! ... Thanks!  

... mike ...

[BamBooBender]

Sweet! Did you find all of those? I knew some old guys in North TX that had boxes full of arrowheads and other artifacts that they found. I never found even one.       BTW Call me a hopeless romantic, but have you ever thought of hafting one or couple of those onto some shafts and hunt with em. I realize they have a lot of historical importance and all, but I bet the guys that made them would smile if they could know they were again,after all these years, being used for their intended purpose.    :D

[JEFF B]

that is awesome i just love this kind of stuff    
wolfman

[StickBowManMI]

Really nice pictures and great background information. I sed to live in NYS near Stewart Airport and I remember an archeological dig that was in progress many years ago. They believed that a native American encampment had been there at one time. I was never fortunate enough to find anything like you have. I did meet a fellow bowhunter at a family party and when we were talking about arrow heads, he indicated that he had found some over the years. He went out and brought back a bag of approximately 400 heads that he found. He would visit the local farms after the ground was turned over and he would find the heads. Must be really nice to have those heads especially with your knowledge of the history involved. Something to treasure for life.

[ncboman]

those are nice.    

Unbroken points are not common finds. You must have a bunch of broken ones not pictured.   :D  

What material is the top point in the 2nd pic?

[Rico]

Interesting, I believe in NYS the head needs to be at least 7/8 wide I doubt many of those would be legal. It would be neet to shoot a deer with a head that old.

[oneshot1]

Yeah I have thought of putting them on a shaft and hunting, it would be daym cool to put a 1000+ year old relic back to it's intended use. Stewart Airport??,I'm about 10 miles from there. Yes, alot more broke and dinged ones then complete's are found due to time, farming,etc. The material of the center point, second pic is quartzite, that is all Coxsackie in the 3rd pic, the grayish points are Onondaga, and the black is Normanskill/Deepkill. Just about anyplace will produce Indian artifact's, they lived here for more then 12,000 years and their stone tool's are mainly what has survived.