Information on how The Indians Make Arrowheads - A Concise Synopsis

By Chris Holthe


Have you ever wondered, "Precisely how did the Indians make arrowheads?". The basic steps had been: select a core rock, chip flakes off the core, shape the flakes into an arrowhead. A hammerstone, a smooth egg-shaped rock, was utilized to break the core rock. Antlers or perhaps a smaller pointed stone had been utilised for shaping the flakes creating the serrated edges. A smooth level stone polished the point to a smooth, sharp finish.

Probably the most prized rock was obsidian and volcanic glass but any brittle stone having a uniform texture might be shaped into a workable projectile point. Most commonly utilised were flint, chert, jasper, and quartzite. Tribes where stone was scarce also used bone and fire-hardened wood.

Right after picking a rock, the flintknapper strikes the core with a sharp blow. The flakes chipped off of the core are the raw material employed to create a projectile point. The worker locations the point of the antlers against the flake, and strikes the antlers using a stone to form the serrated edges. Edges had been polished having a smooth rock until smooth and sharp, about 1/8 of an inch in thickness.

Each sides of the stone had been carefully worked. The point had to be even and symmetrical on each sides. Antlers might be used to complete the fine details. Arrowheads were created in numerous sizes based on the intended use. Small points were required for hunting birds. Medium points were crafted for hunting raccoons, turkeys, and rabbits. Large projectile points had been necessary for hunting buffalo, dear, and bear.

An skilled flintknapper would choose uniform stones without fractures. He would tap the stone listening for a high pitch. Striking the stone with just the correct quantity of force and at just the correct angle to break off triangular shaped flakes was a learned skill. A skilled flintknapper was essential to the survival of the tribe.

A practiced flintknapper could finish a projectile point in 20-30 minutes. The completed arrowhead would be attached to a shaft of light wood with twine or leather. Most tribes had 1 or two flintknappers who produced all their arrowheads.




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