PAGE 1
"ORGANIC" PROJECTILE POINTS
WORLDWIDE
RECENT TO 450,000 YEARS AGO

PAGE 1 OF 1 PAGES
COPYRIGHT NOVEMBER 30, 2012 PETER A. BOSTROM
Peccary skull, perforated scapula & bone points, Sheriden Cave
PECCARY SKULL,
PERFORATED SCAPULA & BONE POINTS
SHERIDEN CAVE SITE, WYANDOT COUNTY, OHIO
CLOVIS CULTURE

Abstract image of bone and gar scale arrow points.

ABSTRACT
"ORGANIC" PROJECTILE POINTS
WORLD

RECENT TO 450,000 YEARS AGO

    This article illustrates and describes several examples of projectile points that were made from materials that come from living organisms. Humans have used organic materials to manufacture projectile points for hundreds of thousands of years. The earliest recorded examples come from discoveries such as the wooden Clacton spear tip that dates to an estimated 450,000 years before present. Some cultures around the world can still be seen using organic materials to tip the ends of arrows and blowgun darts.

    "Bone technology is a subject every bit as complex as stone technology--."--------1982, Frison, George C. and Carolyn Craig, "Bone, Antler And Ivory Artifacts And Manufacture Technology," The Agate Basin Site, p. 157.
   "Bone arrow points are rare and are only found in small numbers on a few sites."---1985, Gregory Perino, "Selected Preforms, Points and Knives of the North American Indians," p. 40.
   "The use of bone and related (organic) materials----was almost universal among Indian tribes,"---1912, Frederick Webb Hodge, "Bone-Work," Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, p. 159
    "Among the Indian tribes many (arrow points) were made of flint and other varieties of stone, as well as bone, horn, antler, shell, wood, and copper."------1912,
Frederick Webb Hodge, "Arrowheads," Handbook Of American Indians North Of Mexico, Part I, p. 90.
     "Before the natives came into contact with the whites, they made harpoons of wood, bone, walrus ivory, shell, stone, sinew, and hide."------1912,
Frederick Webb Hodge, "Harpoons," Handbook Of American Indians North Of Mexico, Part I, p. 533.
    "Bone points are common from the Aurignacian (34,000 to 29,000 years ago) onward and the Magdalenian (17,000 to 11,500 years ago) harpoons were almost certainly part of a composite spear."--------1988, Ian Tattersall, "Spear," Encyclopedia Of Human Evolution And Prehistory, pp. 335-336.
     "Since the first spears were probably made from wood or horn, it is unlikely that very early forms of such artifacts would be preserved in the prehistoric record except under unusual conditions."----1988, Ian Tattersall, "Spear," Encyclopedia Of Human Evolution And Prehistory, pp. 335-336.
    "In the Hassler collection of the Field Columbian Museum are barbed harpoons from southern Brazil. The bone of an animal forms the point and a barbed piece of hard wood the tang of the head, which is attached by a short piece of rope to the end of the long shaft"
---------1902, Otis Tufton Mason, "Aboriginal American Harpoons: A Study In Ethnic Distribution And Invention," Annual Report Of The U.S. National Museum, p. 150.

Abstract image of peccary skull, scapula & bone point.
 
ORGANIC PROJECTILE POINTS
WORLDWIDE

RECENT TO 450,000 YEARS AGO

     Stone is the most common and durable material that is found on archaeological sites and the most studied medium of the ancient craftsmen. But the most interesting sites are the ones that preserve the organic materials. The most exciting of these sites are the oldest. Extremely old artifacts that were made of organic materials have survived but they almost disappear from the archaeological record beyond 500,000 years ago. Preservation of these carbon based materials depends on many factors, such as, the chemistry of the soil, amount of oxygen, temperature, erosion from wind and rain, sun exposure, natural geological events, and even animal gnawing, just to name a few. The earliest sites with the best organic preservation will always provide the most information.

Large group of doffernt types of organic projectile points.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
PROJECTILE POINTS
MADE FROM ORGANIC MATERIALS
PALEO, WOODLAND AND MISSISSIPPIAN PERIODS

    All of the artifacts in this picture are made from organic materials. The materials are antler, bone, ivory and gar scale. They were once attached to arrows, spears and harpoons. These types of artifacts are unique for the fact that they have survived the destructive forces of nature. Archaeological sites that have organic artifacts offer the most information, especially the older sites.

    Projectile points were made and used wherever humans have lived. They were made from every kind of organic and non-organic material that was sturdy enough to hold a point. The most popular organic materials were, antler, bone, ivory and wood. Some of the more "exotic" materials would include such things as piranha teeth on the ends of blowgun darts or darts made from palm leaf midribs or thorns, arrow points made from bamboo, gar scale arrow points and arrow points made from shell.

The Clacton spear tip, est. 450,000 years old.
CAST FROM THE COLLECTION OF CRAFT RESEARCH CENTER, INDIANA UNIVERSITY
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
THE CLACTON SPEAR TIP
CLACTON-ON-SEA, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM
LOWER PALEOLITHIC PERIOD
est.300,000 to 450,000 YEARS AGO

    The "Clacton spear tip" is the oldest wooden artifact ever found in Britain. Estimates of its age range from 300,000 to 450,000 years old. The original spear tip has warped and shrunk since its discovery. This picture shows an early cast of the artifact. The name comes from Clacton-On-Sea, England where it was found. The Clacton spear was discovered in interglacial deposits in 1911 by J. Hazzledine Warren. Experiments show that one of the most efficient ways the sharpened tip could be made was by using fire, grinding and scraping processes. Charring the tip of the shaft in fire then grinding off the burnt material on the ground and on a stone complete the initial manufacturing stage. Then the point was finished with a unifacial scraping tool. The total time using fire was 45 minutes compared with other manufacturing experiments that took one and a half to two hours to complete. The Clacton spear is made of yew wood and its earliest measurements, before it shrunk, are 15 1/4 inches (38.7 cm) long and 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) at its widest.

    In most cases, people used the best and most readily available materials for projectile points. In areas of dense jungle the best source is plant materials from wood, bamboo and other types of plant fibers. In the arctic regions some of the most common materials used for projectile points were bone and ivory. In many areas of the world, where local resources were not so restricted and the climate was not so extreme, people could chose from a much wider range of materials.

Sheriden Cave site bone point and perforated scapula.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
PERFORATED SCAPULA & BONE POINT
SHERIDEN CAVE SITE, WYANDOT COUNTY, OHIO
CLOVIS CULTURE

    Ice Age people were using bone projectile points to hunt extinct species of peccaries. The best evidence for this was found in Sheridan Cave in Wyandot County, Ohio. This picture shows a fragment of a peccary scapula with an almost perfectly round hole. The bone spear point laying through the hole was found nearby and may be the projectile that brought down this animal more than 11,000 years ago. It was found in the summer of 1995 by Kenneth Ford while excavating the skeleton of a flat-faced peccary. The tip of the point does have some impact damage. These two artifacts are positioned to show the direction from which the spear point perforated the bone. One side has a small entrance hole and the other side has a larger exit hole. This point was made from the long bone of a large animal and it measures 5 1/4 inches (13.4 cm) long.

    The oldest "organic" projectile points are sharpened wooden spears that are thought to have been used as javelins. One of the more recent finds are three wooden spears that were found in 1995 in a coal mine near Hannover, Germany and are believed to date to 400,000 years ago. They are made of spruce and measure between six and seven feet long. A shorter fourth spear with points on both ends was also found but it's thought that it may have been either a thrusting spear or throwing stick.

Sheriden Cave site bone point, Clovis culture, Ohio.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
BONE POINT
SHERIDEN CAVE SITE, WYANDOT COUNTY, OHIO
CLOVIS CULTURE

    This bone point was found inside Sheriden Cave in 2000. The tip of the point is in very good condition and is slightly polished. The base of this point has a design feature in the form of a small knob that probably helped to secure the point to the end of a spear. This point was made from the long bone of a large animal and it measures 4 11/16 inches (11.9 cm) long.

    The "Clacton spear tip" is a broken end of another very early javelin-like spear that is also thought to date to around 400,000 years ago. In fact, it's the oldest wooden artifact ever found in Britain. Estimates of its age range from 300,000 to 450,000 years. It was discovered in interglacial deposits in 1911 by J. Hazzledine Warren. The Clacton spear tip is made of yew wood and it measures 15 1/4 inches (38.7 cm) long.

Ivory point from the Aucilla River, Jefferson Co., Florida.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
IVORY POINT OR FORESHAFT
AUCILLA RIVER
JEFFERSON COUNTY, FLORIDA

     This slightly bowed ivory point was found in the Aucilla River in northwest Florida and dates to sometime within the Paleo-Indian period. It's a style that has been used by widely separated cultures and time periods around the world. These types of points were used by some Eskimo cultures and by some early European people who were living during the Late Paleolithic period. This ivory point was made from either a mammoth or mastodon tusk. It was used on the end of a spear as either a foreshaft or as a projectile point. If it was used as a foreshaft, an additional projectile point would have been fitted onto one end. The tapered end is engraved or "roughened" with several crosshatch lines. The rough surface would help to secure any hafting materials, such as mastic (glue) or sinew. Scuba divers have retrieved large numbers of fragments of ivory points from Florida rivers and limestone sinkholes. This is one of the few complete or nearly complete examples that have been found. This ivory point measures 10 3/16 inches (25.9 cm) long.

    The oldest "organic" projectile points in North America date to the Paleo-Indian period sometime before 11,000 years ago. The basic shape is round with a point on one end and a flat taper on the other. They are made of bone and ivory and range in size from 4 (10.2 cm) or 5 (12.7 cm) inches to over 10 inches (25.4 cm) long. The shorter examples seem to have been spear points but the longer examples are being interpreted as foreshafts that would attach to the end of a spear and hold a projectile point.

Bowhead whale bone with imbeded ivory harpoon.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER VIEW OF HARPOON TIP
BOWHEAD WHALEBONE WITH
IMBEDDED IVORY HARPOON

SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND
IN THE BERING SEA

2120 YEARS BEFORE PRESENT

     This broken tip of a walrus ivory harpoon and a bone segment of a bowhead whale's flipper were collected several years ago on the shore of Saint Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. The broken tip of the Walrus ivory harpoon or lance was found deeply imbedded in the bone. This is a heavy duty projectile. Most whale harpoons have metal or stone blades attached to the point. An x-ray of the bone shows that this harpoon didn't have a cutting blade attached to the point. The piercing end of this harpoon is flat and squared and has no sharp cutting edge. The point was made by trimming away two opposite sides to form a chisel tip. This ivory harpoon or lance tip measures 4 3/4 inches (12 cm) long and 1 9/16 inches (4  cm) wide at the broken end. The whalebone measures slightly over 7 inches (18 cm) across in the x-ray.

    Ice Age people were using bone projectile points to hunt extinct species of peccaries. The best evidence for this was found in 1995 in Sheridan Cave in Wyandot County, Ohio. A fragment of a peccary scapula with an almost perfectly round hole was found nearby a bone spear point that fits the hole perfectly. One side of the scapula fragment has a small entrance hole and the other side has a larger exit hole. The tip of the point does seem to have some impact damage. The point was made from the long bone of a large animal and it measures 5 1/4 inches (13.4 cm) long.

Middle Woodland dart/spear points.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
ANTLER "PREFABRICATE" & BARBED POINTS
ILLINOIS & KENTUCKY
MIDDLE WOODLAND
est. 2,000 to 1,600 YEARS AGO

    These four antler artifacts were found on sites in Illinois and Kentucky. They date to the Middle Woodland Hopewell culture. The lower three artifacts are barbed antler projectile points. They are much larger than later Mississippian period antler "arrow" points. Middle Woodland antler points were larger because they were used on the ends of spears that were propelled through the air with throwing sticks or atlatls. The segment of antler at top shows how the antler was grooved prior to snapping, trimming and drilling to finish a point. The antler point in the center is a cast. All three antler points were found on the Snyders site. The longest point measures 3 7/8 inches (9.9 cm) long.

    The excavation of Sheriden Cave produced to bone points. The other bone point was found inside the Cave in 2000. The tip of this point is in very good condition and is slightly polished. The base of the point has a design feature in the form of a small knob that probably helped to secure the point to the end of a spear. This point was made from the long bone of a large animal and it measures 4 11/16 inches (11.9 cm) long.

Eskimo culture harpoon.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
IVORY POINT
ESKIMO CULTURE
NORTH AMERICA

     This ivory point was made by one of the Eskimo cultures. It may have been used on the end of a spear as either a foreshaft or as a projectile point. If it was a foreshaft, an additional harpoon style point would have been fitted onto the pointed end. The roughened tapered end was attached (hafted) to the end of a spear shaft. This point measures 8 3/4 inches (22.2 cm) long.

    The largest number of ivory points found in the U.S. come from the Aucilla River in northwest Florida. They date to sometime within the Paleo-Indian period. The style is basically the same as the bone points from Sheriden Cave, only longer. In fact, it's a style that has been used by widely separated cultures and time periods around the world. These types of points were used by some Eskimo cultures and by some early European people who were living during the Late Paleolithic period. They may have been used on the ends of spears as foreshafts or as projectile points. If they were used as foreshafts, an additional projectile point would have been fitted onto one end. The tapered end is engraved or "roughened" with several crosshatch lines. The rough surface would help to secure any hafting materials, such as mastic (glue) or sinew, to the end of a spear.

Eskimo culture barbed harpoon.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
BARBED HARPOON
ESKIMO CULTURE
NORTH AMERICA

     This Eskimo barbed harpoon is made from bone. It originally had four barbs but one apparently broke and the surface was cut and polished to a smooth finish. People of the Artic regions, from Siberia to Greenland, made and used an almost endless variety of different styles and sizes of harpoon projectile points. They were specifically designed to hunt the different kinds of Artic animals from seals to the massive whales. This barbed harpoon measures 7 1/4 inches (18.4 cm) long.

    The largest numbers of bone and ivory projectile points come from Eskimo sites in the form of harpoons. They are found on ancient and recent sites across the north countries of Siberia into Alaska, Canada and Greenland. The cold climate and frozen ground has preserved much of the organic materials, even on the most ancient sites. There are two different types of true harpoons. One is called a barbed harpoon and the other is a toggle harpoon. Both types detach from the shaft and foreshaft when they are driven into an animal. The hunter or float is then connected to the animal by a line.


CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
BARBED TOGGLE HEAD HARPOON
ESKIMO CULTURE
NORTH AMERICA

    This point represents a common type of barbed toggle head harpoon. One of this size would have been used to hunt animals such as seals. This harpoon is made of bone and measures 3 5/8 inches (9.2 cm) long.

    One example of cold climate preservation involves the discovery of a broken piece of an ivory harpoon or lance tip that was embedded in a bone segment of a bowhead whale's flipper. It was found on the shore of Saint Lawrence Island in the Bearing Sea. Both the whalebone and the ivory harpoon produced radiocarbon dates of 2120+/-40BP and 2050+/-40BP years before present. This is the earliest physical evidence for hunting whale, other than engravings of whaling scenes.

Eskimo culture blunt point.
BLUNT ARROW POINT
ESKIMO CULTURE
NORTH AMERICA

    This blunt was made by one of the Eskimo cultures. The main purpose of a blunted arrow is to preserve the arrow and stun the animal. They are used on small game, such as birds and rabbits. Sharp pointed arrows serve no purpose with this type of hunting and will result in more arrow point repair. On-the-other-hand, blunts are very sturdy and difficult to break. The majority of pre-metal societies made their blunts out of wood, bone and ivory. This blunt is made of bone and it measures 2 1/4 inches (5.7 cm) long.

   A unique type of arrow point is the blunt. They are unique because they were made without a pointed end for piercing and almost always were made from organic materials. The main purpose of a blunted arrow is to preserve the arrow and stun the animal. They are used on small game, such as birds and rabbits. Sharp pointed arrows serve no purpose with this type of hunting and will result in more arrow point repair. On-the-other-hand, blunts are very sturdy and difficult to break. The majority of pre-metal societies made their blunts out of wood, bone and ivory.

Arrow point made from deer phalange bone.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
DEER PHALANX ARROW POINT &
DEER PHALANGES
KENTUCKY
MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURE

      This picture shows one of the more rare varieties of bone arrow points. They have been reported from states on both sides of the Mississippi River. These points were made from the lower foot bones of deer, called phalanx bones. Phalanges is the word used for plural, and they are also referred to as deer toe bones. The bones were cut, ground into shape and hollowed out for a socket for hafting onto an arrow shaft. The example in this picture is three sided with straight sharp edges and a flared base. It measures 1 3/16 inches (3.1 cm) long and 5/8 inch (1.6 cm) wide.

    The most common types of "organic" projectile points found on prehistoric sites in the U.S. were made from antler. Antler projectile points were used for thousands of years in North America, beginning sometime during the Late Archaic period. The earliest antler points were used as spear or dart points and were much larger than the later period arrow points. There were two main styles. Some were made with a projecting barb and others were made with squared off bases, without barbs. The more recent, Mississippian period, antler arrow points date from about 1,400 years ago to historic times, when they were replaced by conical metal points.

Gar scale arrow point.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGE IMAGE OF 13 POINTS
GAR SCALE ARROW POINT
MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURE
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI

       This is the largest gar scale in the cache of thirteen that were found by Chuck Adams in 1929. They have all turned yellow with age and are heavily patinated. Gar scales have a natural shape in the form of a point, sharp edges and a stem that is ready made for use as arrow points. It's possible that gar scales were in use as early as A.D. 200 with the beginning of bows and arrows in the Mississippi Valley.  This gar scale measures 1 1/8 inches (2.8 cm) long.
    Gars are freshwater fish that measure up to 10 feet (3m) in length and weigh up to 300 pounds (135k). The scales that cover their bodies are made of a very durable material with an enamel like coating on the surface. These scales were also used for other things besides arrowheads. In 1960 there were 40 fishhooks found with a burial near Memphis, Tennessee that were made of gar scales. Ancient cultures around the world have always utilized whatever they could from their local natural resources and gar scales are just another example.

    One of the more rare types of bone arrow points found in the U.S. is reported from states on both sides of the Mississippi River. These points were made from the lower foot bones of deer, called phalanx bones. Phalanges is the word used for plural. They are also referred to as deer toe bones. The bones were cut and ground into a three-sided shape before hollowing out the center into a socket for attachment to an arrow shaft.

Three antler and bone harpoon points, Arkansas & Illinois.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
ANTLER & BONE HARPOONS
MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURE
CAHOKIA AND ZEBREE SITE
ARKANSAS & ILLINOIS

    These three harpoons were found during the excavation of the Zebree site in Arkansas (top 2) and Mound 72 on the Cahokia Mounds site in Illinois (lowest 1). The center example is made of antler and the other two are made from bone. They all have barbs that were used as hooks to hold speared fish or frogs. Single barbed examples from the Mississippian period are more common than the three barbed example from the Zebree site. The two harpoons from the Zebree site date to the Big Lake phase between 11200 and 950 years ago. The harpoon from Mound 72 at Cahokia is one of several that were found. It represents one of the more complex forms with serrations on much of its length and two long barbs. This is the only nearly complete example that was salvaged from the site. The triple barbed antler point in the center measures 4 1/4 inches (10.8 cm) long.
 

    The rock hard scales from gars are another unique organic material that was sometimes used for arrow points. Gar scales have a natural shape in the form of a point, sharp edges and a stem that is ready made for use as arrow points. It's possible that gar scales were in use as early as A.D. 200 with the beginning of bows and arrows in the Mississippi Valley. Gars are freshwater fish that measure up to 10 feet (3m) in length and weigh up to 300 pounds (135k). The scales that cover their bodies are made of a very durable material with an enamel like coating.

Cache of barbed antler arrow points, Cahokia Mounds site.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
CACHE OF BARBED ANTLER ARROW POINTS
MOUND 72
CAHOKIA MOUNDS SITE
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS

       This picture shows one of the largest caches of antler arrow points ever found. They were discovered during the excavation of Mound 72, in about 1969, on the Cahokia Mounds site. The several hundred antler points in this cache appear, by their alignment, to have been hafted onto arrows. Antler points may have been a common point type used by Mississippian people. They have been found on many Mississippian sites in the southeastern U.S. The large antler point in the picture shows a close-up view of one of the only examples that survives from the excavation.

   Another type of "organic" projectile point are the single, double and triple barbed harpoon or fish spearing points. They are made of antler and bone materials. It's believed they were used to spear fish or frogs. A single-barbed bone point and a triple-barbed antler point was found during the excavation of the Zebree site in Arkansas and date to the Big Lake phase between 11200 and 950 years ago. Several double-barbed harpoons were discovered during the excavation of Mound 72 at Cahokia in southern Illinois. They are complex forms that have serrations on much of their length and two long barbs on opposite sides.

Siz barbed antler arrow points.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
BARBED ANTLER ARROW POINTS
ETOWAH, CAHOKIA & A KENTUCKY SITE
GEORGIA, ILLINOIS AND KENTUCKY

     These socketed barbed antler arrow points were found on Mississippian period sites in Georgia, Illinois and Kentucky. They were made from the tips of an antler tines. The point at upper left was found on the Kunnemann tract on the Cahokia Mounds site. The point at upper right (a cast) was found during the excavation of Mound C with burial #1 on the Etowah Mound site. The point at lower right was found during the excavation of Mound 72 on the Cahokia Mounds site. The other three examples were discovered on a site in Kentucky. The longest point measures 1 15/16 inches (5 cm) long.
    Antler projectile points were used for thousands of years in North America, beginning sometime during the Late Archaic period. The earliest antler points were used as spear or dart points and were much larger than the arrow points illustrated here. There were two main styles. Some were made with a projecting barb, like most of these points and others were made with squared off bases, without barbs. The more recent, Mississippian period, antler arrow points date from about 1,400 years ago to historic times, when they were replaced by conical metal points.

    Some of the most delicate and skillfully made bone arrow points were made on the Cahokia Mounds site in Illinois. They are interesting for the fact that many of them appear to be effigies of sharks teeth. In fact, teeth from great white sharks have been identified from this site. The Cahokia bone points were probably made from deer bone. Although only two or three dozen are known, they were made in several different styles. Most of them have serrated edges but double-notched and un-notched triangular points have also been found without serrations. The other styles include double-notched serrated points with concave and straight bases and triangular serrated points with concave bases.

Three double-notched bone Cahokia points, Cahokia site.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
DOUBLE-NOTCHED SERRATED
BONE CAHOKIA POINTS
CAHOKIA MOUNDS SITE
MADISON/ST. CLAIR COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

     These three bone Cahokia points are some of the best examples that have been found on the Cahokia Mounds site. Their double-notched serrated style is the same as some stone points that have been found on the site. Most of the bone arrow points from Cahokia have edge serrations and most of the stone points are un-serrated. The point on the right is highly polished and measures 1 3/8 inches (3.5 cm) long.

     Shell arrow points have also been reported but they are very rare. One of the best examples is described in a report written in 1988 by Terry Jones. The report describes a small abalone shell Desert Side-Notched point that was found during the excavation of a shell midden. The project was a salvage/rescue excavation on a 1,000 year old site located south of Monterey, California. The point measures 1 1/16 inches (2.6 cm) long. The report describes the manufacture technique as the same as for the manufacture of shell ornaments. The point was made by cutting and grinding and not by flaking. The author describes the discovery; "As far as is known, no shell projectile point has ever been reported from California before."

Seven triangular serrated bone Cahokia points, Cahokia.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
TRIANGULAR SERRATED
BONE CAHOKIA POINTS
CAHOKIA MOUNDS SITE
MADISON/ST. CLAIR COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

     The seven bone Cahokia points in this picture are some of the best examples for this type. They were surface collected, many years ago, on the Cahokia Mounds site. Three of them are in the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the rest are in private collections. Although rare, these points are the more common "un-notched" style of bone points. They have concave bases with very straight serrated edges and are fairly thin. The point at lower left is the exception without a serrated edge. Sharks teeth have been found on the Cahokia Mounds site and it's believed that these styles of points might be effigies of sharks teeth. All of these points may be made of deer bone. The point at top right measures 1 7/16 inches (3.6 cm) long, 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) wide and 1/16 inch (1.1 mm) thick.

    There has been a long history of plant fiber use for projectile points in areas of dense jungle in the regions of South America, Southeast Asia, Borneo, Indonesia and New Guinea. Wood, bamboo and other plant materials were commonly used  for the production of arrow points and blowgun darts. People living in New Guinea still make and use several different types of arrow points from wood, bone and bamboo and still use them as weapons. A recent attack in Papua New Guinea on June 19, 2011 by a local tribesman shot a New Zealand man twice with arrows. The report says; "The arrow went into his right lung and the other through his ribs, under his liver and through his stomach, stopping short of the aorta." The man did survive.

Two shell arrow points from southwestern United States.
SHELL ARROW POINTS
SOUTHWESTERN U.S.

      Shell arrow points have been reported but they are very rare. This picture shows two examples from a group of southwestern shell artifacts that were published over 120 years ago in "Popular Science Monthly." A report written in 1988 by Terry Jones describes a small abalone shell Desert Side-Notched point that was found during the excavation of a shell midden. The project was a salvage/rescue excavation on a 1,000 year old site located south of Monterey, California. The point measures 1 1/16 inches (2.6 cm) long, 1/2 inch (1.35 cm) wide and (2 mm) thick. The report describes the manufacture technique as the same as for the manufacture of shell ornaments. The point was made by cutting and grinding and not by flaking. The author describes the discovery; "As far as is known, no shell projectile point has ever been reported from California before."

    No one knows when the first blowguns began to be used. But they have been used on all inhabited continents at one time or another. They have been used by many different cultures, from Japanese Ninja assassins to Brazilian jungle tribal hunters. In the U.S., blowguns have been used by the Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek and Houma tribes in the southeast. Although some blowguns shot clay or stone pellets, most were using some type of plant fiber dart made from the midribs of palm leaves, bamboo or wood. Some are even reported to be tipped with piranha teeth. The earliest descriptions of blowguns are from Rome 1,800 years ago. It is interesting to note that although blowgun darts are lighter and expend less energy than arrows they can travel twice as fast.

Wooden arrow points and blowgun darts.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
WOOD AND PLANT FIBER
ARROW POINTS & BLOWGUN DARTS
NEW GUINEA & SOUTH AMERICA

     Wood, bamboo and other plant fibers were commonly used  for the production of arrow points and blowgun darts. Before the age of metal, these materials were used almost exclusively for projectile points in areas of dense forests and tropical jungle. This picture shows six different examples of arrow points, from New Guinea, that are made of wood and bamboo. The four long round and barbed points on the left measure about 12 inches (30.5 cm) long. The cane shafts measure between 36 and 48 inches (91.4 cm to 122 cm) long. The bamboo point on the right is wide and curved and is designed for causing wounds that bleed and used to shoot pigs. The arrow second from the right is a leister design with three prongs that are barbed. This arrow would be used to shoot fish or birds. The other four points have very sharp points and are long and narrow with shallow barbs and long splinter-like barbs. These would be used in warfare to shoot people.
    This picture also shows a hundred year old quiver that contains hundreds of blowgun darts that were made by people living in the region around eastern Peru and western Brazil. The tip of each dart is stained with some type of poison, possibly curare. The woven bag holds the cotton-like fiber that is twisted onto the end of each dart before it's propelled through the air with a blowgun. Blowguns have been used on all inhabited continents at one time or another by Japanese Ninja assassins to Brazilian jungle tribal hunters. In the U.S., blowguns have been used by the Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek and Houma tribes in the southeast. Although some blowguns shot clay or stone pellets, most were using some type of plant fiber dart made from the midribs of palm leaves, bamboo or wood. The earliest descriptions of blowguns are from Rome 1,800 years ago.

    The worldwide development of so many different types of projectile points and devices to propel them is extraordinary. The ability of people to use and take advantage of their natural resources is a testament to their ingenuity and tenacity to survive in all types of environments, from the coldest Arctic to the hottest jungles and deserts.

"REFERENCES"

1902, Mason, Otis Tufton, "Aboriginal American Harpoons: A Study In Ethnic Distribution And Invention," Annual Report Of The U.S. National Museum, p. 197-304..
1912
, Hodge, Frederick Webb, "Bone-Work," Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, p. 159.
1912
, Hodge, Frederick Webb, "Arrowheads," Handbook Of American Indians North Of Mexico, Part I, p. 90.
1912
, Hodge, Frederick Webb, "Harpoons," Handbook Of American Indians North Of Mexico, Part I, p. 533.
1982
, Frison, George C. and Carolyn Craig, "Bone, Antler And Ivory Artifacts And Manufacture Technology," The Agate Basin Site, p. 157.
1983
, Morse, Dan F. & Morse, Phyllis A., "Archaeology Of The Central Mississippi Valley," p. 223-224.
1985
, Perino, Gregory, "Selected Preforms, Points and Knives of the North American Indians," p. 40.
1988
, Tattersall, Ian, "Spear," Encyclopedia Of Human Evolution And Prehistory, pp. 335-336.
1988
, Jones, Terry, "A Shell Projectile Point From The Big Sur Coast, California," Journal Of California And Great Basin Anthropology, Vol. 10, Issue 1.
1999, Bridcland, David R., "Middle Pleistocene Interglacial Thames-Medway Deposits At Clacton-On-Sea, England:" Quaternary Science Reviews, 18, p. 110.

RECENT LISTINGS    HOME    ORDERING