"The true scientist is one who is committed to knowing, to scientia, which is the attempt to understand the ultimate nature of reality, without bias, prejudice, or commitment to an ideology or belief system. Otherwise, he is unworthy of the name."--------1974, Astronaut, Edgar D. Mitchell (6th man on the moon), "Psychic Exploration, A Challenge For Science," p. 32.
    "----(as observed by Spencer & Gillen) the (aboriginal) women (in Australia) cut into their scalps with their digging sticks (during self-mutilation rituals for the deceased person) until blood poured down their faces, while their male relatives gashed themselves deeply across their thighs with stone knives until they could not stand. Now the natives say that this "Donnybrook Fair" placates the ghost of the dead man, but it is obvious that the angriest ghost in Australia could not harm them as much as they harm themselves---"---------, 1948, William Howells, "The Heathens, Primitive Man And His Religions" republished in 1962 by the American Museum Of Natural History, p. 163.
   "---on the second day of the (Dani tribe) funeral ceremony (in New Guinea). After the hand (of a young girl) has been numbed by a blow on the elbow, the fingers are chopped off with a blow from a stone adze. Like pigs and shell goods, the fingers are gifts considered necessary to placate the ghosts. Although nearly every Dani girl loses several fingers, as a woman she does a wide range of work--"--------1968, Robert Gardner & Karl G. Heider, "Gardens Of War, Life And Death In The New Guinea Stone Age," pp. 100 & 101.
     "It is in blood sacrifices, especially where human beings are offered instead of animals, that "part-of-the-whole" sacrifices, like the offerings of human fingers, hair, or blood drawn through self-inflicted wounds are sometimes used as replacements."--------1999, O. W. Hampton, "Culture Of Stone, Sacred And Profane Uses Of Stone Among The Dani," p. 21.
    "In one anthropological account after another I had read of the custom of sacrificing a finger joint when a relative died. No imagining can equal a picture of a woman with only stumps on her hands working or caring for a child. The word "sacrifice" suddenly assumes new meaning."--------1968, Margaret Mead, comments in "Foreword" in, Robert Gardner & Karl G. Heider, "Gardens Of War, Life And Death In The New Guinea Stone Age," pp. 100 & 101.
     "---the dominant attitude in most simple cultures is fear, and distaste for any contact (with a ghost), the more so as the poor ghost has little to do except watch the living and wish he were one of them again."1948, William Howells, "The Heathens, Primitive Man And His Religions" republished in 1962 by the American Museum Of Natural History, pp. 157.
    "No phenomenon (in tribal New Guinea), either real or imagined, is of greater significance to Dani life than their belief in ghosts. The logic of their existence tests on their premise that all happenings are the result of both human and ghostly instrumentality."---------1968, Robert Gardner & Karl G. Heider, "Gardens Of War, Life And Death In The New Guinea Stone Age," p. 87.
    "During the period of mourning which follows immediately upon the death of a man and occupies a period of from twelve to eighteen months, no person must mention the name of the deceased except it be absolutely necessary to do so, and then only in a whisper for fear of disturbing and annoying the man's spirit which in ghost form, or as they call it, Ulthana, walks about"--------1899, Baldwin Spencer & F. J. Gillen, "Native Tribes Of Central Australia," p. 498.

GHOSTS AND FLINTKNAPPING
CULTURAL RITUAL AND MODERN ART

    Ghosts and flintknapping seem unrelated. But they actually do connect in different ways, from whimsical to terrifying. Whimsical as modern flint-knapped art and terrifying for stone tools used in self-mutilation rituals. When considering every aspect of ghosts and flintknapping, there are interesting perspectives worth mentioning. Ghosts do have a long history. Some archaeologists believe that religious ideas may date sometime prior to 300,000 years ago, within the Lower Paleolithic period. Stone tools date to at least 2.5 million years ago.

       Wouldn't it be interesting to know when the idea of a ghost first appeared in a human mind. The oldest known, undisputed, human burial dates to 100,000 years ago at Skhul Cave in Israel. This ritual burial contained bones that were stained with red ochre which suggests a concern for ghosts, spirits and possibly a soul. Most people, in today's industrialized societies, relate to ghosts more as entertainment. TV, Halloween and religion have removed all the old fears that once promoted complex rituals that specifically guided and controlled ghosts. This does not mean that ghosts are not real, just that most of the once powerful cultural traditions that dealt with them are no longer important. On-the-other-hand, some areas of the world still have a great fear and respect for ghosts. Many of their ancient traditions are still observed.

     On a lighter side, Dan Theus' Halloween ghosts are wonderful examples of flint knapped art. The five ghosts illustrated in this article were made from a uniquely colored white opalescent glass made in China. It's perfect material for knapping ghosts. The wind blown cap and "tail" and out stretched arms with hands, on the two largest examples, are wonderful design features. The eyes were carved with a dremel tool and colored with black ink. The flintknapping time for these ghosts was about forty-five minutes each. One ghost measures 4 9/16 inches (11.6 cm) long and 3 1/4 inches (8.3 cm) wide. The other ghost measures 4 3/8 inches (11.1 cm) long and 3 5/16 inches (8.4 cm) wide.

     Another example of Dan Theus' art work is a pumpkin named "Jasper" that happens to be made from a piece of Jasper. The mouth was started from a natural cavity and delicately enlarged by pressure flaking. The eyes were started with a dremel tool by grinding from both sides until a small hole was made. Then shaping the circles by pressure flaking. The working time for this pumpkin was two hours. "Jasper" the pumpkin measures 2 inches (5.1 cm) from left to right.

      Another way to look at ghosts and flintknapping are the points known as gray ghosts and ghost points. The most famous examples are "Gray Ghosts." They were named for and made from gray Edwards chert from Texas. These are modern-made "spears" that have caused quite a lot of confusion for more than half a century. The buying public has had a "devil" of a time identifying them as either old or new. In fact, they have become a sort of modern legend. The first ones were produced in Bryan Reinhardt's "flint spear" factory sometime in the 1940's. "Gray ghosts" are large modern-made "flint spears" that were made during the 40's, 50's, 60's and early 70's. "Gray ghosts" are scary only when the people that purchase or inherit them, believe they have ancient artifacts of great value. But they're actually nice examples of one man's modern flintknapping art. Each one is a little different and unique. True "gray ghosts" are credited to Bryan Reinhardt because he made so many more than anyone else. He passed away in about 1982, by some reports, of silicosis of the lungs. He sold them by the case of 144 and must have made a great many thousands of them.

    Another ghost that might concern "collectors" are what some have called "ghost points." These are the points that people buy with no evidential information that might support the value placed on them. In-other-words, they can be high priced items that only have a good story. Since the beginning of the great flintknapping boom in the United States, in the 1970's, there are more "ghost points" in circulation than old ones. They number in the millions. Some even have authentic patina, for example, if they've been place in running water for a few months.

    The darker side of ghosts and flintknapping are the stone tools that were used in ritual ceremonies for the purpose of appeasing the ghost of the recently deceased. These funerals can be lengthy and involve self-mutilation. The most extraordinary example may be finger amputation when a close family member dies. Dani women and young girls, of western New Guinea, would traditionally have one joint of one finger removed with a stone adze. One report describes the amputation as being performed by a man who was a specialist in the procedure. The selected finger was tied between the second and third joint. Then the elbow was struck with a hard stick to help deaden the nerves in part of the hand. The operator extends the finger on a board. Then removes it up to the second joint with a small transverse (straight edged) stone adze. The wound is then dressed with a mixture of clay and ashes. The severed finger is burned in the dying ashes of the funeral fire. The procedure is now prohibited but many Dani women still  display their missing fingers to curious tourists.

    Another extreme example of placating a ghost comes from Central Australia in the late 1800's. Ethnographers Gillen and Spencer describe what they saw as an "orgy of self-mutilation." The event was the funeral of a Warramunga man. The women cut their scalps with their digging sticks until blood flowed down their faces and the men cut their thighs with stone knives until they could not stand. Twenty-three wounds were counted on one man. After they rested for a few hours, the women began hitting each other in the head with war clubs. The next day, some women were still cutting their scalps while others began cauterizing their wounds with burning sticks. Gillen and Spencer comment in their report that "it's obvious that the angriest ghost in Australia could not harm them as much as they harm themselves." They also comment that another reason why they may be so violent to themselves is for a psychological way out of despair.

     Science does not believe in ghosts. It's an illusion of the mind they say. So what are ghosts anyway. Like "Bigfoot" they never go away. Someone is always talking about them, seeing them or hearing them. Many old and traditional cultures know them as malevolent frightful things. They are said to cause everything from death and illness to general mayhem. But, on-the-other-hand, modern witnesses of ghosts often describe more pleasant experiences of loved ones appearing to reassure them that they are ok. So the subject remains complex and each person is left to make his own reality.

    Belief in ghosts must be one of the most common and long lasting cross cultural metaphysical ideas of humans. Names for them probably reach to the moon by now. Reported sightings are almost always ephemeral (short lived). This writer can offer a ghost story that he saw while traveling a lonely road in 1966 at three in the morning. The only car that past, going the other way with a slow motion effect, was driven by a friend. It was odd, he shouldn't have been there. The next day it was discovered that he died that night in a car accident. Is it a trick of sight or an undigested bit of beef or crumb of cheese, as Scrooge would say? Well just remember, when you look at the phenomenon long enough the phenomenon will often times look back at you. So be careful out there.

"REFERENCES"

1899, Spencer Baldwin & Gillen, F. J., "Native Tribes Of Central Australia."
1948, Howells, William, "The Heathens, Primitive Man And His Religions" republished in 1962 by the American Museum Of Natural History.
1968, Gardner, Robert & Heider, Karl G., "Gardens Of War, Life And Death In The New Guinea Stone Age."
1974, Mitchell, Edgar D., "Psychic Exploration, A Challenge For Science."
1994, Mauze, Marie, "The Concept Of The Person And Reincarnation Among The Kwakiutl Indians," Amerindian Rebirth: Reincarnation Belief Among North American Indians And Inuit, published by the University of Toronto Press.
1999, Hampton, O. W., "Culture Of Stone, Sacred And Profane Uses Of Stone Among The Dani."
2010, Varner, Gary R., "Ghosts, Spirits & The Afterlife In Native American Folklore And Religion."

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