From a flint knapping point of view, there are several things which can be learned about the practices of the native knappers in the Pacific Northwest by carefully observing the details evident in a collection of a few well made arrowheads.
First, it is evident that they made use of any material which could be chipped; obsidian, agate, jasper, petrified wood, etc.
Second, they utilized every chip of stone off the old block; whether the chip was large or small.
Third, the tools which they used to work the stone chips into these finely made arrowheads were also quite small, as evidenced by the size of the flaking on the points, and by the width of the notches used to form the tang needed to attach the points to the arrow shaft.
From these ancient knapping practices we can learn that it is o.k. to use small chips of stone to make realistically sized arrowheads; that it is also acceptable that these arrowheads can sometimes be worked in a unifacial manner; we will need to use small tools to prepare and finish the arrow points; we can make these small and delicate arrowheads from the full range of knappable material; and that the conservation of vital resources is and always has been an important and enduring aspect of life.
First, it is evident that they made use of any material which could be chipped; obsidian, agate, jasper, petrified wood, etc.
Second, they utilized every chip of stone off the old block; whether the chip was large or small.
Third, the tools which they used to work the stone chips into these finely made arrowheads were also quite small, as evidenced by the size of the flaking on the points, and by the width of the notches used to form the tang needed to attach the points to the arrow shaft.
From these ancient knapping practices we can learn that it is o.k. to use small chips of stone to make realistically sized arrowheads; that it is also acceptable that these arrowheads can sometimes be worked in a unifacial manner; we will need to use small tools to prepare and finish the arrow points; we can make these small and delicate arrowheads from the full range of knappable material; and that the conservation of vital resources is and always has been an important and enduring aspect of life.
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