Ancient Past

On a walk in the rain yesterday, I found my first artifact of 2025. Half buried in the mud, the notch in the side of this quartz projectile point is what caught my eye. The typology is Lomoka, which were made and used for a long time in the Late Archaic through Middle Woodland periods. If on the earlier side, it means who ever held it last may have lost it around 5,500-4,500 years ago. Either way, this stone point predates the bow and arrow. Instead it was the tip of a spear or dart that was launched from a handheld device called an atlatl. This was a great find for me. 

Next was a real heartbreaker, yet still a good pickup. This Orient Fishtail must have been quite impressive when it was fully intact. I think the mottled brown-gray lithic type is Onondaga Chert, which was likely quarried in what is now New York and made its way here via trade. The Fishtail-type points were made in the Transitional Archaic through Early Woodland periods, which means it could be more than 3,000 years old. 

Jackpot!

I will let the photos do the talking in this post. Needless to say, I am on cloud nine right now after finding the most impressive Native American artifact in my collection. Jackpot indeed!

Good Looking

In heavily developed southern Connecticut, it is very difficult locating spots that still consistently yield Native American artifacts. Many of the farm fields that gave up museum-worthy stone tools to our predecessors are now sub-divisions or shopping malls. And most of the places that we do have left, have been picked over for centuries. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of stuff still out there and, occasionally, we do stumble upon something nice. My friend Derrick and I have been doing much more looking than fishing this spring and it is starting to pay off. I found this intact quartz beauty last week. It was not easy to spot being caked in mud and blending in very well with the other rocks. It is a great feeling when you find a full piece after picking up so many crumbs and it is a great incentive to keep on looking.   

  

A Good Find

A friend and I hunted a corn field today. We weren't after deer or upland birds, we were surface hunting for Native American artifacts. This particular spot abuts a large river and is full of evidence of early man. More than likely there was a large village at this site on and off for thousands of years. The field has been picked over by collectors for decades, but after each big rain or spring till we are presented with a new look. On this trip we some flakes of quartz and flint that were refuse from when the American indians produced projectile points. We also found some clam shells, a good sign when you're more than 30 miles from the coast. The best find of the day, however, came right before the sun sank behind the tree line, as I picked up a small broken point; a big addition to my growing collection. It's what I would call a "heart-breaker;" not a full point, but complete enough to know how much skill was needed to make it. Needless to say, we'll be going back to this site again soon. 

Wolf Moon

Moon phases play a major role in Native American culture. Each month's full moon was given at least one name by the natives; sometimes several. One of January's full moon names is the Wolf Moon, which derives from when hungry wolf packs would howl outside indian villages on winter nights. 

It was under a bright Wolf Moon that I last walked on the ice. Our headlamps were more or less useless during setup in the predawn hours. The temperature dropped to zero degrees, yet we still worked up a sweat. After base camp was settled, the sun rose over the tree line and tip-up flags started popping. Maybe the full moon turned on the trout bite? It was a great day on the ice either way.