Wednesday, July 20, 2022

HOW TO MAKE AN ANCIENT ARROW OR SPEAR

A few weeks ago, one of our history blog readers(Angella Condos) put an article on FB showing that Obsidian was 500 times more sharp that a steel blade, so I thought I would throw in my two bits worth and add to that fact. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer to assist the Anasazi State Park of Utah; Utah History Department; University of Utah and others to study the history of the Anasazi Indians, or what I have come to refer to as the "Ancient Ones". Depending on who you believe, there are a variety of opinions of what that term means including the Navajos that thought it was evil and forbidden to hike in the prehistoric area where the Anasazi hid their food and in cliff dwellings in the four corner area of Utah. The Anasazi lived there around three thousand years ago, and disappeared in about 1500. Some believe they modified themselves into Hopi or Pueblo culture, becoming basket weavers. Up by Nephi and Antelope Island, the digs we did there were of the Fremont culture. At any hoot, I wanted to show what a Prehistoric Indian dwelling looked like; the image demonstrated by Angie, then an arrowhead and the Black Obsidian rock I made it from. It took an entire day to make one good arrowhead. It takes patience and we used deer horns, just as the Ancient Ones did a few thousand years ago. The arrow itself is made of wild rose stocks that are stretched out in the sun and then we take the sinew from an animal and while it is still fresh, wrap it around the arrow. I used leather gloves as I am sure the ancient ones cut plenty of fingers, or were just better at it then I was. A buddy and I doing a hike, discovered a previously unknown area on the shores of ancient Lake Bonneville, where we found Black Obsidian, which is solidified hot lava from ancient volcanos of the past.





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