Native American arrowhead info????

[Dazed&Confused]

Was granted permission to hunt 190 acres here in MS, just outside a little town called Lumberton. After sitting in the tree for 4 hours I decided to get a feel for the land since I had never really scouted the area. I grew up near Harpers Ferry WV and have developed a habit of always scanning the ground for out of place shapes like bullets, arrowheads or any other artifact that may be lying around. So, I stumbled across this little guy.

Initial research points to one of the Choctaw Tribes that inhabited the area, the material is yellow flint and because of the size it was probably intended for the tip of an arrow since most of the bigger points were typically knives, scrapers or spear tips. Just wondering if there's any knowledgable folks on here that can give me some more insight.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

I can't really help you with this bit of information, but I like to go metal detecting for historical artifacts from the Revolutionary to Civil Wars. I've been able to find buckles, bullets, gun parts, buttons, etc. over the years. Now that we're "neighbors" (just moved in to the other end of the state), maybe we can meet at some point to do some relic hunting. I'm sure you know this region far better than me and will take any advice and ideas that you have for me to heart.

Anyway, I would be interested to hear how you scan the ground and what usually catches your eye.

 

[Dazed&Confused]

Noticed earlier that you now reside down here in MS, guess we're both "damn" yankees now. Definitely wouldn't mind getting together some time to do some exploring, a metal detector is actually on my wish list, it's been several years since I've been but there's nothing like the rush you get when you pick up a hit and the anticipation of what lies below the surface.

Of course the best places to scan are places where you know or at least think you know where artifacts would be, but around Harpers Ferry that was EVERYWHERE! Freshly plowed fields are a gold mine, which you most likely already know, but I like to walk them after a good rain. The rain packs the earth around the artifact typically leaving it perched right on top of the ground around it. Gully's or ditches where water runs fast during rains but left dry when it's over are always very good spots, there was an old forestry road we used to walk near Harpers Ferry after a good ol' "gully washer" and the bullets would literally being laying everywhere, no matter how many times you walked it.

Shapes are the big thing, theres not a lot of things in mother nature that has a geometrical shape; triangle, rounded to a point, square or straight lines contrasted against your typical earth. I kind of compare it to hunting deer, there's a lot of things in nature that are vertical, but not very many things are horizontal, so the back and stomach lines of deer stand out. Lol Same thing with color, anything on the ground with a variation in shade will typically catch your eye, especially rust on metal or the white that lead mini balls and bullets turn. I'm just always looking around, no matter where I'm walking.

This point was literally sitting up like a piece of jewelry in a display case. The water in the gully had washed all the dirt from around it except for the little pillar the point was perched on. Pretty cool find.

 

[Snydershrugged]

Great find! I tried googling and didnt hit much luck learning more about it. Your guess on the Choctaw seemed pretty right on.

I used to hunt arrowheads a lot when I was a kid. Growing up in upstate NY around Oneida Lake and Onondaga Lake areas, there were a few tribes that used the area almost as a shipping hub due to the natural river and lake systems

 

[Dazed&Confused]

Great find! I tried googling and didnt hit much luck learning more about it. Your guess on the Choctaw seemed pretty right on.

I used to hunt arrowheads a lot when I was a kid. Growing up in upstate NY around Oneida Lake and Onondaga Lake areas, there were a few tribes that used the area almost as a shipping hub due to the natural river and lake systems

Speaking of shipping hub, one of my fathers best friends had an amazing collection!

Anyway, David had an EXTENSIVE collection, both pre civil war, civil war and native american; including a solid gold belt buckle he found on the bank of their pond. Man, keep getting sidetracked, he had so much cool stuff...Him and my father worked for the NPS just outside the DC area and while doing some maintenance on one of the facilities they started chatting up one of the historians about the arrowheads on display. David kind of nonchalantly made a comment about having hundreds of points and described some of them to the guy.

Very interested he asked David if he minded bringing his points in for him to look at, he did, and the Historian couldn't believe his eyes! He begged David to let him borrow them so he could take them to the Smithsonian and show some of his colleagues. Reluctantly he allowed it and after several weeks he brought them back.

Evidently they concluded the area must have been a major gathering/trade area for several Native American tribes. There were points in his collection that simply did not belong, like as far away as Alaska! The historian said David had examples of almost every style of arrowhead, from every tribe in North America. Their theory was these points were collected and traded, tribe to tribe, making their way to the place where he found them. Of course the Historian asked where and David refused to tell him and walked off.

Kind of crappy, at least I thought so, but evidently David wasn't too happy with the Park Service because forced his family off of their land to make it part of NPS property. What I mean by forced is they gave his grandfather a price they determined as fair and allowed him to live in the family home until he passed, but when that day came, all of his belongings had to be removed from the property and it became park property. The guy even had anthropologists from the Smithsonian contacting him asking for the location and he simply refused.

I'd tell you but I'd have to kill you. Lol

 

[Dazed&Confused]

Hey BB, found this site during my research and there's several civil war maps of battles in MS.

http://usgwarchives.org/maps/mississippi/

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Now that is a great reference tool. Got it bookmarked now. I will make good use of it - thanks a bunch.

In your previous post, that is interesting to see how you go about searching for relics. I went through Harpers Ferry two weeks ago today as we began the move down here. Obviously, I didn't have time to stop and look around. That area, like most any place along the eastern seaboard is full of hidden treasures.

 

[Dazed&Confused]

Now that is a great reference tool. Got it bookmarked now. I will make good use of it - thanks a bunch.

In your previous post, that is interesting to see how you go about searching for relics. I went through Harpers Ferry two weeks ago today as we began the move down here. Obviously, I didn't have time to stop and look around. That area, like most any place along the eastern seaboard is full of hidden treasures.

Been asking around and a coworker suggested checking out Stennis Space Centers map collection. Evidently they've done extensive topogrophy mapping, especially in this neck of the woods. That coupled with some of the older maps may get you in the right area.

One of the interesting things I came across while doing my research was the currency used down here until around 1847. According to what I read the spanish gold coins were the predominent form of currency and even when the change to paper money was made, there was never a requirement to turn it in and it was still widely accepted for several more years. To think most people were walking around in hand made clothes with gold coins in their pockets makes for some interesting prospecting.

 

[Dazed&Confused]

Just found this site too

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gtusa/usa/ms.htm