I take it you're from an area of the world that didn't have native hunters
using arrows?

An arrowhead is typically made from flint or some other stone that cleaves
instead of breaks when you strike it.  The process is known as flintknapping
and can be replicated by some very talented craftsmen today.  The arrowhead
is then tied to a wooden shaft and shot with a bow or more often a really
cool device called an atlatl (pronounced at-latel or atel-atel, depending on
which expert you ask).  Since these take a lot of time to produce, the
natives tried to recover any that they shot.  They even made specialty
arrowheads for specific prey -- like really small ones for shooting birds.
Rarely a local can find a spearhead used for hunting buffalo or war, much
like stone-age hunter-gatherers, but since those were easier to recover
there weren't as many of them made.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowhead_(stone_age)

(I know, I hate it when someone points to a wiki article, too.  But it's
short and to the point.)

But this brings up something I hadn't thought of before... Which primitive
cultures *did* come up with arrows?  What did the indigenous peoples of
Australia hunt with?


--Terry



-----Original Message-----
From: powderworks@yahoogroups.com.au [mailto:powderworks@yahoogroups.com.au]
On Behalf Of Tom Spencer
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 4:22 PM
To: powderworks@yahoogroups.com.au
Subject: [powderworks] Re: (NMOC) 'If Ned Kelly was King' Archaeological dig

Dear Terry

Hi.  You mentioned that one arrowhead "made 200 years ago is practically
indistinguishable from one made 5 min. ago".  What kind of material is
it, that it lasts so well?  Or is it the climate?  (I looked across at
my "Oils Canberra" T-shirt while typing AND was NOT thinking of "Back on
the Borderline").

t


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