Primitive North American Stone Weaponry - Mysteries

[Pablo]

Thanks for sharing this info, guys! The Witte Museum in San Antonio sponsors several hikes/tours in the Sanderson and Langtry, TX area to see pictographs and prehistoric campsites in the canyons. We have gone on three, and have enjoyed them a lot. One is called the Bonfire Shelter, where the natives stompeded giant bison over the cliff to where they were then cooked and eaten. Bones from giant sloths, bears and other animals have been found. The excavation is still ongoing.

 

[grand veneur]

Don't forget copper works in North America. Though many were around the Great Lakes, the southeast had its share. Rudimentary copper digs have been found from before the time of Pocahantas. There is a new theory that the lost settlers of Roanoke were taken as "beaters of copper" by the Indians who valued copper ornamentation. That skill would have been one of few which would have saved them, made them valuable to keep alive.

Copper was worked in America, but as far as I know, bigger tools were not made with it at the time BC we are talking about.The Purepécha in northwest Mexico are said to have made weapons with copper, which caused a lot of problems the Aztecs, but here we are in our Middle Ages. At the time Pocahontas the more or less good technological transfer was already underway.

 

[deewayne2003]

You peaked my curiosity and starting looking into it, my opinion is that these stones may have common features but used for different purposes.

Example - Look at the 2 circled in red, I started thinking that the oval holes appeared to be in the hook shaped stones and I believe that would be for mounting on a Atlatl for use as the hook where the end of the dart/shaft connects to the Atlatl.

Then I came across this video of a man who has put lots of time into Atlatl history and manufacture; he also addresses banner stones.

He addresses banner stones @4:00..... and at 4:30 he mentions that his have oval handles.

As for the ones with round holes, I think they may have been used in an opposite fashion to the "weighted wirl" theory - Imagine the stone being used as a shaft straightener/hone while the shaft of the projectile is spun with a bow like a fire drill. So if these stones made the production of frequently lost or broken atlatl shafts more efficient it would explain why early people would be willing to invest so much time in their manufacturing.

Think of it like a welders jig for commonly produced objects like H braces for fences, once you invest the time in making the jig, you can exponentially increased your production rate of a commonly consumed item.

 

[Randy F]

This stuff fascinates me...probably way more than is healthy.