Arrowhead

 

The arrowhead is one of the most common tool that people think of when the picture Native American memorabilia. The part that people tend to forget about the arrowhead is that it is a vital tool for survival. This object is used mainly for hunting but also was used during battle if another tribe came upon their land and would not leave. The way that this tool was made is they would go down to their water supply, find two river rocks and start hitting them together to form the shape they wanted to make. After they got somewhat of a shape they would get a smooth rock from the bottom of the river to shape the perfect form of the arrowhead. Being an arrowhead maker was a very difficult job with the lack of technology that was present in their time. It took precision and patience while creating these tools and when you look at the object you can truly understand the time it takes to form. After the formation of the arrowhead, someone would get a sturdy stick from a pine tree and slit it at the end where the arrowhead would be placed making a spear, a very deadly weapon. Even though simple it had a lot of impact throughout the Americas explained by W. Karl Hutchings and Lorenz Bruchert saying, "Despite its eventual replacement, the spearthrower offers several advantages that may account for its persistence among various cultures, we believe one of the most important of these is the ability of the spearthrower to impart a much greater projectile force than the bow" (p. 3). The only way that these weapons would have been able to be produced is by the surroundings of the environment the South has to offer. The stones found in the rivers are perfect for a strong piece to broke down and sharpened along with the strong pine trees that East Tennessee must offer.