Native+American+Tools+and+Weapons

Lucas Wendl American Indian Studies http://youtu.be/M-1Wcn0Lh1Y  Native American Tools and Weapons Native American tools and weapons have evolved over time, but up until contact with Europeans, steel, and metal in general, was not used. Common materials included stone, wood, leather cord, and bone. These four materials, combined with the need to be able to successfully hunt and protect themselves, lead Native Americans to engineer some very impressive tools and weapons with no more education than the hard knocks of life learned through trial and error. In this essay, I will cover tools and weapons ranging from the earliest blunt force trauma, close range tools like clubs, to more advanced, long range, piercing tools such as spears, bows and arrows, and a combination of the two, the Atlatl.

We can imagine how the first humans on earth learned to hunt, and it’s probably safe to say that their life expectancy was exceptionally short, due to failed hunting excursions and shortcomings with their gear. The earliest weapons of choice were clubs, and over time, clubs evolved to be very effective short range weapons and tools(think ball peen hammer meets hatchet). Some clubs were short and stocky, and had a large blunt stone head, and others had longer handles meant to be used on horseback, which were double sided, with tapered ends, and were used in similar fashion to a polo mallet.

Once early Native Americans found that they could rub two different stones together and make the softer one sharp, the axe was born. Unlike knives and arrowheads, axes were probably not “knapped,” but were ground down to a sharpened edge. This procedure left a smoother, more even, sharpened edge that could be touched up before and after use. Axes were used mostly for woodworking and butchering large game. Axes were a source of pride, and were also commonly a status symbol. Another version of an axe, used exclusively for woodworking, was the adze, which was basically an axe head turned on its side with a slight inward curve. The adze was used to peel bark from logs and for hollowing out logs for canoes.

Native Americans also fashioned hoes to use in the cultivation of their crops. Hoes were generally made with a wooden handle, and either a flat rock or the shoulder blade bone from a large animal. There have also been hoes made with large, freshwater mussel shells! These worked well to dig small trenches in which to plant the seeds, and also to chop down weeds after the seeds had germinated.

The tomahawk is the most recognized weapon of Native Americans, and is misconceived to be original to the indigenous peoples of North America. The tomahawk was actually modeled after Native American clubs, but also bears a likeness of a British boarding axe in that its head is made of steel. Tomahawks were extensively traded and given as gifts to the Native Americans, and they readily adopted them. Frontiersman also used them, but not for long, as they preferred axes, hatchets, and guns.

Spears were also a universal tool and weapon, and are found in just about every culture on every continent. Spears began as sharpened sticks, and as they progressed, the length, weight, diameter, and point changed dramatically. Depending on if the application of the spear, it could be anywhere from five to twelve plus feet long. Spears were used in fishing, hunting, war, and ceremonies. They could be very decorative, or strictly functional. The overall look and feel was very tailored toward the owner of the spear. Spears are called harpoons in areas where larger fish, such as Salmon, and whales were harvested(mainly in the Northwest) It was not long after the creation of the spear that the bow and arrow and atlatl followed.

The atlatl is not so much a weapon, as an aid in the use of a spear or arrow. It is very simply a wooden handle with a cup or lip at one end in which you would place the “dart,” which is larger than an arrow, but smaller than a spear. This gives the user essentially an extension of the arm, and allows the thrower to really g et some power behind the dart, giving it better distance, as well as accuracy. If the user thought they needed a counter balance, they would use what is called a bannerstone on the handle of the atlatl. It is said that the bannerstone also reduces some of the noise associated with using an atlatl, which comes from the high velocity of the dart. Bows were another tool to help gain accuracy and speed when using a spear, but evolved to a completely separate form of tool/weapon. Bows are the most complex weapons in the Native American arsenal, and a good bow could be considered art. The time spent crafting a good bow could take months, as the owner first had to select a good piece of wood and then let it cure for a length of time. After the drying period, he could begin to shape the bow. The craftsman had to be careful to not take off too much wood in places that would receive stress, and had to make the bow as symmetrical as possible. The length of the bow and the flexibility of the limbs would also determine how powerful the bow would be. Without the proper flexibility, length, and power, a month long project could be classified as firewood after the first shot.

The knives that Native Americans used were the most diverse group that I found. The length and overall size varied tremendously, but the way in which they were made did not. Using a skill called “flint knapping,” a craftsman would take a chunk of the correct material(obsidian, flint, sandstone, etc), and, with careful, well placed strikes, start to form a blade, taking off small pieces of material with every blow. Most knives made by Native Americans in the Continental U.S. look similar to hunting knives used today. As you go north into what is Canada and up to Alaska, you begin to find another style of knife, called an Ulu.

The ulu is characterized by a symmetrical curved blade, resembling a crescent moon, with the handle attached to the back, and is a true workman’s knife. This blade was used very extensively after it was given a metal blade. The difference between an ulu and, for lack of a better term, a “buck” knife, is the way pressure is applied when using the knife. When using a buck knife, pressure must be applied down and behind the blade, in an almost lever-like fashion. When using an ulu, pressure is applied straight down, and is more efficient. This made the ulu the knife of choice for indigenous peoples of northern North America, as it was very commonly used when skinning large animals and then to later scrape the hides clean so they could be used for clothing. modern ulus

Annotated bibliography Baxter, T. "Western Artifacts--Big Blades." Web. 12 Apr. 2011. . This website gave me a better understanding of the skill and craftsmanship it took to make this blades. Also, these artifacts must be pretty durable, as they are several hundred years old. Before I found this website, I assumed most all Native American knives were the same shape and size.

Bostrom, Peter A. //Plains Indian War Clubs//. 31 Dec. 2006. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . These clubs are double sided, range anywhere from 2 to 8 pounds, with handles up to 30 inches. Longer handled clubs were usually for warriors on horseback. I've found them to be very symmetrical and the joint between the handle and stone head are very sturdy.

Brewer, Dave. "How to Make: A Replica Native American Arrow." Friends of Archaeology Office of Archaeological Studies. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . This is a neat how-to article about building arrows for traditional bows. As a hunter myself, I assume the reason for the two different arrows(one wood shaft, one a cane shaft) is because Native Americans out hunting probably didn't want to waste a better, wood shafted, arrowhead tipped arrow on smaller game like rabbits, where a cane arrow would just as easily bring down the quarry.

Warren, Robert E. "Native American Tools." //A History of Illinois Agriculture//. Illinois State Museum, 15 Dec. 2003. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . This website shows early cultivation tools, like hoes, and what they were made from, generally stone and bone heads with wood handles. The shoulder blades of large animals, like bison, were common heads. I was surprised to see that freshwater mussel shells were also used.

// Ulu //. Wikipedia. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . This Wikipedia page just gives some general knowledge about this knife. It is commonly used in Canada and Alaska. There are two distinct types, which have to do with how the blade is attached to the handle, and the shape of the blade. From what I have read, these knives are amazingly useful, because, to use it, you apply downward pressure efficiently; instead of a traditional knife that is almost like a lever in the way pressure is applied.

"American Indian Archery Technology." The Office of the State Archaeologist at the University of Iowa. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Bows originated because it was necessary to have a faster moving projectile with more range. A lot of prep work and research went into producing a bow, and no two bows were alike. Each bow was hand crafted for a specific person, based on their height, strength, and draw length. After the bow was made, custom arrows were also needed, with much of the same prep work going into the creation of just one arrow.

"2010 Rage Caveman Commercial." Rage Broadheads. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . This commercial is definitely not historically accurate, but it does show how new innovations and ideas came about. . . trial and error. Also, it shows that even a small amount of communication (grunts) could mean the difference between eating and starving the next time they go out hunting.

Louis, Ray. "Tools and Weaponry of the Frontiersman and Indian." //Native American Weapons: Tomahawk//. 6 June 2002. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Interestingly, these weapons were commonly made by Europeans and traded to the Indians! They were modeled after similar, stone headed clubs. The Europeans traded them with Native Americans in mass quantities, who came to adopt them, and when they could use metal, made them as well.

"Gunstock War Club." Wikipedia. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . This is a fairly recent design of a club. It is not known if these clubs were modeled after European guns or if the shape/design is merely a coincidence.

// Archaic Technology--weapons //. Illinois State Museum, 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. . This article shows several ways Native Americans used shaped stones to balance their atlatl's to allow them to get the desired effect with their spears.

// Atlatl //. Wikipedia. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. . The atlatl is a universal tool. It is found in Europe, and from Alaska to Florida to Mexico. It uses "darts" as the projectiles, which are larger than arrows in length and diameter, but shorter and narrower than a throwing spear. It is gaining popularity and some states are allowing them to be used for hunting and fishing.

"Stone Celt." Oklahoma University. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. . Celts were the predecessors of axes. They were more closely identified with hatchets. They lack the indentation that would be more common in axe heads where the head attaches to the handle with cord.

Von Zuko. //The Stone Axe//. 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. . Stone axes are usually made of the hardest rock in the area where the person lived. Some are double sided, and most have a groove in the middle to attach to the handle. Axes were also seen as status symbols.

Moffett, Tamara. "Native American Stone Tools." EHow. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. . This article gives some examples of the types of stones and what the Native Americans made from each type of stone. It also gives a better definition of nutting stones and hammer stones.

Woten, Rick L. "American Indian Agriculture: Pre-European Contact." Iowa State University Center for Agricultural History and Rural Studies. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. . This article explains what the indigenous people's agriculture was like before European contact. It gives some insight as to what crops were planted, how they were planted, and where they were planted.

 "North American Indian Stone Tools." //Timeline Originals//. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.time-lines.co.uk/north-american-indian-stone-tools-9132-0.html>. This article makes the point that many Native American cultures used stone age technology well into the 19th century. It is interesting to see what the company is asking for some of the artifacts.

<span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> "Native American Artifacts." AZ Trading Post. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.aztradingpost.com/bow-arrow.html>. <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> These artifacts are reproductions. They range from complete ornate ceremonial spears for several hundred dollars to arrowheads for ten or twenty dollars.

<span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> American Tomahawk Company. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.americantomahawk.com/index.htm>. <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> This company has taken the idea of the tomahawk to a whole new level. They produce very functional, useful tomahawks to be used in combat and tactical situations. They are made of drop-forged steel.

<span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> "First Nations Harpoons and Spears." British Columbia Heritage. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://bcheritage.ca/pacificfisheries/techno/harp2.html>. <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> This article distinguishes between a harpoon and a spear. A harpoon is meant for throwing or stabbing, while a spear is only for stabbing. Harpoons seem to be associated with larger game, especially fish, and in areas where whaling occurred. <span style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> "Hunting Without Guns." Texas Beyond History. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/kids/hunting/index.html#main>.This article talks about methods of catching smaller game. It includes discussions on traps, snares, nets, and methods of catching rabbits, small birds, etc.