The Secrets of Finding Authentic Indian Arrowheads In Connecticut

 A Guide for finding Authentic Indian Arrowheads!

 

By: Matt Dorso  

 

  Recently it has occurred to me due to a surge in emails at my web site: www.connecticutarrowheads.com that the general public here in Connecticut may need some guidance in finding Authentic Indian Arrowheads. What I believe has become like a second nature to me, may not seem so easy to others.

 

 I would like to share with you the secrets I have learned through years of searching here in our big back yard of Connecticut. My hope is this article will help you increase your awareness. Please take advantage of the links provided in the article. These links will help you learn specific clues about finding authentic artifacts. The article covers several topics such as Where to look, Ethics, and Recording your find. 

 

People always ask me; how can I find them? Where do you look? Can I dig?  Where did you get so many? This article will attempt to help you understand the secrets learned in a lifetime of collecting.

Ethics and Laws

One question that bothers the Professional community more than anything is; what are my artifacts worth? Some professionals will not even comment. Others will say something like this. “What you are holding is treasure, it has a great deal of value, however its value is strictly historical.

 

I feel it important to note that someone owns every single piece of property in Connecticut. Even our City, Town, State and Federal parks are owned or governed by some entity. Do not Trespass for any reason. Always ask permission to go onto private property. Property owners are the rightful owners of anything on his or her property so please ask first!

 

As a rule of thumb consider State and Federal parks off limits unless you get a mandatory permit first. “Collecting historic or prehistoric artifacts on state land (i.e., parks and forests, etc.) Is illegal without a permit from the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Office. This includes metal detecting.” 

 

Some people may be surprised by this but there are four areas in CT governed by Federal Laws. Just picking up a mineral sample or an arrowhead could land you a very stiff fine. Please do your homework in order to stay within the limits of the laws.

 

If you decide to dig anyplace for any reason, take great care.  Native American Graves are very shallow. The Graves are unmarked and within a few feet of the surface. If you find human remains “Bones which you believe to be human” you must STOP immediately and contact the local or State Police. You may have stumbled upon a crime scene.

 

The State Medical Examiner will be called in by the police or the State Archaeologist whom ever was called first. The medical examiner would determine whether the find has Historical significance.  If you are uncertain about what type of bones then stop immediately and call the State Archaeologist. Someone at his office would be able to assist you.

 

I am providing these page links for general information only. I am not a Lawyer; I am not   offering legal advice. Each location you search for Artifacts may have it’s own specific laws governing that area. It is up to you to know the laws before venturing onto any site.

 

The author Matt Dorso and www.connecticutarrowheads.com shall not be held responsible for any inaccuracies or timeliness of information in presented in this article.

 

To continue reading this article follow this link back to my website www.connecticutarrowheads.com

 

Arrowheads or Projectile Points

Ever since the first arrow was ever fired from the first bow ever created people have called these stone tips “arrowheads.” Arrowhead is a term the beginner will soon forget. In professional circles they are called Points, Projectile Points or Blades. I know your going to ask me “why would I name my site Connecticut Arrowheads and then write something like this in my article?” I did this to get your attention. I hope you are still reading I will get to the good stuff soon.

 

Native Americans have been in the Americas for 12,500 years plus or minus. The bow has been in use here for maybe 3000 years give or take. Prior to the Bow, American Indian groups used a throwing stick called an Atlatl, which would have a stone weight sometimes called an atlatl weight, or a Bannerstone tied to it. The added weight from the stone attached to the throwing stick would add leverage to the shot. If you can imagine the thickness of a hide on an animal such as a Bison or a Wooly Mammoth then you would understand the force needed to penetrate it with a stone tipped projectile.

 

 

Survival and Resources

Early Hunters needed three things to survive in the wild. These resources are Shelter, Water and Food. Once you understand the value of these important resources you will begin to understand how easy it is to find Authentic Indian Arrowheads or Projectile Points.

 

Without proper shelter a person could perish overnight during a harsh winter storm.

 

Without water a Healthy Human being can survive for ten days at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If it were 110 degrees Fahrenheit that same person would perish in 3 days. Add physical exertion and starvation to this and the survival rate declines further.

 

Without food a healthy person may last 30 days.

 

The rivers in Connecticut were like super highways to our Native American ancestors. All of the major and minor Rivers, Brooks and Streams where waypoints of travel. This being said our search begins near a water source.

 

Another resource is Stone or Lithic material for making tools. The easiest place to find lithic material is in stream beds after spring rains have washed them out.

 

Other places to look are near the beach when you visit there in summer. Connecticut has over 100 miles of shoreline.  I have found points just walking on the beach. I once found one while just kicking up sand with my feet while sitting on a towel soaking up some sunshine. The points found on beaches may be water worn but they are just lying there waiting for someone to recognize the shape. Please remember these properties are owned or governed by someone so get permission first. Some existing Connecticut Laws for collecting on State Land can be found here.

 

Ask farmers permission to look in the fields after they are plowed in the spring or cut out in the fall. Please do not walk on any ones crops. If you look at a plowed and harrowed field you will notice there are rows you can follow. I safe way to do it is walk only in the tractor tire marks.

 

If you or a neighbor has a garden ask permission to look. If there is new housing going up in your neighborhood ask the property owner if you may have a look.

 

I have found points in the most unusual of places. Most people walk right past them and don’t give it a second thought. I can assure you they are there, right beneath your feet.

 

I used to have a small Landscaping Business while mowing, fertilizing lawns and performing routine landscaping duties I have found points pushed up by tree roots or while weeding perennial gardens.  

 

 I once found a lozenge shaped scraper on a rooftop in Danbury CT. The company had just installed a new roof and they had brought river stones from the Hudson River to cover the Rubber membrane roofing material. One day while performing maintenance work at the facility I dropped my wrench, when I looked down at the roof there was this ancient tool sitting right next to my wrench. Dad always said keep your eye on the ground, you never know what you might find.

 

 Resources such as lithic material may have been a draw for a campsite as well here are some of the lithic materials, which can be found in Connecticut. Be aware that Quartz and Quartzite is the most common of lithic materials found in Connecticut. Get used to the Lithic Materials that Projectile Points in Connecticut are made of. They are: Quartz, Quartzite, Cryptocrystalline Quartzite, Flint, Chert, Jasper, Rhyolite, Felsite, Argillite and Slate.

 

Once you can identify the basic lithic materials, train your eyes to seek them out. If you are walking along on a beach or a Plowed field you may begin to notice small flakes and chips with sharp edges of one or more of the lithic types. These chips are referred to as debitage. This debitage is a clue and another secret to finding Authentic Native American Artifacts.

 

What to look for is easy, the shapes of points are varied but few. Triangular in outline or it could be a Triangle shape with side notches, or with the corner notches. Then there are stemmed points. Stemmed points can have a straight stem, a contracting stem or an expanding stem or they can even be bifurcated. You may also find an occasional point, which is Asymmetrical, Lanceolate or Pentagonal in outline. Point

 

 Once you master these secrets of finding Authentic Native American Artifacts you will realize that they have been right there all along just beneath your feet.

 

This information is passed to you in the hopes that you act responsibly when going a field to search. Never just wander onto property unless you gain permission first.

 

Remember your responsibility does not end with just asking permission and being respectful of the property owners land. Your first responsibility as the finder of these magnificent Authentic Ancient Artifacts  is to record your find for history. This will give your collection provenience. When a professional archaeologist looks at your collection he/she will ask you if you have any documentation. Even a surface find found out of context can still tell a story. At the very least record who found it, when and where? 

Be as specific as possible when stating where. If it was the back yard of 555 5^th St. Clovisville, CT.  then your document should report this.