FOR FUN - YOU PLAY ARCHAEOLOGIST - FIND THE INDIAN ARTIFACTS IN THESE PICTURES FROM YOUR ARMCHAIR WITHOUT WADING WATER AND MUD - PLEASE READ THE DIRECTIONS FIRST |
| READ FIRST- The State of Arkansas is called the Natural State because of its unspoiled wilderness areas, the abundance of wildlife, and pristine waterways. In the past, the Arkansas area supported a rich Native American culture going back nearly ten thousand years. In fact, the word "Arkansas" is derived from American Indian language. Artifact evidence of Indian settlements can be found along the many creeks, rivers, and oxbow lakes, because the FIRST requirement for Indian survival was to live near a source of water, as wildlife also congregated there. Here's your chance to play amateur archaeologist by finding the artifacts in the above pictures, just as I did when I snapped these images. Start by clicking on the above thumbnails and then hunt for the artifact. When you're finished, click the text link "ARTIFACT LOCATION" next to each thumbnail to zoom in on the location of the artifact. WARNING ! - WITHIN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS IT IS UNLAWFUL TO REMOVE OR DISTURB ANY NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACT. |
"Too easy", you say, well,,, try the one below. - also see the raccoon tracks in this one
LOOK BELOW All four of these flint artifacts were most likely used as spear points. Some people might identify them as arrowheads, not true, an arrowhead, or bird point, is smaller. Flint spear points were lashed with rawhide to the split end of a long hickory stick and used to stab with, or throw. Some of the longer points could be fashioned with a short handle and used as a knife, like, possibly the black flint above. Obviously, there is flexibility in the manner they were used. Indians had a keen eye for finding old, lost points, and some of the points above might have been lost and found, a number of times. These points were photographed in southeast Arkansas, a river silt and bottom land area void of any kind of rocks, especially flint. So, all of the stone artifacts in that area had to be carried in. Fist sized+ stones were used to crack nuts, grind grain, and they were heated in camp fires and then placed into a skin bag containing raw food and water. The hot stones instantly turned the water to steam and flash cooked the food. Heated stones were useful as bed warmers too. Curiously, around these Indian settlements are found unusual numbers of meteorites. Did the Indians simply find them or, as sky watchers, did they recognize them as special stones from the sky, which were sacred, and perhaps, used for ceremonial purposes? So, we are talking stone technology and rocks of any kind were valuable in that part of Arkansas. For safe keeping, Indians used to bury their flint points in a secret place and that is why clusters of points are sometimes found in one spot. Or, sometimes clusters come from old fire pits where wild game, still containing the flint point, was cooked, or unwanted parts were simply burned up with the point still inside. The center of camp life, a fire pit could accumulate a number of points over a period of time. |
| AND SEARCH THE ABOVE IMAGE WHICH IS ALREADY EXPANDED - CLICK HERE FOR ARTIFACT LOCATION |
| SNAKE !!!!! A BIG SNAKE ! - BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PUT YOUR HANDS ! |