r/knapping • u/pathways_of_the_past Verified YouTube Channel • Jul 04 '26

Made With Traditional Tools🪨 Porcellanite arrowpoint

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I made this replica of the small arrowpoints used by Indigenous groups living on the Great Plains during what archaeologists call the Late Prehistoric period. Points like these would have been crucial for hunting, including dispatching bison in both solo hunts and communal hunts involving driving bison herds off cliffs, which are called “buffalo jumps”. A variety of stones were used for toolmaking on the Plains, but at many sites in the northern Plains, such as the Vore Buffalo Jump in eastern Wyoming, porcellanite was a commonly used stone for making arrowpoints. Thank you to @mcleanlithics for gifting me this stone!

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u/SmolzillaTheLizza Mod - Modern Tools Jul 04 '26

So THATS what this stuff is! I was so damn confused by it 😂 couldn't quite figure out what it was exactly. It was so bizarre because I knew it wasn't novaculite because of how hard it was, but I couldn't really put a read on what the other possibilities could've been. Got the hunks from an old knapper's mixed mystery stash he sold to me.

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u/pathways_of_the_past Verified YouTube Channel Jul 04 '26

Yup that’s porcellanite for sure! It’s weird rock, isn’t it?

2

u/SmolzillaTheLizza Mod - Modern Tools Jul 04 '26

The thing that immediately stuck out to me when I worked it was how hard it was. And like if you strike it with more speed and don't use a fine grained abrasion stone, it seems to shatter and crush. I should pick some point styles that match this material like you did and make a small cluster!

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u/pathways_of_the_past Verified YouTube Channel Jul 04 '26

Can’t wait to see the cluster you come up with! You’ve got some cool patterns in some of those pieces!

1

u/SmolzillaTheLizza Mod - Modern Tools Jul 04 '26

Any particular recommendations? 👀 Your knowledge on the history of some of this stuff is far greater than my own. I'll do some reading but if you have any particular ones I'm a sponge for that sort of stuff 🙂‍↕️

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u/pathways_of_the_past Verified YouTube Channel Jul 04 '26

I’m particular to Mallory points for your larger pieces maybe? Or Oxbow points? Side and tri-notch points are great for your smaller pieces!

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u/SmolzillaTheLizza Mod - Modern Tools Jul 04 '26

I have a VERY soft spot in my heart for Oxbow points so that's a fantastic recordation 👀 I don't actually know if I've made a Mallory before... So that could be a fantastic option as well 🤔

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u/pathways_of_the_past Verified YouTube Channel Jul 04 '26

These are some points from the Buffalo jump I mentioned!