Making Traditional Arrows

Indigenous peoples in Wisconsin began using bow-and-arrow technology about 1,400 years ago, using arrows tipped with stone projectile points. Points found at archaeological sites still display flaking scars that reveal how flintknappers made them. But what about the rest of the arrow? Here Dr. Jim Theler introduces long-time MVAC friend Loren Cade, who takes us through the complex process of making a flight-worthy arrow, from forming the shaft to affixing fletching and an arrowhead. This fascinating process shows how traditional bows and arrows-sometimes called "primitive" to distinguish them from modern counterparts-were very sophisticated indeed.
Here's what the video covers, and some links for further information:
Timecodes
00:00
00:04 - Introduction
01:03 - Brief Background on Indigenous Archery
04:00 - Making an Arrow
20:40 - Resources
Related MVAC webpages:
-Abrader: www.uwlax.edu/mvac/past-cultu...
-Arrow Shaft Abrader - Bar Abrader: www.uwlax.edu/mvac/past-cultu...
-Cahokia Points: www.uwlax.edu/mvac/past-cultu...
-Points: www.uwlax.edu/mvac/past-cultu...
-Mississippian & Oneota Traditions - Mississippian Tools & Pottery: www.uwlax.edu/mvac/pre-europe...
-Mississippian & Oneota Traditions - Oneota Tools: www.uwlax.edu/mvac/pre-europe...
-Woodland Tradition - Tools: www.uwlax.edu/mvac/pre-europe...
Artifact Identification
Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse works mainly in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa and can provide information related to that region. If you would like information on artifacts, email a description of the item and where it was found, and attach a picture of the artifact with a scale to show its size. For more information visit MVAC’s website at: www.uwlax.edu/mvac/contact/.
For information on other regions, we suggest contacting the appropriate state archaeologist from the following list: sites.google.com/view/state-a....

[@christiangiancamilli2681]

Nice and original work❤

[@chuckberry7749]

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I feel my brain is rotting these days.

[@shirleyvowell9563]

Thanks for sharing--great content and presentation!

[@BryanKoenig379]

Excellent

[@rondias6625]

Outstanding content.. absolutely love this channel.. extremely informative..thank you for sharing !

[@williambrandondavis6897]

A little out of date. Arrow points dating over 10,000 years old have been excavated from multiple sights across the US in the last 10 years. Most notably the Gault site in Texas where arrow points were excavated from stratified soil several feet below 13,000 year old Clovis points.
I have personally found what people call bird points, (small stemmed archaic/woodland looking) dug from stratified soil in the same layer as Daltons on my property in Missouri.
Personally I think bows became popular because of warfare and the ability to defend oneself against multiple opponents. You only need one shot to kill a deer. If a group of people are attacking it’s a different story. A bow holds a huge advantage as a defense weapon against attacks. A bow is no better than an atalatl for securing food when you only get one shot. During the ice age a bow would have been useless against megafauna such as mastodon, mammoth and short faced bears where an atalatl with a large point would be able take any of those down with one good shot. It’s the difference between a .22 cal rifle and .500 Weatherby magnum. One is for squirrels and the other is for rhinos and elephants.

[@uwlmvac]

The current consensus among archeologists is that bow and arrow technology is a relatively late innovation in Midwestern North America. Small points forms do not necessarily indicate bow and arrow projectile point technology was present on earlier sites.

[@carrollerxleben5754]

*promosm*