- Arrowheads are common artifacts of Native American hunting traditions.arrowheads image by Stanislav Komogorov from Fotolia.com
Arrowhead shapes and materials are illustrative artifacts of Ancient American cultures. By exploring their use, location and material composition, archaeologists and historians can come to a fuller understanding of issues such as Native American technologies, hunting techniques, diet and traditions. Arrowheads are also regionally specific. People wanting to understand the native people of Illinois, for example, can look at the specific arrowheads of that region for a greater understanding of the culture. - True to its name, plain point describes an arrowhead that with no stylistic flourishes or details. It is long and tapers to a point at one end while recessing slightly at the end which attaches to the shaft of the arrow. This style of arrowhead was common to several different areas of America including Illinois. The arrowhead varied only in the materials from which it was made. For example, in Arkansas it was made from black basalt, while in Illinois it was carved from white Burlington chert point.
- Some of the ancient peoples who lived in the Illinois area are now referred to as Mound Builders. This tribe created arrowheads from an obsidian material called flint. Flint is easy to shape. When struck, it splinters into sharp flakes. This eliminates the need for a second sharpening. Flint is hard, but it is also brittle and will flake and splinter with repeated use.
- Arrowheads appear to have been made from stone until metals became available. According to some accounts, this seems to have taken place at some point during the 19th century. The National Park Service reports that metal arrowhead wounds in U.S. soldiers were documented by the Surgeon General of the War Department in 1871. According to the NPS, the types of metal arrowheads found were more common to the tribes of the Northern Plains of which Illinois tribes were a part.
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