Posted 12 years ago
walksoftly
(167 items)
These stone hammer heads, were all found on property that we farmed. They were found while picking rocks by hand, a chore that we hated as kids.
I believe that these were all found on a farm that my father & grandfather rented for years. The dominant feature of this property was a high hill & from that you could see for miles. So it may have been very useful for the early hunters to watch for herds of buffalo.
Left to right, the first one is the smallest, apx 2" x 3".
Second & third pictures are of the same stone it is only one half of the original hammer head, it measures apx. 3" x 4".
Fourth picture is the largest stone apx 4" x 6".
Thanks for the love & comment Phil, I remember how excited we were to find these. In the 70 years that our family has been in this area only one arrow head was ever found & it went to Alberta with the cousin who found it. I think the early hunters were very good shots & never lost an arrow.
The hilltop that I mentioned above has been a provincial heritage site since 1962. On the top of the hill was the gravesite of "Ia-char-ke", a Dakota elder of high esteem, who had died many years prior to 1896. The remains were moved but the stone is still there & we use to climb the hill as kids to check it out. Some of the local Sioux claim to feel a presence when they pass through the area.
The Arrow River Standing Stone is unique. No other First Nation gravesite in Manitoba is marked with a stone monolith.
Link to info on the hill
http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/hrb/prov/p005.html
Those are really nice. They were a prize find when we were kids. We called them ax heads.
Nice finds. Older members of my family used to find a lot of stone artifacts, where we lived in North Dakota, back in the 1930s when drought and wind combined to erode the land. It is fascinating to think of the people that lived where we now do, hundreds and even thousands of years ago.
I have an old stone axe/club/hammer head around here somewhere that I will post if I can find it. My brother says he remembers me finding it when were very young, he has a better memory than me. :)
Thanks for the double love on these artifacts petey.
Thanks for the love on these B'buss! Were the ones you found down in the south similar in shape?
The first one has a pointed thin edge so would assume it had a more axe like use.
The other two are so heavy that they would require two hands to swing, I wonder if they were intended to break open the large bones & skull of the Buffalo.
Thanks for the love & comment Bootson.
Our older family members would have been more likely to find these types of items due to the conditions in the 30's. Also they spent many hours in the fields walking behind a team of horses or riding on small tractors. With the changes in farming practices the only thing that you see from the tractor seat now are the big rocks.
Where in ND did your family live.
Thanks for the love, nldionne, brat, pw & tony.
Thanks for the love & the kind words Sean, it's appreciated.
We lived about an hours drive southwest of Fargo.
Most of the ones found in the former Confederacy were like yours, especially #2 & 3. I found one made of quartzite but of course it didn't have that smooth surface of the others.
Hello walksoftly! I have posted the first four of eighteen of the Baxter Drawings.
The second group of four are posted.
Oh these are wonderful finds Bro !!!!!!!! Farming did allow us to find things when fields were plowed and always exciting . Love them !!!!!!!
Thanks Sis for the love & the comment.
Always hated picking rocks, but we would often find other things, so that always helped break the monotony. There are lots of good memories from working with my father & grandfather & siblings.
Thanks for the love on these, pickrknows, vetraio, gargoyle & geo26.
Thanks for the love on these, official, inky & Sean.
Those are very special! I had one or something similar from Nebraska, but gave it away when I was young! Wish I had it now! Oh Check out the tango with your two friends !!!
Yeah, Mani, used to go out after the spring plowing & 1st couple of rains. Pebbles & arrowheads would be on top of little spires of dirt. Great fun as kids & no hand held "joy-sticks". Guess it's a lost past-time now. The best fields were kept secret except for a few friends, - which meant everybody knew within a week. Not sure if I miss those old days as much as cherish them.
buss-- it is still done today. In TN folks use the technique you talk about. I haven't been in about 15 years, but my oldest son still goes out regularly and looks.
scott
Thanks for the love Tlynnie1942, vintagejewel & PaperHoarder.
Thanks for the kind words & comment toracat.
Thanks for stopping by Scott.
@Phil, I can understand why they would have removed the display. It would have been a very dishonourable thing to the First Nations People.
I believe that is the reason why, the local FNP removed the remains from the hill top & reburied them in a place that the white people wouldn't know of.
They are very secretive when it comes to the true identity of who was buried there. The info in the link I provided may have been false info that they told the first sellers that arrived.
Thanks for stopping by & showing this some love JayHow.
My half Indian nanny taught me to yell "Ma-ti-ya" when young. She told me it was the universal Indian word for, "Help Brother!" & any Indian was duty bound to help you. She was Creek.
David, thanks for sharing these, doubled up on the love click!!
@b'buss, cool story!
nice find .....
Thanks for the love & the comment on these, always appreciated Roycroft.
Thanks Geno, I appreciate you stopping by & showing these some love. Too bad you never found one of those elusive arrowheads. Imagine how excited you would have been to go home from camp with one to show off.
I appreciate you stopping by & showing these some love, pickrknows & Bluegill85.
Thanks for the love Sean.
When I was young in Nebraska my dad , found one similar, he asked around and said it was from the Winnebago Tribe, of Nebraska, We visited when I was about 7. I just looked, reservation now is 120,000 acres and about 2,600 live there. I wonder if the motor home is named after them?
Thanks for the love on these Don.
Interesting story as well.
Thanks for the love jameyrd.