Tips on finding and identifying arrowheads
By Deanna Lucas
For some, hunting for arrowheads or Native American artifacts means nothing, but to me, it is actually one of my favorite hobbies that I was introduced to at a very young age. Growing up in the great state of Kentucky where Native American artifacts are known to be plentiful all over the state has been a bonus for me.
My love of these artifacts began when I was just a young girl walking the riverbanks and creeks with my family. My dad would spot one in the sand or in a pile of debris and point it out to me to show me what I was looking for. As any kid would be, I was amazed at these unique rocks we would find. The detail and work put into these rocks is truly mind blowing.
A lot of times when picking them up, I’ll think to myself the last person to touch these rocks was a Native American hundreds or even thousands of years ago that carefully made it and depended on it. Over the years, I’ve learned they are not just “arrowheads” and that each shape and color has its own name and type, and successfully finding arrowheads takes more than many people think, such as a good eye, skill, patience and a bit of luck.
Time & Location
I’ve come to realize that you never really know where you may find one. For some, finding arrowheads comes easy while others may find its difficult or even impossible but being familiar with them, knowing where to look, and what to look for makes it a little easier.
Water was a necessity for Native Americans to survive so majority of their camps were located near some type of water source whether it was a large river, creek, or small natural spring. Some Indian camps were used continuously for hundreds of years, while others might have only been used briefly, these areas are a good place to start looking for relics.
One of the better times of year to find them is in the spring when floods may occur and the current of the water moves debris and erodes the river banks revealing what lies underneath. When the water levels go down and the riverbanks settle, you are more likely to spot an arrowhead poking out of the bank or lying in the new sand. Same goes for creeks, after a hard rain the rushing water through the creek bed is going to reveal new rocks and shift the ones already there.
Freshly plowed crop fields in some areas will even have artifacts in them especially after a hard rain when some of the dirt is washed away. Native Americans usually picked an area of higher ground away from flooding and sheltered from the weather such as caves or overhangs (cliffs) to live so there’s a good chance artifacts can be found near these areas also.
Browsing for information (local library, Internet, museums) on any Native American history in your area might help you find land where Native Americans lived on and increase your chances of finding remnants. However, even if there’s no history of Native Americans living on the land you’re searching, you may still have luck finding arrowheads there. And of course, if you’re not hunting on your own land, make sure you have owner’s permission. Also remember it is illegal to take any arrowheads you find on state parks, national forests and Native American reservations.
How to Spot
When searching, you’ll want to slowly scan the ground with your eyes peeled for that triangular arrowhead shape. But keep in mind they are not always going to be perfect whole points. A lot of times you will find broken pieces, so also look for characteristics such as anything with sharp edges and flaked surfaces.
Sometimes there’s a good chance you will find more than one in the same area, especially if it was an area where they camped at or lived. It is always a good idea to thoroughly check the area where you find one and always flip over or check each rock because you never know when one could be just barely covered.
Artifact Materials
Native Americans made arrowheads using a chipping process called “knapping”. In our area “North Central Kentucky” the most common material they are made from is flint and chert. Flint and chert can be many different colors and the native Americans made artifacts all different sizes, they are most often times triangular with a sharp point and are sometimes but not always notched at one end.
Flint is a sedimentary rock that has potential to break into small fragments and can be shaped easily making it have sharp edges ideal for cutting and scraping objects. Chert is also a very hard and durable rock that when broken the edges are very sharp and tend to retain its sharpness.
Other commonly known artifacts are axes, tomahawks, banner stones and celts. These are what we call “hard stone” pieces and are usually made from granite, slate or other metamorphic rocks. These are not as common as finding arrowheads, but you still may run across one while searching.
What Now?
Since some artifacts can be worth large amounts of money. Some people buy and sell them, but if you’re like me, you can display them in specially made cases to admire and keep them forever. Some areas host arrowhead shows where you can show off your collection or just go to see everyone else’s. These shows are a great place to gather information and tips from other collectors also.
Even if you’re not specifically arrowhead hunting, it’s a great thing to keep in the back of your mind during other outdoor adventures, such as hiking, shed hunting and mushroom hunting.
After all these years, the memory and joy of finding my first arrowhead is still with me and every new one I find just fuels me to find more. There’s no perfect answer as to where exactly you will find them and I wish I could say it was easy to find them, but that’s not always the case, some days I come home empty handed, but it doesn’t discourage me because I know they are there you just have to find them.
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Deanna Lucas of Kentucky was introduced to the outdoors way of life at an early age and since then has become extremely passionate about hunting and the outdoors.
