A few artifacts from Central NY

[DanMcG]

I thought I'd share this small collection my father had for years. I know when I was little he took me to a site in Brewerton NY when they were building the I-81 bridge over the Oneida River, and we sifted for artifacts, but that's all I remember, I was probably 5-6 at the time, and I'm 68 now. I'm sure we dug some of these,, but I'm pretty sure not all of them. So some might not be from this area.
Besides just sharing the pic, I thought someone could offer their thoughts on what I'm looking at. Is there anything interesting or unusual in the group?
Lastly what does one do with a small collection like this? Would a museum have an interest ya think? I don't really care to sell them. There is the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Heritage Center nearby as well as the Fort Brewerton Historical Society with a museum that is a couple hundred yards from where we were digging. Thoughts?





Thanks for looking!!

 

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[Tdog]

Keep them in the family. They're not worth much monetarily anyway nor to a museum I'd guess since they are "field grade" pieces of average to low quality. The tribe/culture that made them is more than likely lost to history since there is no written record. If they were mine, I'd get a better frame that would hold them in place when closed and get rid of the wire holding them. That can only damage them and may rust.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

What TDog said, I would keep them in the family, they are all field grade points. Not sure why the 2 rocks in the center bottom are in the frame.

 

[DanMcG]

What TDog said, I would keep them in the family

It would be nice but none of the younger generations have any interest.

 

[Chase7628]

I live right down the road from there...pretty cool finds! I found a arrow head on the shore of Oneida Lake a ways away from that location, but never knew those were there...awesome finds! I would maybe contact Fort Brewerton and see what their thoughts are on them!

 

[DanMcG]

Not sure why the 2 rocks in the center bottom are in the frame.

I thought they were net sinkers myself.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I thought they were net sinkers myself.

Would have to see them out of the frame and see all sides, but from what is shown look like natural rocks

 

[Relicgrubber]

They are side Notched so most likely are Net Sinkers imo...

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

They are side Notched so most likely are Net Sinkers imo...

That was why wanted to see all sides to see if natural.

 

[Fossils]

The piece on the left is a pretty classic net weight as can be seen in the link below. Not natural.

Notched Stone Net Sinkers - Arkansas Archeological Survey

Fishing has traditionally been a popular recreational, subsistence, and commercial activity in Arkansas dating back far into antiquity. Well before the rod and reel and bass boats of today, ancient Native Americans were employing surprisingly familiar subsistence fishing methods.

archeology.uark.edu

As others have pointed out, I'd recommend getting a better frame. With the frame, it's a good idea to include the town they were found and even the coordinates where you were sifting, if you still remember. All artifacts tell a story and location/context is a big part of that. This information will get lost if not written down and passed along with the artifacts.

 

[MAMucker]

Welcome to the NA Artifacts Forum.
People in general have very little understanding or knowledge of these Stone Age artifacts.
Most of the points in your frame are over 2000 years old some of them are likely to be 6000+ years old.
It doesn’t matter if you show these to a family member or a perfect stranger. If they don’t have specific info about them, they’re just a frame full of chipped little pointy rocks.
I recommend that you do some detective work and string together some back story. These days, most of those points, artifacts and lithics can be typed/identified.
I agree with getting a new frame with a nice red felt backing to show those off a little better.

Also, museums will always be glad to find a sacred resting place in an empty draw somewhere in the basement for those. Without context, that’s where they will end up.
JMO

 

[Charl]

I’d factor in that the person collecting the points likely suspected notched weights with those two stones. Might have had enough experience to suspect as much, or recognized them straight out,

in hand. All the ones I’ve found have been crude affairs, just bang, crunch, peck a notch, even minimal to provide some grip. Like the one on the left here, pretty minimal. Sometimes it can be a judgement call, depending where you find them. Field on left, salt water beach on right…

 

[DanMcG]

Would have to see them out of the frame and see all sides, but from what is shown look like natural rocks

I'll pull the two out and get some pics when I get a chance.

 

[dognose]

Some nice finds, and I am sure fond memories of spending time with your father when you were young.

I thought these were interesting, in my over 50 years of hunting and collecting relics I have only found one bear claw, and that was here in Indiana. Which I thought was interesting considering other natural materials like this very rarely survive in the Midwest.

There are Native American relic events in the northeast including New York if you or your family desires to learn more about the relics of the area.

Check out Indian Artifact Collectors Association of the North East which is a member of the Central States Archaeological Societies

Indian Artifact Collectors Association of the Northeast (IACANE) was started in 1979 and is an organization of Indian artifact collectors from the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine.

You do not need to be a CSASI or ICANE member to attend a show but being a member does get you the CSASI journal four times a year, any local newsletters with information on relics. These shows and publications can be great learning aids for both novice and more experienced collectors and relic hunters.

Education on your hobby is time well spent and worth any time and funds. You can meet others with similar interests and make lifelong friends.

 

[DanMcG]

Thanks for the info Dognose, I'll take a look at the links.

 

[djabend]

Hi, I have been off of Tnet for a while, but I am the current volunteer curator for the Fort Brewerton Historical Society at The Oliver Stevens Blockhouse Museum. I would be glad to help with any of your research needs and accepting any donations you may have. This collection, with some modification, would be useful for rotating out some of our current displays. It would be on indefinite loan with the family’s option to retrieve it in the future. A shorter loan option would be available as well.
HH,
Donny

 

[DanMcG]

I would be glad to help with any of your research needs and accepting any donations you may have.

Thanks Donny, I'll run it by the family and send ya a pm in the near future.
Dan

 

[CaptEsteban]

Nice display of artifacts & a few fossils.

 

[yakker]

That's a nice little collection! In the past, I have tried to leave frames of local pieces with either Native authorities or at least historical societies. It seems fair. Also, I have a big ol net weight/sinker I found in 'rivers everywhere' territory in Virginia. Here it is: