Americain Indian Metal Artifacts - Has Anybody Picked up Them?

[SuchMuch]

Has anybody been lucky to pick up American Indian metal artifacts? How do they really look like?
I failed to find threads with subject finds... Pls point me where I can read about them?!

 

[1320]

These links may get you in the right direction. You could also search Copper Complex.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/494161-hot.html

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/n...2577-help-identify-copper-culture-pieces.html

 

[Carolina Tom]

Kettle points appear on here from time to time. I guess the natives cut up cooking pots and made points out of them

 

[tonykidd]

Has anybody been lucky to pick up American Indian metal artifacts? How do they really look like?
I failed to find threads with subject finds... Pls point me where I can read about them?!

Yes, I've found many ancient copper artifacts: spear points. knives, beads, bracelets, etc.
Like 1320 said, Copper Culture and Old Copper Complex are good for northern copper, and research Spiro, Moundsville, Etowah, Cahokia, Cemochechobee and Lake Jackson Mounds for Southern Cult Mississippian era copper.
For newer stuff, 300-800 BP, Kaskaskian copper was traded, and was presumably made from "kettle copper", repurposed into Indian art.

 

[SuchMuch]

Is Copper Culture another name for Bronze Age?

 

[Buckleberry]

Is Copper Culture another name for Bronze Age?

No, it was an era where the use of copper by certain demographics of NAs was prominent...also it was strictly copper, not bronze which is an alloy of copper.
Also the 'Bronze Age' is mostly centered/referring to Europe.

 

[rginn]

After contact with the Spanish, the southern plains tribes quickly adapted to metal points, and greatly coveted any metal utensil. Comanche were foremost in this, and I doubt that very few of them were chipping points out of rocks after about 1800. The historic tribes engaged in a lot of trade with the French, Spanish, English, and Comancheros, who provided an assortment of metal goods. At historic sites I've found pieces of kitchen utensils, horse harness, bullets, etc., that were 'indian artifacts'. As far as arrowheads, the soil in that area was very acidic, but I did find one iron scrap that with a little imagination you could suppose was a trade or homemade point.

 

[monsterrack]

This was found from the post contact era. It's a copper point made from a trade item. Found by me in S.W. Ms.

 

[Hot diggity]

Some copper culture (old copper complex) from Ontario, Canada. If you google it you will find many opinions on the subject, but it's a long lost culture without written history. All that's left is their cold hammered copper. Some ppl from the Western great lakes region literally have boxes of this stuff.

 

[SweepNbeep]

I find this whole topic fascinating. Looks like I've got a new bucket lister.

 

[IAMZIM]

I don't know if these are what you are looking for, but I have found a trade point, a chap end and some kind of silver ring, maybe some kind of earring? Does this count?

 

[unclemac]

No, it was an era where the use of copper by certain demographics of NAs was prominent...also it was strictly copper, not bronze which is an alloy of copper.
Also the 'Bronze Age' is mostly centered/referring to Europe.

...and the bronze age in Europe was preceded by their own Copper age....

 

[GaRebel1861]

These are from SW Georgia. Their here but, few and far between.

 

[11KBP]

Has anybody been lucky to pick up American Indian metal artifacts? How do they really look like?

Central Great Plains

I have hunted number of historic village sites and camp sites in the central Great Plains and adjoining High Plains region. The village sites are much more productive in metal artifacts than the campsites which saw intermittent use. When hunting historic village sites you get a much better idea of how resourceful the NA’s were at recycling trade good items.

The historic Plains tribes became very adept at making their own metal arrow points, some tribes more so than others. I have seen Cheyenne made examples (High Plains region) that look nearly as good as blacksmith made points. The below two pictures consist of points I have found on Plains village sites and demonstrate quite a variation in styles made by the same group of people.

The first picture is of NA-made iron points and the second picture is of NA-made brass points. These points were made from recycled trade goods.

 

[unclemac]

Central Great Plains

I have hunted number of historic village sites and camp sites in the central Great Plains and adjoining High Plains region. The village sites are much more productive in metal artifacts than the campsites which saw intermittent use. When hunting historic village sites you get a much better idea of how resourceful the NA’s were at recycling trade good items.





The historic Plains tribes became very adept at making their own metal arrow points, some tribes more so than others. I have seen Cheyenne made examples (High Plains region) that look nearly as good as blacksmith made points. The below two pictures consist of points I have found on Plains village sites and demonstrate quite a variation in styles made by the same group of people.

The first picture is of NA-made iron points and the second picture is of NA-made brass points. These points were made from recycled trade goods.

those are awesome, especially the brass ones

 

[SweepNbeep]

Who says you can't metal detect for arrowheads?

 

[Coyote Hunter]

My farm is about a mile from an old cavalry fort that was commissioned in 1867, I find lots of old military brass mostly 45/70 and 50/70 from the troopers that were shooting bison for rations, and on the rare occasion I find a copper arrow head made from a cooking pot, they were made to the scale as the stone heads.

 

[SweepNbeep]

Hi Coyote Hunter, and welcome. Those items you found are awesome.

 

[uglymailman]

I've not found any but have read several accounts of Plains Indians making them from wagon wheel rims. Good luck.

 

[Muddyhandz]

Iron points are mostly made from barrel hoops (strapping) and were made at fur trade posts/forts by traders or made by the Natives themselves.
I'm not even going to post what I got because it would take a long time but I did happen to take this photo a few weeks ago for a friend.
These are all from one site.....



You can tell some of the Native made ones as they follow ancient styles that you would find with archaic copper.



This site only contained a few kettle points (at top of first photo) and the rest iron but luckily the soil was very kind to these.
I've got more info to add to this thread at a later date.
Good topic!