Arrowheads are for babies

lostlake88 · Mar 22, 2013

Literally. I will find the article and post it. Researchers have evidence to believe children as young as 9 were knapping out outstanding g-10 Edens. With an average lifespan of 36 I believe it. This is why I collect large, heavy axes. At least I know 10 year olds were not using them. Kids and their colorful sharp pointy rocks. Some men spend hundreds of dollars just in gas to find Miss Waphaygumy's kids arrowheads. I promise I will find the article and post it. It is off JSTOR and written by one of Dragoo's associates. Dragoo was a big time archy.

GatorBoy · Mar 22, 2013

What do you think the men hunted with? Defended themselves with? butchered their kills with? Even buried their dead with?
They have been found on kill sites in direct association with animal remains as far back as the Mammoth and other extinct animals..found in dead bodies of fallen natives... far from kid toys!
As important as these things were it makes good sense to start teaching early if your average life span was 36

1320 · Mar 22, 2013

Absolutely plausible. Like Father, like Son. My 7 year old would drive the car if I'd let him. My 10 year old can't get enough of the riding mower and tiller and will chop weeds with a hoe all day long if I'd allow it. Our kids are learning basic Algebra in the 5th grade and a host of other crazy stuff that wasn't taught in my day until late middle school. Someone figured out that cramming info into a human brain at earlier ages actually works. So, I see two reasons to believe that native children would knap at a young age....to imitate their role models and basic life lessons. What else would a native kid have to do? I'm guessing they had to grow up fast......

Brandiwine · Mar 22, 2013

I'm sure young kids were knapping...and grinding....and hunting...and doing some form of everything the adults were doing. I'm absolutely sure there was no over protective mom yelling at "little tree" to be careful. It was a survival lifestyle...you have to start young or not survive. The kid was probably fully grown and married at 11 or 12, with kid by 13. We can in no way compare our way of life with someone who lived thousands of years ago. Look at the difference in the existing cultures of the world and how hard it can be for one culture to understand another. Much less us understanding the way of life thousands of years ago and the differences in those cultures. It's a lot to fathom man...a lot. I get too wrapped up thinking about it. If it weren't for modern medicine I would have died giving birth to my first child at 27 years old. 27 years old and I was a baby in modern terms - and lets be honest, in my own terms. I can't imagine what kind of life would have me prepared to have a child at 12 or 13.
Anyhooooo....pondering out loud here.

Tnmountains · Mar 22, 2013

Thats right and by the time you were 17 you had already had all of your kids. It was a fast life.

rock · Mar 22, 2013

I wouldnt be shocked at it at all just look at the arrowheads I find. Most looks like a kid made them.

lostlake88 · Mar 27, 2013

GatorBoy said:
What do you think the men hunted with? Defended themselves with? butchered their kills with? Even buried their dead with?
They have been found on kill sites in direct association with animal remains as far back as the Mammoth and other extinct animals..found in dead bodies of fallen natives... far from kid toys!
As important as these things were it makes good sense to start teaching early if your average life span was 36

Little boys made them.