did they use shark teeth as projectile points?

[birdpointgriswold]

Yesterday I found a shark tooth in one of my best fields..I have picked up 100s of points, tools, pottery. Everything. And now a shark tooth. My question is is it possible for native americans to have used this tooth in some way? It appears to have been broken off at the root, and each of the corners at the bottom appear to have been ground down. Let me know what you guys think.

 

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[birdpointgriswold]

 

[jamey]

now thats a find.i think you have a point,where did you find it,state?thanks for sharing.

 

[birdpointgriswold]

I'm in NC and about 250 miles from the coast. We do find shark teeth in rivers here but they are all solid black and more fossilized never seen one like this before. And for it to be in a very highly used native american site, it has me wondering

 

[rock]

That one has the best color on it. The answer to the question is yes they did use sharks teeth as weapons. I am not sure if they used them as points but I know they did make them as a weapon.

 

[birdpointgriswold]

That one has the best color on it. The answer to the question is yes they did use sharks teeth as weapons. I am not sure if they used them as points but I know they did make them as a weapon.

Yeah man it has a really nice blue tint to it

 

[GatorBoy]

Real cool find!
Now that's old!
That Shark was swimming when the mountain range there didn't exist yet and our whole tectonic plate was further to the east and under the ocean that was much larger because it was not frozen at the polar caps.
Its very possible it was found and used by the Natives in your area.
It happened here often.
I've seen examples that were drilled through the root and showed use wear and other modification that appeared to be for hafting.
If there is a creek or stream nearby I'd be checking it out to find more of those. There is usually many where one is found.

 

[jamey]

could you show the other side of it,and do they not have a gum like thing on them when they lose them.

 

[birdpointgriswold]

could you show the other side of it,and do they not have a gum like thing on them when they lose them.

Yes the root has been broken off and the corners appear to be ground down

 

[jamey]

reminds me of the madisons in tenn.i should of known to call it a root.could be hard to tell because they might not have used it as long as they would if it were made out of flint,to show wear patterns were it was halfted.but may feel different at the base or a little different shade of patina?

 

[birdpointgriswold]

reminds me of the madisons in tenn.i should of known to call it a root.could be hard to tell because they might not have used it as long as they would if it were made out of flint,to show wear patterns were it was halfted.but may feel different at the base or a little different shade of patina?

Here are some more pictures... and I just noticed this, the serrations seem to be worn flat.. I have found shark teeth before in creeks and the serrations usually are still pretty pointy

 

[GaRebel1861]

For what it is worth, I think you've got yourself a shark tooth arrowhead. And a nice one!

 

[birdpointgriswold]

For what it is worth, I think you've got yourself a shark tooth arrowhead. And a nice one!

Think so Man that would be awesome!

 

[GaRebel1861]

Think so Man that would be awesome!

That's just my opinion others may disagree.

 

[birdpointgriswold]

That's just my opinion others may disagree.

Just found this

 

[NC field hunter]

BPG, I'm 99% sure that your tooth is altered and was used. I have a book that documents deer phalanges being altered and used as points. If a deer phalange was used, logical, it is, a sharks tooth would be used. I noticed both edges are ground to create the same angle. It's an artifact. I stand firm there! Hell of a find, once again brother!

 

[birdpointgriswold]

BPG, I'm 99% sure that your tooth is altered and was used. I have a book that documents deer phalanges being altered and used as points. If a deer phalange was used, logical, it is, a sharks tooth would be used. I noticed both edges are ground to create the same angle. It's an artifact. I stand firm there! Hell of a find, once again brother!

Thanks man! Yeah the more i look at it and study the more I'm sure it is

 

[CoilyGirl]

That's awesome!

 

[surf]

Hello Mr. Griswold,

I'm pretty sure there is a couple of weapons in the Bishop Museum in Honolulu that employ shark teeth as edges. The Peabody has this:

Picture of the Time Unit

"From Kiribati, an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean."

"For the current study, the researchers analyzed a collection
of 120 of these weapons from the Field Museum of Natural History,
including some that resemble clubs, daggers, lances, spears and swords.
They identified eight species of sharks based on the teeth used in these weapons,
two of which have never been reported from these waters." Culture | prettyawfulthings​

 

[birdpointgriswold]

Hello Mr. Griswold,

I'm pretty sure there is a couple of weapons in the Bishop Museum in Honolulu that employ shark teeth as edges. The Peabody has this:

Picture of the Time Unit

"From Kiribati, an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean."

"For the current study, the researchers analyzed a collection
of 120 of these weapons from the Field Museum of Natural History,
including some that resemble clubs, daggers, lances, spears and swords.
They identified eight species of sharks based on the teeth used in these weapons,
two of which have never been reported from these waters." Culture | prettyawfulthings

Thanks for the info!