View allAll Photos Tagged flintknapping
Saturday, July 4, 2009 - Planting our first bed (with my mother-in-law) and doing a little flintknapping!
This photo of Tim Rast appears in the Sept 26th 2009, Canada Blog Friends profile of Elfshot: Sticks and Stones . The scholarly backdrop for that web encounter includes exotic locations like St Johns Newfoundland and archeological sites in Labrador, and northern Canada. Tim Rast is a 'flintknapper' which means he knows how to make stone arrowheads. You can see more examples of his work and learn more about flintknapping inside the Elfshot Gallery proper.
Tool? Art? Both? Unusual for sure.
This knife was recently gifted to me by an old and dear friend.
geology.com/rocks/obsidian.shtml
20220414_194245-E14-E-B-S
Anasazi State Park Museum
Utah Route 12
Boulder, UT
The Art of Flintknapping
Flintknapping is the shaping of rock by breaking off pieces. Native Americans use flintknapping to manufacture tools such as projectile points, knives, scrapers and drills. Only a few basic tools are needed to shape the stone. Hammerstones are round, hard stones used to break down big rocks or remove large flakes of stone. This creates a blank, which is the starting base. Blanks were easier to transport than raw stone, so it was common for prehistoric tribes to trade them. When a flintknapper is ready to turn a blank into a tool, he or she will continue shaping the stone with a billet made from an antler. This tool removes smaller flakes and shapes the stone with greater precision. At each stage of production, some stone material will be discarded. These unwanted pieces are referred to as debitage.
Today, flintknappers live all over the world. Archaeologists who practice flintknapping use it to help them understand the past. Some flintknappers use their tools in hunting or for outdoor survival, while others create works of art for jewelry or display. Flaked stone tools are not just created for daily use – they have also been found buried with the dead.
The lightboxes to the right contain stone tools created by local artist Todd Campbell. Due to the translucency of the stone, the rich colors that occur naturally in local rock are enhanced when viewed in front of a light source. The same techniques used to create these works of art are used by indigenous peoples around the world.
Compare the modern tools with the prehistoric tools from the Behunin collection. What differences and similarities do you see?
Utah National Parks Trip
Saturday, July 4, 2009 - Planting our first bed (with my mother-in-law) and doing a little flintknapping!
Saturday, July 4, 2009 - Planting our first bed (with my mother-in-law) and doing a little flintknapping!
Saturday, July 4, 2009 - Planting our first bed (with my mother-in-law) and doing a little flintknapping!