Point

Item number Sf643 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

A triangular, pressure flaked point with rounded end (part a), detached from its wooden handle (part b). The blade is a brown, fine grained, volcanic stone. Many turns of cotton cord is wrapped around the base of the blade, obscuring whether or not it is notched, and wraps the fragments of the wooden handle which once straddled the blade. Handle has a bi-conical drill hole near the rounded end. Impressions of cord along the entire length of the handle.

History Of Use

Triangular points with concave bases occur very late in the projectile point sequences for the southern Andes variant of the Andean hunting-collecting tradition. There is evidence for long triangular points, such as this one, on the coast after 1200 B.C.E. (Lanning and Hammel) since it is associated with organics, a coastal designation is assumed. The obsidian probably came from the highlands, its presence on the coast is cited as evidence of extensive trade in late Pre-Ceramic times (Lanning). The short wooden and apparently wrapped handle, with a hole, suggests this point was not used as a projectile point, but may have been a knife, perhaps suspended.

Narrative

According to Paul Clifford this is "an important artifact in the form of a complete early knife with wooden shaft and flint blade with original textile binding; from the south coast " (1982).