Here is a picture of an aboriginal "bopper," or percussion instrument that primitive man could have used to make stone tools and weapons. I constructed this tool by using the fork of an elk antler to hold a hammerstone. Then I hafted the stone in place using deer rawhide. I soaked the rawhide lace in water until it was soft and pliable, then wrapped the stone in place in the elk horn fork. When the rawhide dried it shrank, making a very tight and secure binding for the stone tool. This tool would be used to strike flakes off the edge of flint rock. The flakes were used for scrapers or arrowheads and the main body of the stone would be a sharp-edged axe, hoe, adze or tomahawk.
Flintknapping
Flintknapping is the name of a process whereby rocks are worked and shaped into arrowheads, knives and other stone tools through either pressure flaking or percussion. That is, certain rocks can be thinned and sharpened by pressing thin flakes off the edge or by striking the edge of the rock with some sort of hammer and making a sharp edge. Ancient peoples used antlers and wood to pry off flakes on the edge of stones to make tools and weapons. They also used hammerstones and heavy antler to strike off flakes in the same manner. Not all rocks are suitable for this process. Only flint, or chert, or volcanic glass or some agates will flake properly. Modern man has kept this process alive, and flintknapping is a hobby worldwide for many people.
I have been flintknapping for about seven years, and I am becoming fairly proficient at making points and blades. It is one of the most difficult skills I have ever tried to master. I have some examples of my work that I will display here on this website. I hope you enjoy looking at them.
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Dan's bows can now be purchased through the site Primitive Pathways.
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