Why didn't the Indians use Mahogany Obsidian?

[billy]

So I spent 3 years living in Oregon and I would find occasionally find arrowheads made of obsidian while roaming the deserts hunting rabbits with my primitive bow.  And one thing I noticed was that all the points I found were made out of either black or smoky clear obsidian, and almost never did the Indians use the mahogany variety.  Glass Buttes was the major obsidian source for the Northern Paiutes who lived in central Oregon.  For those who have been to Glass Buttes you quickly realize that there are a large amount of multicolored obsidians to be found.  Yet the old guys obviously preferred the black and smoky clear, while leaving the multicolored varieties where they lay.  I've noticed that some of the mahogany varieties are more brittle than the black stuff, but some of the mahogany stuff works very well.  I've examined lots of different arrowhead collections from the central Oregon area, and noticed that all the points that were collected were black obsidian.  Any idea why this was so?  Was it religious?  Was there a practical reason?  Possibly superstition?  Just wondered if anyone had some insight into this trend.   

[iowabow]

Total guess ...looks like dried blood? Why carry a point that looks like you have killed when it is more prestigious to show a blade/ point that is pure black with red or dried blood on it as you return from a hunt. People like seeing blood on the news and the arrowhead was part of the story telling of that time....well that my guess based on just human nature. Or maybe the gods don't like false blood.

[Scallorn]

Maybe because the colors are caused by impurities in the stone. They might have thought that the multicolored stone was impure and lower quality than the black stuff. Just a guess

[Wolf Watcher]

All the old timers that wrote the books about all the things they found said that since the local Indians think everything has a spirit they choose not to use it.  Not all spirits are good ones and the color of the Mahogany was an indication of a bad spirit.  Nothing to do with the quality of the material for making good sharp and solid points.  Literally millions of bird points were salvaged from Kalamath  Lake and surrounding southern Oregon lakes by people using dredges while it was still legal and none were made with mahogany.  Joe

[billy]

Yeah it could have been because they though the stone was impure.  Or possibly that it had a bad spirit within the stone, and breaking that stone could release the bad spirit.  It's still a curiosity as to why they didn't use it, but it certainly is interesting.  Gotta say I like the look of the mahogany obsidian, but if I Want to be archaeologically accurate in my reproductions, I guess I can't use it!  I'm making a Northern Paiute replica bow and arrows and I'll be writing an article about it. 

[iowabow]

Curtainly there would have been many cultures in that region over a long span to time. Very interesting that none of them used the material. For one idea to carry from one generation to the next for centuries is curtainly an interesting mystery.

[Scallorn]

I can't wait to see the Paiute set Billy! Be sure to post it here too, what wood are you using for the bow and arrows?

[billy]

The Paiute used juniper for their bows and sinew backed them.  Unfortunately there are no surviving intact bows from the Northern Paiute that I know of, but two bow tips were recovered from a dry cave in NW Nevada.  The bows were probably quite short, 36-48 inches long.  But the sinew backing made the bows incredibly flexible.  The bow I made is sinew backed juniper....undecorated but at 53 inches it's longer than the original bows but can easily handle a 28 inch draw.  Some Northern Paiute arrows were found in caves.  Arrows were made of either Phragmites reed, syringa, or wild rose.  Reed arrows were foreshafted and even some of the hardwood shoots were as well.  Most were tipped with small obsidian points, though jasper and agate were used to a lesser degree.

Unfortunately I'm in GA, so a lot of the materials that the Paiutes used are unavailable to me.  I already have a sinew backed juniper bow and some obsidian, but since I don't have phragmites reed I had to make some substitutes.  Instead of Phragmites, I'm using Giant Reed that I found growing near my home.  Instead of greasewood foreshafts I'll be using dogwood.   I'll post some pics when I get the bow and arrows done.  I'm also going to be making a quiver out of bobcat skin.  I'm also writing an article about it and will be submitting it to PA as soon as it's done and I have all the photos taken. 

[David_Daugherty]

Billy that sounds really cool.  Cant wait to read it!!!

[JEB]

good stuff Billy, will wait impatiently for the article!!

[Dharma]

I have seen points here made with different colored obsidian. Even today it is used. In fact, I saw one such point made by a Navajo flintknapper that came out absolutely beautiful. We purchased it and other points from him to sell where I work. That point sold quickly.

[billy]

I'm talking about in ancient times.  Now a days I've seen lots of mahogany obsidian points, but back then, at least in prehistoric times, they rarely used it.  At least from the artifacts that I've seen.  Almost all ancient points from the Great Basin in central Oregon that I've examined have been made from black or smoky clear obsidian.  I have only one obsidian point that I found that has some brown bands in it, but that is the only one I've seen personally. 

[Sparrow]

I think I saw a Mahogany point in the collection at Mary hill museum  '  Frank

[JackCrafty]

In most large collections (on the west coast) there are examples of mahogany obsidian arrowheads, atlatl points and knives.  You just gotta know the right people, I guess.   

In any case, the unusual colors were often traded.  Red mahogany points can be found many hundreds of miles away from the source, as well as green and clear, for example.



---http://www.westernartifacts.com/gempoints.htm

[JackCrafty]

And red material was prized by many tribes.  Probably not all tribes but there are many examples of red arrowheads made from jasper, agate, and other stones.


---http://www.westernartifacts.com/farwest.htm