Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: DuBois on October 04, 2014, 08:33:22 pm
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My mother is kind of a wandering unsettled sort of gal and can't seem to stay anywhere long so I was surprised that she has held onto these things for long.
Sent me 2 arrowheads my grandfather found near Eads Colorado when he was 15 (1925). I never knew he visited there and he spent most of his life working in Fort Scott Kansas. These are from Comanche territory as I understand it and he had originally found and given her 10 of them in this leather bag from his bank.
My Great Grandfather started the City State Bank and my Grandpa owned and ran it until the big corporates leveraged him out of it in the 80's. He was also a farmer his whole life and I still plan to get a few staves from his old farm and do a tribute bow.
I know, it is kinda oxymoronical to be a banker and farmer.
Anyway, this was a real meaningful gift from a man who passed away several years ago. Not a typical medicine bag, but to me it's pretty powerful.
Never posted in this section before but thought this was a good start.
Thanks folks,
Marco
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Very cool!..... Brian
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Neat story,, and cool.
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Nice story, now get that special stave and make that tribute bow ;)
Don
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Boy, they are tiny. Nice to have stuff from your ancestors :)
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Very cool ! Bob
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Heart warming.
Zuma
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very cool !
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Very nice story,enjoye seeing the heads and bag also. :)
Pappy
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Thanks everybody
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Cool story
Thanks Leroy
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Enjoyed reading the story, Marco. It's special having things passed down through the generations.
Thanks for posting!
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Those are nice arrowheads. They would make great pendants. I have two that are very ancient that my ancestors probably made, given where I found them. I made both of them into pendants. This is an easy thing to do using artificial sinew and a buckskin lace for the cord. I always wear an arrowhead.
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Enjoyed reading the story, Marco. It's special having things passed down through the generations.
Thanks for posting!
Yes it is and it was a real surprise.
Hey Dharma, I am going to do that for sure. Got any pics of one?
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Well, I don't have any pics, my camera is inop right now, and I'm on the rez so it's a 2-1/2 hour drive to the nearest big town. But I can walk you through it buddy and if you have any questions, PM me or email me. Here's how it's done.
You need artificial sinew and a buckskin cord. Make sure the buckskin cord is long enough to fit over your head after you do a loop tie to fasten it. We'll get to that. But first, mark the center of the buckskin cord with a pencil. Cut two lengths of artificial sinew about a foot long and then strip them in half lengthwise to make them thinner. Roll them between your fingers to make them into two thin cords. Just like you were going to put that point on a shaft, that's the diameter you want. Now, find the side of the point you want to be the "front" of the pendant. That is, what you want seen. The backside is where you'll tie your knots.
Now, take one length of sinew and lay it over the point lengthwise dead center so the loop is at the base of the point. The loop should be about 1/2" wide. Use a little piece of scotch tape to hold the sinew front and back of the point. Now take the other piece of sinew and wrap each end twice around the notch of the point, then tie them on what you established as the back of the point. Tie it tight once and then one more time for a total of two knots. Now thread the buckskin cord through the loop and once the center of the cord has the mark of center in line with the loop, grasp the ends of the sinew and pull it snug until it has a nice "bite" into the buckskin but not so tight it causes the sinew to start slipping off the base of the point. Now take the ends of the sinew and fold them over and back so they go over the sinew wrap on the notch and meet up over the buckskin cord. Now tie them here so they are tied over the buckskin cord. Tie three knots, cut the ends, and burn them down to the knot with a lighter. Now you have two sinew cords holding the point on the buckskin basically. It ain't a-goin' nowhere.
Now return to the lengths of sinew on the notch. Wrap them criss-crossing over the notch like you're doing an arrow basically. But just do as many wraps as you think looks good and then when it looks right, tie them at the back of the point so the knots are not seen when you wear the pendant. Now tie the ends tight as you can with three knots, cut the ends, and burn them down to the knot with a lighter.
Now gather up the two ends of the buckskin cord so they are even. Grasp both ends, make a loop with both together, and feed the ends through the loop loosely. Try it on and check the length. If it's too long, feed more slack through until it is the desired length and fits over your head ok. Now once that's done, pull the knot tight and cut the ends off leaving about 1/2" of end beyond the knot.
Traditionally, after it is done, pass the necklace over sage smoke or cedar smoke or both. If a woman ties any of the knots, the knots cannot ever be untied and then retied; you'll have to take the whole arrowhead off and start all over again. This pendant will protect you and bring you blessings. I can't go into detail about the whole thing, but you can PM me if you wish to know. Any questions about how they're made, please, feel free to PM me.
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Also, if it were me, I'd select the smaller arrowhead on the left in the photo. Smaller arrowheads are better.
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OK, will be doing it soon and thanks for the instructions.
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Glad I could help. Once you start wearing it, you'll feel naked without it. Any questions as you're making it, give me a jingle on the PM.