My fascination with Native American history, specifically artifacts and stone tools, has grown exponentially since I found my first “point” while playing in a mound of topsoil when I was 10 years old. I remember dashing into our house screaming to the top of my lungs that I just found an “arrowhead.” My mother thought someone had lost a limb by my frantic voice. Such a sigh of relief came over her as I held in my soiled palm, a chert artifact from thousands of years ago. How was I to know at that time that my thirst for knowledge regarding civilizations that occupied these lands hundreds of centuries before present would be unquenchable? Even today, I find myself mesmerized every time I stumble upon a piece of history left behind by a people that lived, hunted, fished, farmed, and survived in the same places that we do now. It is truly fascinating!
My career of cotton consulting coincidentally placed me in areas that were once inhabited by generations of Native Americans. Little did I know while I was inspecting crops for insects, I was also traversing lands that were rich in artifacts and history of the first people to inhabit North America. I was enlightened to what was lying beneath our fertile soils by Dr. Clyde Sartor, a fellow entomologist and colleague. While at a consultant’s dinner at the old Dennery’s restaurant on Highway 80 by the Pearl River bridge, he pulled a “point” from his pocket he had found in a cotton field. To say I was totally captivated was a grave understatement. I began to ask questions. Where did you find it? How did you know where to look for this? Are they common? How old is this tool?
Dr. Sartor explained to me how to pick out “sites” where these artifacts may be concentrated. He described knolls and ridges close to sources of water like creeks and rivers. He told me to concentrate on the southern slopes of ridges that dropped off to creek bottoms. I immediately began to think of these types of landscapes, and several came to mind. I couldn’t wait to get back to the field.
Since that dinner meeting, I have found more than 1,000 points, tools, beads, and other artifacts. I had no idea how many people survived and flourished in the exact footsteps I took while I was chasing down the boll weevil. With each one I held in my hand, I drifted back in time and wondered. Who made this? What did they see and encounter? As “old” as Mother Earth is, and as ancient as “mankind” is, records indicate that North America has only been inhabited by humans around 13,000-14,000 years before present. The plants and animals that lived here were far different than what we know today. Megafauna included giant beavers, wooly mammoths, mastodon, and more. These animals were hunted by large predators like saber-toothed cats, short-face bears, dire wolves, and our ancestors, the first Native Americans. The tools they left behind evolved as time progressed thus leaving a rich chronological history of change, not only in species, but societal changes too.
Besides being fascinated with the artifacts themselves, I became more intrigued with how old they are. What are they named? How were they made? One question led to another. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I met an individual at a dove hunt, that another chapter opened that allowed me to delve deeper into this vast subject. Eddie Templeton has forgotten more about Native American history than I will ever know. We hit it off, and our common passion for Native American history has fueled our friendship. My questions were incessant, but he welcomed each of them. I wanted him to look at my collection and provide insight into what I have and teach me the names of the projectiles and how to classify them. We finally made that happen.
I knew I did not have a “Clovis” point, the earliest known culture that we currently know of, but I thought I might have a “Dalton point” which dates to around 9500 years before present. I had my points spread out on a table and I handed him the perceived “Dalton” first to confirm yes or no. You should have seen the look on my face when he told me it was not a Dalton, but a true arrow point from the Mississippian period dating back around 1500 years ago. Still, a beautiful specimen, but somehow, I wanted one that was from the Paleoindian era. Then Eddie stated, “you’ve got one older than a Dalton though.” He “pointed” to one in my collection; no pun intended and informed me that it was a “Hinds” point that dates back 10,500 to 11,000 years before present. You would have thought I won the lottery, not for a dollar value, but because I had a piece of history of a culture that I am in awe of and respect so much. We went on through the rest of my collection through the evening, and I learned more that day than I had in 50 years of collecting.
Several weeks later, Eddie asked if he could “borrow” my point to document and record my find. Of course, I obliged. He detailed specific characteristics of the point, documented measurements, unique features, and location of the find. I didn’t find this one on a specific “site.” In fact, I just stumbled across it while walking down a row of cotton. Tragically, at least in my opinion, the creek bottom where I discovered this artifact is no longer farmed but is now a residential development. I will go even farther to offer a hint of the approximate location where I found it. If you’re standing on the dam of Lake Caroline, you are less than 1/2 mile from where it remained for over 10,000 years. Now this area is under concrete, never to be explored again. All in the name of progress, I suppose.
I cannot thank Eddie enough for his willingness to share his knowledge with a neophyte explorer. He also introduced me to the Mississippi Archaeological Association (MAA), which I have since become a member. The MAA is an organization of professional and avocational archaeologists involved with archaeology and archaeological preservation, uniting in a common effort to understand the prehistory and history of Mississippi. A major goal of the MAA is to ensure the proper conservation and scientific exploration of archaeological sites; and to promote responsible attitudes toward archaeological resources and discourage destructive or unlawful activities that adversely impact those resources. You can find out more about this organization by visiting their website at www.msarchaeology.org.
There is no better way to enjoy another facet of our outdoor world than by exploring fields, creeks, and woodlands, in search of a rich history from the past. Just think, maybe in time, we will meet the individuals that were here before us, and they can tell us about the points they made and what they did with them. Nothing is beyond the realm of possibilities. I’m not so sure they would approve of our stewardship of “their” lands though. Let me know if you have special finds that would be of interest to others. I’m sure Eddie would love to see them and help you preserve them for future generations to study. I know I would love to hear about them too. Until next time, enjoy our woods and waters and remember, let’s leave it better than we found it. jeff.north@northag.net
