Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Spear Point

I think I may have shared this photo with our readers once before, but yesterday's post about the Native American pipe bowl I found on Ocracoke reminded me that a friend found a beautiful spear point on the beach just a few years ago.



(Click on photo to view a larger image.)

As many of you know, William Howard was the first European owner of Ocracoke Island to make his home here. Previous owners used the island only for grazing livestock. I am often asked, "Who did William Howard buy the island from?" And I always answer this way: "He bought it from Richard Sanderson, who inherited it from his father, Richard Sanderson, who bought it from John Lovick, who got Ocracoke as a gift from the Lords Proprietors, who were granted the island by the King of England...who stole it from the Native Americans."

Perhaps one day we will understand and appreciate the native people who lived, hunted, and gathered seafood on our island.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a list of traditional island remedies. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032111.htm.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:15 AM

    Who did the Native Americans get it from?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8:30 AM

    Love seeing and reading about these rare finds on Ocracoke! Never thought to look for an arrowhead/spear on the beach. I have several my brother has found in the fields.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:27 AM

    Although I wasn't really there, I am reasonably certain that the island, like the rest of America was bequeathed to the native Americans by the original OWNER.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous1:39 PM

    Thank you anon. #3, you have answered my question quite reasonably. Anon. #1.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Here is an expert opinion about the spear point: "your friend's arrow head is...indeed a 'Cumberland Point.' These are much rarer than a Clovis point (generally because they are much
    finer craftsmanship and from a relatively short period in American history) and datable to around 8500 to 9000 years old."

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous11:05 AM

    Amazing!

    ReplyDelete