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 Welcome to
David Bogle's Museum of Native American Artifacts
202
SW 'O' Street·
Bentonville, AR
72712· (479)
273-2456 |
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Archaic
History
Around 10,000 years ago, with the large herd animals
now extinct, the climate warming and the human population
growing rapidly, it was the beginning of the Archaic Period.
The Archaic period is also known as the time of the
"hunters and gatherers". People were now living in
small semi-permanent villages and gather local nuts, roots
and berries for their diet. They also had to develop new
tools to adapt to these changes.
Atl-Atl
The Atl-atl, or spear thrower, was a technological
breakthrough as important to ancient man as the invention of
the gun was to our more recent ancestors. The image is a
depiction of a hunter using an atl-atl. The Atl-atl is a
repeating spear and the handle acts as a lever that allows
the user to throw a lighter spear at a great distance with
far more accuracy.
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The
long shaft that is propelled from the atlatl handle is called the
dart. River cane was used frequently in making these darts and they
often attained a length of 6 or 7 feet long. The flint points are
attached to a hard wood or bone smaller shaft called a foreshaft,
which in turn is inserted into a hollow socket on the river cane dart.
These foreshafts were not attached permanently and would detach from
the main atlatl spear shaft and stay in the animal or target they
struck. The atlatl dart could then be picked up and another foreshaft
quickly inserted for another shot. By using a two-piece spear, the
Native Americans could carry many of the small foreshafts while
hunting and only need to carry one of the long dart shafts. This gave
the convenience of multiple shots in an easy to carry package. The
atlatl was in essence a repeating spear and is a classic example of
early mans ingenuity.
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Food
Processing
While hunting for meat was a main source of protein and
nourishment, other foodstuffs were also necessary for a
healthy diet. Much of the food was gathered in the wild,
like nuts and berries, while others were gained through
the cultivation of crops. The items in this display are
all implements that were used by the Indians to help
process their food that they had grown or otherwise
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Hardstone
Not all artifacts and tools that the Native Americans used were
made out of flint and created by knapping. Some tools, ornaments
and other necessities were fashioned in other ways. One such
method is called pecked and grinding. To create with the pecking a
grinding method, a round rock, called a hammerstone, was held in
one hand and used to strike the surface of the rock being shaped
into the tool. Each time the hammerstone struck the rock, it would
remove small portions of it. This process, called pecking, would
shape the tool into its desired form. Once the tool was close to
the desired shape, it was then ground or sanded with the use of
sandstone until it was completed. A cutting edge was then ground
or sanded along the bit edge.
Woodworking
Tools
Wood was just as important to early man as it is to us
today. Methods of acquiring and working the wood haven't
changed that much over the years. Axes, celts, gouges,
chisels and tools of many different configurations were used
to chop down and shape wood. |
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Bannerstones
Banenrstones are very unique itmes, and come in many different
forms such as wing, saddleback and pick. Bannerstones can be
found over most of North America, but are far more common east
of the Mississippi River. Like axes and other hardstone items,
they are fashioned by using the peck and grinding technique.
Bannerstones
have been found associated with atlatls at a place called Indian
knoll in Kentucky. While we know that at least some of them were
used as atlatl components, different styles of bannerstones
could have served for different functions. They are often made
of very colorful and high-grade material, like many of them on
display in the museum.
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For more information, Contact
Us, Email,
or Call (479) 273-2456
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Learning
the Facts
Whether the first
Americans originally entered the continent by land or by sea,
evidence of their existence on the continent is found in the
tools, weapons, and ornaments they left behind. Learn
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Your
Personal Tour
Your personal tour starts with individual Audio Wands provided
at the front door! Learn
More
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Grand
Opening at New Location!
The Museum is now open to the public at a new location. New
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