Arrowheads were made
form various kinds of stone but flint was considered the best
not only because the "grain" in flint is easier to
chip than most other hard rocks. The favorite tool for
chipping arrowheads into shape was the deerhorn. A piece of
rock was first broken into smaller pieces by using a hammer
stone, then the most likely pieces shaped into arrowheads by
chipping away with a smaller hammer stone and with deerhorns.
Spear points were
made similar to arrowheads, only larger in size and somewhat
different in shape. Some spears were made of hard wood and
the wooden point sharpened and hardened in a fire.
Stone weapons,
tomahawks, and battle hammers were made form rocks of right
shape by sharpening one edge and grinding a groove around the
stone using other harder stones. The groove was made so that
the stone could be bound to a handle with rawhide. Other
hammers and ax-type weapons were also used-sometimes a wood
"burl" or knot in a root or branch with a
convenient handle made a good battle ax.
Cherokees also used
blowguns, generally for small game, but occasionally for
warfare. Blowguns were from three to eight or nine feet long,
with darts made of hard woods with the "fluff" or
the rear end of the dart made from thistledown to center the
dart in the blowgun. This would form a seal so that wind
pressure (from blowing) behind the dart would send it through
the barrel at a great speed. These were very accurate at
short distances. In wartime, if darts were used, they were
generally poisoned, sometimes by getting a poisonous snake to
bite into a piece of spoiled meat and dipping the darts into
the poisoned meat. Certain plant juices were also used for
poisons.
"Cherokee
Blowgun"
The blowgun was a
hunting tool. It was made from river cane six to eight feet
long. The joints in the cane were cleaned out by using a
smaller cane until it was hollow all the way through. The
dart for the gun was made of a small piece of wood about
eight inches in length. One end was sharpened, and on the
other end they placed some dried thistle to make the dart fly
straight. This tool was used for small animals such as
rabbits and squirrels.
Prior to European
contact, the Cherokee and many other tribes used the blowgun
for hunting small game such as rabbits, squirrels and birds.
Today, the tradition of the blowgun is perpetuated in annual
competition at the Cherokee National Holiday. Entrants shoot
at a standard bull's eye target approximately 20 yards from
the firing line. Scoring is determined by the designated
value of the circle hit in the target
.
