Apache Style Phragmites Arrows

[JackCrafty]

 

[JackCrafty]

Well, after more research and more knapping, here are the results:

I've been obsessing over the photo below and I'm pretty sure the arrowhead on the right is a Lott type arrowhead.
The arrowhead on the left was giving me a headache until I did a little experiment....






I made a couple arrowheads in the classic "Desert" shape (Desert General, in this case)....






And then I knocked off the tips of the barbs, ears, and point of one of the arrowheads....






And then mounted the arrowhead to a foreshaft with some darkened pitch and some sinew....










And PRESTO!....mystery solved.



It appears that the arrowhead on the left has been subjected to a lot of rough handling and all the sharp projections have been broken off.  In fact, this is probably the case in a  lot of the museum pieces I've seen....and I've often wondered why the quality of some of the arrowheads looks so poor on actual artifacts.  Now I know.



Here are more examples of arrowheads that would be appropriate for Apache arrows:

(From left to right: Lott, Garza, Toya, Awatovi, Starr, Desert)

[JackCrafty]

After studying several pictures and illustrations of museum pieces,
this next series shows the way I think the typical Apache arrowhead was mounted to the foreshaft:





(The arrowhead on the right is the experimental arrowhead shown in the previous reply)

[donnieonetrack]

Patrick, can you tell me the name of the book you reference.  I collect books that have anything about native american archery and the ones with photos are the best.

As always great how-to.

thanks,

Donnie

[recurve shooter]

holly cow we just found a jungle of this stuff. i aint much for arra makeing but i may trie it, and im deffinently going to be havesting it for trade and what not!

[JackCrafty]

Donnie, the book with all the arrowheads is: The Official Overstreet Identification and Price Guide to Indian Arrowheads, 10th Edition.  The book with the illustrations of Apache equipment is:  Bows Arrows & Quivers of the American Frontier by John Baldwin.

Shooter, a jungle, huh?  Dang....where do you live?  I'm lucky to find small patches here and there.....

[Stoker]

great points! them arrows keep looking better and better. Thanks Leroy

[JackCrafty]

Thanks Leroy.

Just a couple things I didn't mention during the build-along:

All the arrows you see that have guinea fletching are almost exactly 3/8" across the shaftmet just above the node (assuming you are looking at the arrow with the point upward).  The nodes are a little narrower: 5/16" across.  The thickest part of the arrow (where the forshafts are inserted) is 7/16" across just below the taper.

Also, you need to scrape or sand off the waxy coating on the spots where you apply glue or paint.

[recurve shooter]

jackcrafty, im in southern louisiana. down by lake maurapass there is ALOT of it.