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Lenape Artifact Hunting New Jersey


mullery7

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Hey Guys,

I know its a fossil forum but I feel native american artifacts go hand in hand so dont blow a fuse. I have found arrowheads here and there. not as many as I would like to admit. I dont know if I am looking in the wrong places or what. I know the basics, plowed feilds after a rain, creeks bed, ect. Are there any particular places I should be looking, any geological characteristics, bluffs, ect. Should i be looking in creeks or is that more of a waste of time than anything else. If i were to survery a certain area, how far should i dig while sifting the land. I want to know everything there is to know when it comes to native american finds in new jersey with maximum productivity. I would really appreciate any help, knowledge, and advice that would help me out. Also have a question in regard to tips. Is it possible that archaic and paleo indians may have made spears out of iron stone? I know that it is everywhere in Parts of new jersey but i have found a piece that seems to have been worked. it doesnt have conchoidal fractures since its not chert but it is pointed, it was not from a river bed, it was from a turned field, and it has definately been worked. thanks for the information!

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I think the problem with artifact hunting, for the most part, is that it's been popular for a good long time so a lot of the formerly good areas are now picked over. This happens with fossil hunting also but, with fossil hunting, as good sites play out or close or whatever, more sites open up and this is not true with artifact hunting. When really good native sites are found now, they are closed by the "professionals" for research and, you know, I kind of agree with this because it's how we further our knowledge of the people indiginous to this land.

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thats pretty discouraging that you have to get lucky in order to find something now a days. I agree with you partially, I understand they are the "professionals" but then what does that make us? Where is the room for your imagination to run wild when you find an item. Why cant we research and learn as much if not more than the "professionals". The mind is a funny thing and curiosity controls it when it comes to hunting. Now i do agree that the finds should be examined by true professionals so that they can collect date and learn more about the aboriginals. but those items should then be returned to the people who put their hard work and dedication into finding them and having the imagination and knowledge to do so.

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Ive never had any luck finding Native American Artifacts but people Ive hunted with have found some while fossil hunting with me, once I was introducing someone to Big Brook and telling them what you can find there and at the end I threw in "I've heard you can find arrow heads here too", she literally looked down into the water reached in pulled out an arrowhead and said "like this". Id been hunting there for at least 6 years and found not a single point and she found one within minutes of her first hunt :P Unfortunately sites that are going to yield lots of artifacts are probably going to be closely guarded secrets or closed off.

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I hunt big brook often and have never foudn a point there. I have found some really cool bones and fossils. I found fossilized crab, some sort of bones, alligator scutes, masosaur teeth, plasiosuar teeth, and the endless collection of shark teeth. I staretd looking into the miocene and eocine areas of shark river. the finds are fewer and farther between but man do they pay off. the reason i ask about the tips is because i have been successful in a couple finds in the monmouth middlesex area. I dont know if you are familiar with millstone but my father owns property there and around there. I have found qyuite a few tips and even a bannerstone. As recent as tuesday i had found a wierd looking spear point possibly. its made of rion stone with nis not typical. I have never seen an iron stone worked but this spear was definately knapped. it has piurposely been shaped to form a piercing weapon. Maybe archaic, maybe pale0, maybe even woodland era...but im confident its something due to the angles and shape. when i ask for tips, i guess im asking for locations, not specific locations but typical surrounds where they would most likely be located. would the encampment face the sun when it sets or away from it when it sets, ect, ect. just some information others may have learned over time.

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the only artifacts that ive ever found made out of bog iron, were a celt, and a small bowl. both were from a late woodland/colonial era site that i excavated back in the early 80's

the Lenape always camped on the highest point of land, close to a permanent source of fresh water. if your finding artifacts uncovered by your fathers plowing, odds are they are woodland/colonial in age. the early archaic/paleo artifacts are going to be much deeper in depth. sometimes as much as 4-5 feet here in N.J. due to the younger dryas event. why dont you post a pic or two of the artifact in question?

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I'm sorry but I do not think these are artificts.

I think its just coincidental weathering on the first rock. I see no real sign that this rock has been tampered with by humans.

The second image is also not an artifact as far as I can tell. It appears to be a worm tube perhaps? Not too sure about that one.

Good luck on future hunts, artifacts are out there

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Hi there Mullery. I have to agree with Interpaleo that these are not artifacts, but naturally occuring shapes. I see no sign of pecking, polishing or flaking there. This type of stone is very common in the fields of central NJ, and I have seen them in many interesting shapes. As far as places to look, lordpiney is correct. Higher ground near a water source, with good drainage is a good place to start. It has been my observation that these living areas were often located on the southern and southeastern side of a stream and its bends. Debitage, (chips and flakes) fire reddened river cobbles, and of course points and tools tell the tale. Do not limit youself to these areas though. Any place there is bare dirt may hold a treasure for you to find. I once found a point in a flower bed in downtown Trenton years ago. Although I'm sure there are places out there that havent been collected hard over the years, most well known sites in any area have been picked over pretty well,some for over 2 centuries. It pays to be persistent, and look in places shunned by most others. Add to that the advent of modern farming practices such as "no till", and you see its even a tougher game than it was even 15 or 20 years ago. Fossils used to be incidental to my "arrowhead hunting", and now arrowheads are incidental to my fossil collecting for just these reasons. I'm not trying to discourage you, just telling it as it is. Keep in mind I am speaking of surface collecting, and ALWAYS get permission on private lands. All that being said, dont give up on it! Even though its tougher, its just that much sweeter when you score.

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Mullery also if you find a point in a water sourse or field does not mean you will find another in same vicinity. As some posts said no chips found usually means that if a point is found it was either washed into that area or just lost there. I have hunted an old village site in NC and there were literally tons of things being found but if I were to have went 100 yrds in either direction little if anything could be found... Look for pottery shard/sherds also once you find them in abundance you can feel that you are close to a village site or camp site. But again only one litle sahrd means just that you have found something washed into an area. You have to find overwhelming eveidence like flint chips, pottery shards..

Also the smaller point are often overlooked by the artifact hunters. The village in which I hunted the little bird points were found regularly while the arrowhead/spear point were fewer. Showed me that the artifact hunters did not look for small. Mostly cause they are less valuable to them or that they wee not looking close enough... Tarheel/Jeff

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hey Tarheel,

Thank you for the advice. I dont search to sell. I search to keep. Theres something about having a piece of the original inhabitants that does something for me. My imagination goes wild. Strangely it makes me feel close to them. My first arrowhead was in a field when i was about 6. from that point on it was an ongoing hunt for native american artifacts, I do fossil and rock collecting as well. Anything that is natural, comes from the earth, or historical and has to be searched for, I am going after it! in regards to the information you provided, i knew some of it but you gave me some helpful information as well. I never figured people would ever overlook a bird point. And i never assumed that if you found them in abundance that a campsit may be near. I have found charrred rocks burried about a foot and a half, i have found rocks that seem to have been part of their sauna houses. i feel like the search is endless and that i am coming up empty handed more times than not. thats why i wanted more personal information instead of the generic info provided on most websites.

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Mullery yeah when they were traveling further out (a days hike) from a village they had a special place they would always camp. Most tribes did not hunt right around the village sites until maybe winter time or lean years. They probally had many different camp areas all with suitable water and protection from sneak attacks and weather.

I know how you feel, I collected the small pottery shards as well.I hated the thought that one day they would disentigrate into dirt again. I also collected flint chips from where they knapped their points.I like you felt a connection or need to take these home with me. I have never sold a artifact either nor any fossil, though have traded some fossils for things I could not aquire here in NC. Like I said some things in my neck of the woods were passed over and bird points were that something. They would take the whole point I am sure and leave broken ones and smaller. The way I know was seeing all the foot prints in the dirts rows.

Hope you are able to locate some places to hunt artifacts though. Lots of places being lost to civilization and concrete. Tarheel/Jeff

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  • 1 month later...

The item you asked if it could be for straightening arrows is (naturally occurring) bog iron which occurs commonly in the Cretaceous in New Jersey, which would explain its presence in Bound Brook.

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