Light of Morn
Home | Seasons | New@Light | Gallery | About Light | SideLights
         
Knapped Chert
5 May 2025
 

Found these two examples of knapped chert while hiking public trails in our foothills. Initially, I didn't recognize them for what they were. I was focused on finding examples of chert rock as part of a "show and tell" during one of my public hikes for County Parks.

The lower example appears to be a spear head that broke off during knapping.

The upper example appears to be a rough outline for what will eventually become an arrowhead.

Native people used a deer antler and piece of treated hide to slowly work the rough chert stone into shape. Decades ago, I happened to stumble onto a descendent of a local tribe teaching knapping at Coyote Regional Park. The process was slow but the results were rewarding. The images are non-digital which is why they're not included here.
Return to Top.