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Rhode Island Ground Slate Point
Some information here is duplicated in the "New Hampshire" thread....
Basically, there are two traditions of ground slate technology appearing in the Middle-Late Archaic in the Northeast. This technology may have originated in the Maritime Archaic region of Maine, specifically the so-called Moorehead Phase. Large slate bayonets were interred with the dead. This is generally restricted to a short section of the Maine coast where the Moorhead Phase flourished.
So the Maritime Archaic used ground slate for fish and sea mammal hunting. Many of their stemmed points show a series of notches on the stem.
Now, there is another phase of the Laurentian Tradition Archaic, present in interior New England away from the coast, that produced ground slate projectiles. Many mimic the smaller(under 12 cm.) slate points from coastal Maine. But the Vergennes Phase of the Laurentian Tradition( which tradition, btw, included the Brewerton Phase as well) produced ground slate points whose use and styles spread throughout the interior Northeast. The chipped stone projectiles associated with the Archaic Vergennes Phase was the Otter Creek Point. Here are typical Otter Creek points from coastal Rhode Island. Largest found by member Jay(Onewiththewild)
So, Otter Creek points of the Middle-Late Archaic were produced during the period of the Northeast Laurentian Tradition(a tradition that also included the Brewerton family of points) known as the Vergennes Phase. And in this phase, probably influenced by ground slate technology from the Moorehead Phase of the Maritime Archaic in Maine, ground slate projectiles, knives, ulus, etc became part of that Archaic toolkit. Here, from Willoughby's "Antiquities of the New England Indians"1935) are illustrations of Vergennes Phase ground slate points from Vermont, many with notches ground into the stem. Eskimos made similar stems, btw.
Here is a rare example from Rhode Island of a ground and polished slate point of the Vergennes Phase, just under 5" in length. The rough parches resemble ancient damage, but the blade may have been resharpened on the edge after that damage, can't be sure. The stem, as is often typical, has a series of ground in notches.
Notched stem:
Basically, there are two traditions of ground slate technology appearing in the Middle-Late Archaic in the Northeast. This technology may have originated in the Maritime Archaic region of Maine, specifically the so-called Moorehead Phase. Large slate bayonets were interred with the dead. This is generally restricted to a short section of the Maine coast where the Moorhead Phase flourished.
So the Maritime Archaic used ground slate for fish and sea mammal hunting. Many of their stemmed points show a series of notches on the stem.
Now, there is another phase of the Laurentian Tradition Archaic, present in interior New England away from the coast, that produced ground slate projectiles. Many mimic the smaller(under 12 cm.) slate points from coastal Maine. But the Vergennes Phase of the Laurentian Tradition( which tradition, btw, included the Brewerton Phase as well) produced ground slate points whose use and styles spread throughout the interior Northeast. The chipped stone projectiles associated with the Archaic Vergennes Phase was the Otter Creek Point. Here are typical Otter Creek points from coastal Rhode Island. Largest found by member Jay(Onewiththewild)
So, Otter Creek points of the Middle-Late Archaic were produced during the period of the Northeast Laurentian Tradition(a tradition that also included the Brewerton family of points) known as the Vergennes Phase. And in this phase, probably influenced by ground slate technology from the Moorehead Phase of the Maritime Archaic in Maine, ground slate projectiles, knives, ulus, etc became part of that Archaic toolkit. Here, from Willoughby's "Antiquities of the New England Indians"1935) are illustrations of Vergennes Phase ground slate points from Vermont, many with notches ground into the stem. Eskimos made similar stems, btw.
Here is a rare example from Rhode Island of a ground and polished slate point of the Vergennes Phase, just under 5" in length. The rough parches resemble ancient damage, but the blade may have been resharpened on the edge after that damage, can't be sure. The stem, as is often typical, has a series of ground in notches.
Notched stem:
it will be one of those pieces I'll appreciate the longer I own it
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