Turkey-Tail Point   Save
Albert C. Spetnagel Collection
Description: This gray Harrison County flint projectile point is of the Turkey-Tail type, which is leaf-shaped or feather-shaped. Harrison County flint is also known as Wyandotte chert or Indiana hornstone. This particular point has two small notches at one end. It was intentionally broken at the time it was buried, as part of a large deposit of points, and has since been repaired. This piece comes from Red Ocher Culture. The flint-working skills of the Late Archaic cultures are clearly shown in the turkey-tail points made by the Red Ocher people. Sometimes the Red Ocher people piled many of these points next to the cremated bodies in their burial sites. The way that the Red Ocher people disposed of turkey-tail points shows that they had special meaning either as ritual objects or as trade items. They clearly were passed from one group to another since they are nearly all made from high quality flint from Indiana. Some archaeologists think that breaking and burying large numbers of turkey-tail points may have been a way of increasing their "value" by decreasing the number in circulation. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: A0262_000002_039
Subjects: Prehistoric peoples; Projectile points; Weapons, Prehistoric;
Places: Albert C. Spetnagel Collection