|
Taconite Jasper, Northern Plano |
|
|
|
| Added Date:
May 27, 2018 @ 12:46pm |
| Gallery:
Zhimaa'igan |
| Price: $48.00
|
Status:
Sold
|
| Dimensions: A hair over 3" long, and 1" wide, 1/4" thick |
This is a replica of a Northern Plano point, made of Taconite Jasper from Thunder Bay, Ontario, in a style like those from around 9,000 years ago in the areas between and around then Glacial Lakes Minong and Glacial Lake Agassiz formed by the melting of the Laurentide ice-sheet, which Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg are modern remnants.
Caribou was the main quarry hunted there and then, though today the caribou have moved further north.
A colleague was doing research with the Athapaskan people of the western subarctic who still rely on caribou hunting for their subsistence, and so their traditional hunting knowledge is still carried and passed on, though they use rifles today. The elders there described to him their most respectful and traditional way of hunting caribou.
The animals migrate in large herds, north to calving grounds in the tundra away from predators in the summer, and southward to the protection of the trees for the winter, following paths known to the animals. Hunt camps were established near known water-crossing sites when the time was right, and the animals were ambushed while they swam across rivers or long narrow lakes. Hunters approached from behind in a canoe and pierced up under the ribs of the animal with a lance, cutting the diaphragm and lungs. This stab triggers a knee-jerk-like autonomous contraction of the muscles of the front of the body, and the animal gasps as it's head is pulled under water by the muscle spasms. The animals lungs get filled with water in the gasp, and with a damaged diaphragm, it can't generate the force to expel it and that wet gasp is it's last breath. The elders believe that if a hunt tactic ever fails, and an animal escapes, it will tell the others of its kind how the humans tried to trick it, and that method might never work again. A failed hunt where an animal is merely wounded is considered a grave disrespect to the caribou spirit, and can bring shame and bad luck onto a people. This method is considered the most respectful because it is the most reliable, and so if there's any truth to that belief, it's also perhaps one of the oldest methods.
As artifacts similar to this style are often found near water-crossing sites which would have been ideal for such an ambush, I suspect a similar method may have been used.
Modern hunters usually aim for the heart or to bleed the lungs, but if you really know a prey animals physiology, behavior, and reactions, there are other ways to effectively cut off oxygen supply. |
| |
| Other Available Images |
|
|
|
More Items from Zhimaa'igan |
|
|
