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That’s Not an Authentic Indian Arrowhead

What does genuine mean?

Tom Hanratty
E³ — Entertain Enlighten Empower

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Two colorful Native American teepees near a road
Photo by MJ Tangonan on Unsplash

On a blazing hot day in August, I was in a group watching a Native American use a deer antler to skillfully pressure-flake an arrowhead from a piece of chert. We were at a “Pow Wow,” a gathering where the local Indigenous people demonstrated some of their crafts for tourists and school groups.

As we watched the man’s flawless technique, a boy scoffed. “That’s not an authentic Indian arrowhead.”

The craftsman looked up. “I’m an authentic Indian,” he said. “And this is the arrowhead I’m making. By definition, that makes it an authentic Indian arrowhead.”

After a pause, the boy said, “Well, it’s not an OLD, authentic Indian arrowhead.”

Without missing a stroke, the arrowhead maker responded, “It will be an old, authentic Indian arrowhead by the time you’re old enough to shave.”

Authenticity carries with it more than I had thought. Shortly after the Pow Wow, I was visiting Bob, a man who collected Native American arrowheads from the creeks and rivers near his hometown in Georgia.

wooded stream flowing with water
Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash

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