Just look down. As Jill Bouck, curator of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, explains, “You’ll find arrowheads all over the Island. If you’re tilling a garden, digging a foundation, or just walking down a dirt road, keep your eyes open – you never know what you might find.”
The archeological history of the Vineyard is a rich one, stretching back to the Paleoindian Period – 9,500 to 11,500 years ago. While very rare, a handful of spearheads have been found dating back to that period.
Back then the landscape was far different than it is today. For one thing, the continental shelf was not submerged, and the Vineyard was just a relatively high point of land more than two hundred miles inland. It wasn’t until 5,000 years ago that the Vineyard actually became an island.
But island or no island, arrowheads have accumulated here for thousands of years, and while Jill’s advice about just looking around you is good, there are ways to considerably increase the odds of finding one. And the best way is to start by understanding the nature of early Indian life.
Indians on the Vineyard were seasonally nomadic; they would move to different campsites throughout the year. And oftentimes, those locations prove to be excellent spots to find arrowheads today.
Where would those sites be? A sandy knoll with good drainage, overlooking the water, was just as attractive a thousand years ago as it is today.
“Look along the shorelines of any of the Island’s Great Ponds,” advises Nick Bologna, a longtime collector from Aquinnah, “especially where there’s a freshwater inlet, because that’s where the summer campsites were often located.”
Lagoon Pond, Katama Bay, and Sengekontacket Pond were also favorite hunting spots, as are herring runs, like those at Lake Tashmoo and the Lagoon.
And keep your eyes open for “middens,” or ancient dumping areas – they can often be recognized by a heavy concentration of shells.
Another good place to look is in a freshly plowed field. Hunting took place all over the Island, and plowing often turns up arrowheads.
But in addition to knowing where to look, it helps to know what to look for. There are two ways to spot an arrowhead. One way is to look for the distinctive shape, but most collectors will tell you that it’s often the type of stone that’s the giveaway.
According to Jill, Vineyard arrowheads were most commonly made from rhyolite, argillite, or quartz. Rhyolite is a black to reddish volcanic stone, argillite is more greenish, and quartz – well you know what quartz looks like.
It might be helpful to go to the museum and familiarize yourself with the look of these stones as well as the different shapes and sizes of the arrowheads. They range from relatively small “bird points” that are about an inch long or less to spear points that might be around six inches long or more. Some are triangular; others are more elongated. Oftentimes there are marks caused by scraping or chipping on the arrowhead, but not always.
Another hint is to search for arrowheads after a rainstorm. Not only does heavy rain turn up the soil, but arrowheads tend to be more noticeable when they’re cleaned off – some, especially those made of quartz, actually glisten when they’re wet.
Lastly, a word about digging: Don’t. Surface hunting can be a fun activity for all ages, but never dig or disturb the earth.
“It’s essential that we leave the soil undisturbed for the benefit of future interpretations and preservations,” says Jill. “If you do find some good arrowheads, bring them to the museum so we can document them.”
So give it a try. As Nick says, “Looking for arrowheads is a good excuse to go for a walk with a purpose, and see some areas of the Island you wouldn’t normally see. And you might even learn something about Native American culture.”
Good luck. Happy hunting. And respect our Island’s wonderful heritage.
