MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) - Some Iowa residents have gone back to the Stone Age, learning how to make primitive tools and weapons at an event sponsored by the Iowa State and the Hawkeye archaeological societies.
Sixteen registered craftsmen, known as knappers, and numerous amateurs participated Sunday in the Skunk River Knap-In at Oakland Mills Nature Center. The event is in its 16th year and was the first of its kind in Iowa, the Hawk Eye (https://bit.ly/1QAkOHn ) reported.
Knapping is “the art of making Stone Age tools coupled with amateur archaeology and primitive skills,” said Tom Harvey, a registered knapper from Waukee.
About 6,000 people in the U.S. currently practice knapping, according to Harvey, but that number doesn’t include Native Americans who still use the techniques.
Participants of the Skunk River Knap-In learned how make arrowheads and use a spear-thrower, also known as an atlatl, which was what people used before bow and arrows existed, said Lowell-based knapper Les Lerner, who’s been organizing the event since its inception. Others worked on their notching skills or tried to master knapping.
“I’ve been doing this for three years, and I’ve made a lot of rubble,” Greg Malone said. The Des Moines resident hopes to one day become what is known in the knapping world as a purist, using only tools that the original makers of arrowheads would’ve used.
“I use more modern methods, but there are some who even go as far as only using antlers and sticks to make theirs. I’ll get there at some point, but not right now,” Malone said.
During the event, Malone shared his techniques with Donnellson-based knapper Aaron Rohdy and his son, Cooper, 11.
“I wanted to teach my kids more outdoorsy and primitive skills,” Aaron Rohdy said.
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Information from: The Hawk Eye, https://www.thehawkeye.com
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