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Anthony Raimondi and Son! The Family That Notches Together Puts on Band Aids!
WORLD CLASS NOTCHERS!
when I was a kid my uncles would hunt arrowheads my cousins and I would usually play and swim we had no interest in arrowheads one time we were walking to the creek and overhang and I found an arrowhead it was rough but pretty good considering the material I was around 9 or 10 I remember asking how it was made they said something about heat and dropping water they said it was dangerous years later I heard about Water Creek Knap-In I went but it was over there was a couple of people still packing up one of them let me watch him take some flakes and sold me a bopper I went to some of the local creeks and beat on some rocks but it didn't go well some more years later I was working about 5 minutes away from the knap-in I said something to my parents about going so they went also I got to see some amazing work and thought I would like to be able to do that my parents bought me the art of Flintknapping by D.C. I read that book and tried a lot then I went to bos darc a man was knapping slabs I watched him and he gave me a couple of slabs I took them home and tried took me awhile to learn how to drive flakes I found some good deals on ebay and bought lots of practice material I had a cousin that was Knapping with he got pretty good but got bored with it I was hooked if I had free time I was either Knapping or reading about it or looking for deals on material and since I was spending so much time Knapping my son was around it and wanted to Knap also at first he didn't have the strength but as time went on he got stronger and tried more as I could afford material.
MY TIME WITH ALTON "LONG BOW" SAFFORD. By; Hank Ray
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| RAY HARWOOD WITH ALTON SAFFORD ALTON ON LEFT |
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| RAY HARWOOD WITH ALTON SAFFORD |
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| ALTON SAFFORD AND BARNET DESOMONE |
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| Ray Harwood and Alton Safford |
"My father told me that in the High Country one should keep his feet warm, his head cool, his bowels open, AND HIS MOUTH SHUT."
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| ALTON SAFFORD AND RAY HARWOOD ABOUT 1993 |
In 1992-1993 I was told I might have some PTSD from an incident and injury in the Army. I needed to get cleared to go back to my civilian job. So I needed a Physiologists note to go back. I asked if I could use Dr. Alton Safford for this and I was given the ok.
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| ALTON SAFFORD |
The first day of "therapy" Alton emerged from his cabin wearing his full WWII infantry uniform, he was war hero and adventurer. We started out flintknapping some obsidian he got from Mammoth Mountain. Then we took some of his home made Long Bows and hand made arrows up to his favorite deer hunting spots there in the forest of Wrightwood. It was really cold, Alton cut the cheese and said.. "hey Ray Harwood, I thought I heard a buck snort"! For some reason he always used my first and last name, never just Ray. The next day, I woke up early on Alton's front lawn, the neighbor was yelling at me, he thought I was a homeless person. We took a canoe to Jackson lake that morning and paddled around, it was a really small lake, so we did several laps. Jackson lake was where the old Wrightwood knap-ins were.
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| JACKSON LAKE, WRIGHTWOOD, CA |
Jackson Lake is good for more than just fishing. The area is a hub for campgrounds and picnic areas. Around Jackson Lake you can find Mt Oak Campground, Lake Campground, Peavine Campground, Apple Tree Campground, Mescal Picnic Area, Jackson Lake Picnic Area, and several organizational camps.
Take Highway 2 westbound from Wrightwood to Big Pines, at the entrance of Mountain High's West Resort. In Big Pines take the Big Pines Highway westbound (downhill), as opposed to Highway 2 which continues up to Inspiration Point. Continue on Big Pines Highway as it winds down the mountainside. You will pass several campgrounds organizational camps. Jackson Lake will be located on your left, along the side of the highway
After the canoe trip we went to the shooting range there with Dick Phillips and then Merriam made us a great breakfast of sunny side up eggs, hash browns and sausage. After lunch Dick took me on a ride-along in his Game Warden car, it was a lot fun checking permits and so on. One fellow had been mauled by dogs and Dick picked him up and took him to the health center. Later that after noon the dogs met with Dick's shotgun and were all killed. At the end of Dick's hitch we came upon a poached doe carcass and Dick let me skin it with my obsidian knife.
The last day I again woke up Alton's front yard, we went to a local donut shop in Wrightwood , and bought some donuts, chocolate and Molasses, those really light and airy ones. Alton and I were having coffee and donuts there and planning the day, when Dick Phillips pulled up in his police car and over the loud speaker he said "HankRay", come out of the donut shop with your hands up!" The other people in the donut shop were alarmed, the donut shop owner and Alton knew it was a joke. I played along and came out with my hands up and he pretended to arrest me. A few minutes later Alton came out and we had some laughs. Then we decided to go back to Alton's and work on our long bows. Alton had many bow making jigs, or shapes that you could choose from. I had picked up a white oak plank from Lumber City in Palmdale before I came up. Alton didn't like the grain but he said I could learn from it and we got out his bow making tools there in front of his garage and we started shaving down the bow staves.
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| RAY HARWOOD WITH ALTON SAFFORD |
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| RAY HARWOO'D OLD DODGE POWER WAGON 4X4 WITH ALTON AND DICK WITH THE BOWS WE WERE MAKING. |
Alton and Dick both had some nice staves of Osage and yew. I did not know it at the time but Alton was world famous for his bow making prowess. I wish I would have spend more time doing that with him. Later that day Merriam brought out some sandwiches with pickles and turkey on them and some mustard, we had some Ruffles potato chips and some fruit. That was great, the three of us sat in the back of my old Dodge Power Wagon and told hunting stories as we munched away. Later we got in to my truck and went out to do some four wheel drive trails up there, a truck was coming down the mountain really fast, Dick said he was poaching fire wood, and he ran us off the road into a little stream. Dick got out and chased him on foot, but he got away. That guy would have been killed for sure if Dick caught him ! I did not know it at the time but my cooling fan blade had drilled a fan shape hole into my radiator cooling fins. On the way back down the mountain steam started to bellow out from under my hood. We got out and checked under the hood and saw the damage. Yikes! We were still way far from town and all we had was a box of Fig Newton cookies. Well we took out the Fig Newton cookies and smashed them into a paste with a bit of the water from the spring, when the consistency was correct, it was like "J,B, Weld". We molded it over the holes in the radiator and then filled it with water from the spring with Alton's Calvary Canteen. The Fig Newton cookie paste worked great and we were back on the dirt road and back into Wrightwood in no time. .
That night we had a great camp fire and ate some Elk meat Alton had been saving in his freezer. I woke up in the morning and Alton had rolled out of his sleeping bag and was laying on a small patch of snow near the fire pit. Dick was already up and making coffee on the camp fire hearth. The smell and crackle of burning wood was awesome. Dick and Alton usually left me to camp alone up there and went home to their lovely wives, so this was a treat. I think Dick had just been separated from his wife, she was a Sheriff's deputy at that time, she was a really attractive blonde, they used to jog together every day and she had big fake boobs that bounced nicely along the forest trails. That was pretty much the end of my "PTSD" therapy and Alton signed off to go back to work. I spend 30 or 40 days with him during that session, off and on for several months, lots of flintknapping and wilderness fun.. Wrightwood will always hold a warm spot in my heart. When Alton passed away last year or two I wanted to buy his house, but it didn't work out.
Dick woould always have new gun for use to try and Alton loved guns! Alton had a superb gun collection in the 1980s and it was wonderful to see it. Dick was the Game Warden in Wrightwood, as you will read later in this story, and he used to be a Sherriff, he was really a tough guy, when he was a cop, someone on a traffic stop shot him in the neck and he reached in the car window and broke the guys neck and killed him with his bear hands. Alton told me he nearly decapitated the fellow. Before that Dick was in the special forces in Nam and always was in "the shit" the deeper they could drop him in the better. Dick was like the character Rambo, but real.
Wrightwood is only 17 miles off Interstate 15 via Highways 138 and 2, and the climb is gradual, from desert scrub brush to snow-covered pine trees in a matter of minutes. Highway 2, the main thoroughfare in the San Gabriel Mountains, is closed in the winter between Big Pines and the Kratka Ridge/Mt. Waterman region to the west. There's also a back way here via Highway 138 from Palmdale, only 40 miles away. Either way, it's about an hour and a half--and a world apart--from L.A.
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| ALTON SAFFORD AND DICK PHILLIPS WITH THEIR POINTS 1984 RH |
One time I got a letter from Alton, he hardly ever used the phone, with me anyway. He wanted to ride up the Pismo Beach area and visit with Joe Dabil and Terry Frederick that lived in San Luis Obispo, on the central coat of California. In all Alton's letters he always placed some white sage leaves and signed with his signature buffalo skull, he also put it on all his arrows. I think Alton had a Subaru station wagon at the time with a roof rack and four wheel drive. I had never had a car with air conditioning in it before, so it was an awesome treat! I think it has a 8 track or cassettes player to because we were listening to Bob Dylan with Joan Baez , then Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons and Joni Mitchell, I think they must have been my tapes, because one was Johnny Winter and none of those singers were on the radio back then. I don't recall when this trip was, but I am thinking it was in 1984 or so. Well we went into the town there and got some lunch, it was the first time I had ever eaten at "Jack in the box." WOW! that was amazing food, I was raised by a farm mom in the Valley and we were a meat and potato's bunch. As we sat at the order window, after we told the clown statue what we wanted, we saw the hippie looking cook drop one of the burgers on the floor, pick it up and start cooking it again. The cook noticed Alton had seen the burger on the floor and said, do you want another one? Alton replied, "yeah that would be good, then he paused and said that was a not a good thing, you could make some sick like that" I could tell Alton was mad.
We sat in the car in the parking lot and ate our burger food and all that salt, fat and cheese was awesome!. Yummy also the first I had fast food French Fries and a malt. I was hooked from then on. Alton had a stomach ach and I think diarrhea from that meal, he had never had much fast food either. As we sat I could smell the ocean and it was a great time. As we ate and planned then next part of the adventure I noticed some rats underneath the dumpster in the parting lot. As I watched the rats, and they were big ones, they began to mate, we sat and watched that for the rest of the meal. We went to a pay phone near a liquor store there some were and called Joe Dabil, but the was not there I guess, because he didn't answer the phone. Joe is the knapper that taught me the closed entry Ishi notches that I love so much. We were planning on staying with Joe or Terry so we had no camping plans and did not know where to stay. As a kid I had camped at the sand dunes at Pismo beach many times, so we headed over there. We found a nice spot by Lake Oso Flaco and setup our tent, it was a heavy old canvas one that smelled like old pine trees, mildew and camp fires from the past.
Oso Flaco Lake is part of the former Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Preserve, operated by The Nature Conservancy. The area has been transferred to California State Parks, and is now part of the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The trail and the portion of the beach it accesses are not open to vehicles of any kind anymore.
The trail starts at a large gravel parking lot and is briefly paved. When we hiked this trail in July 2012, there was a downed eucalyptus tree across the trail about 200 yards from the trailhead. It was easy to climb over, and hopefully will be removed in the near future. Signs at the trailhead warn of recent bear activity in the area. While we didn't see any bears, we did see bear scat on the trail. You are far more likely to see raccoons, who seem to have taken up permanent residence along the trail.
The closed paved road turns to dirt and soon reaches the start of the Oso Flaco Lake boardwalk, on your left. Turn here and take the boardwalk across the lake. The boardwalk includes benches and several interpretive signs identifying common plants and birds in the area.
After crossing the lake, the boardwalk continues over the dunes to a high point near the beach. Here, a short section of boardwalk branches off the main route and leads to a viewing platform with excellent views to the north and south along the beach. There is also a picnic area near here with picnic tables and a restroom.
The main route follows a sandy path between two fenced-off areas (the one to the north protecting snowy plover habitat) and leads onto the beach. From here, views extend south to Point Sal and north to Point San Luis. The mouth of Oso Flaco Creek, which drains the lake, lies just to the south of here.
All we had was some Chocolate chip cookie we had bought at Bee's Bakery on the way out of the there. As we sat and ate them a homeless looking guy came buy in a VW rail-dune buggy. We watched him drive by. Then he came back and said "why are you staring at my wheels, I did not steel them". We got a bit nervous as he became a little nuts. Alton walked over to his car and got out a pistol and held it behind him. But luckily the guy backed off and we ate cookies with him. After that we went for a hike in the sand dunes. If you saw sand dunes covered with old bleached white clam shells, that's where the Chumash had their old camps and we went over to investigate one . Under the dune the sand had recently moved and exposed some pelican bones and some Monerey Chert arrowheads.
One of the arrowheads was made of a green obsidian with small bubbles in it. The flaking on it was edge to edge ribbon flaking, not something I had ever seen before. The point was broken, it was a large mid section. I think now that Alton had planted it here and I think it was a Richard Warren blade that had broken and he brought it along to joke with me. But he always said he didn't, I have no way of knowing how that got there back then. Later that night we were brushing our teeth and getting ready for bed when some head light came down the sand road into our camp. It was the nut case with the dune buggy again. He was convinced we knew something about his stolen wheels and tires. We decided to leave and packed up our sleeping backs and tend and started to drive down the beech toward the exit by the peer. As we drove along the waives were breaking tour left and of glowing. Alton turned off the lights as we drove along so we could see the glow better. Unfortunately there was a river going down the beech to the ocean and it gad some one foot sand berms eaten out of the beech by the rushing water. It was dark so we didn't see it so. We ended up good and stuck there in the dark. On the other side was a tow truck with very big tires that came over and pulled us out and across to the other side, for a hefty fee of coarse. It is a hobby there for people to cross that river, and I guess they get stuck enough for his guy to make a good business pulling them out. On the way out we noticed tide was very low and you could see Pismo clams in the sand. We decided to pick some up and cook eat them, so we drove up the beech and were picking them up and putting them in my pillow case. Just then from behind and in front of us big spot lights were turned onto us. Cops were everywhere in the dark and you could hear them mover the sound of the breaking waives telling us to get out of the car with our hands up!
We complied and Alton told them what we were doing. The cops were in no mood to conversate and dumped out my pillow case full of clams out into the sand. Well luckily we both had fishing licenses but unfortunately we had not culled out the ones that were to small for the take. Alton was trying to tell them that when they issued us the citation $500.00...yikes.
So now we were out off the beech with no place to go in the middle of the night. As we drove we saw a farmers field, so we drove out there and got into our sleeping bags in the back of the car. We woke up at the crack of dawn to the load noise of a John Deer tractor heading right towards us and a high rate of speed, it turns out we smashed some of his new crop in the darkness the night before and did not realize it at the time. Alton was still in his sleeping bag and he slithered over the front seat, started the car, and was driving hand over the seat through the field, and we were going balls out bouncing like crazy until we hit the pavement and did a Dukes of Hazard turn and hightailed it out of there. Alton's long white hair blowing gout the window the whole time. As we drove along I noticed a dead badged in the road that someone had run over and killed. I told Alton and he got exited about it and turned the car around. We got the badger and tied it to the roof. Alton wanted to make it into an arrow quiver. We arrived in a town called Solvang, where we went into a restraint and had some food, best Danish and hot chocolate I had ever had. It had whipped cream on top. We ate until full and then Alton check for his wallet, but he did not have it. It fell out of his pants pocket into the sleeping back as we escaped from the tractor that morning. I had some money for food and gas, so I pulled out my wallet, but it was empty. We had gone to this hippie art store on the way into town and I bought a bunch of Joe Dabil's Ishi style points that they were selling for him in there. When the lady came with the bill Alton was in the bathroom. I tried to explain the situation and the lady was getting mad at me. When she went to get the managed I ran outside and down the street. I don't know how he did it, must have been a back door, cause Alton was already in the car when I got there, and I 24 years old and really hoofing it. Alton was always a good runner though, think he ran for miles every day of his life. Alton go this wallet, which was indeed at the foot of his sleeping bag and was starting back toward the restraint with the money. Just then a police car pulled up behind the car. The badger tied to the roof rack on to roof the car had started loosing a lot of bodily fluid and looked pretty bad running down the side of the car. But they had come to make sure we paid our restraint bill and were even amused by Alton and the story of the badger he had quiver plans for. Alton paid the happy folks and we were back on the road.
Solvang (Danish for 'sunny field') is a beautiful little city nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. Founded in 1911 by a small group of Danish teachers, Solvang now is a diverse, modern city, with fine restaurants, lovely shops and outstanding activities to enchant young and old alike. There are Danish festivals, quiet tree lined streets, horse drawn wagons, Hans Christian Andersen Park, windmills, Danish pastries and dozens of quaint shops to explore. Solvang was incorporated as a city on May 1, 1985 and now has a population of approximately 5,283.
We ended up never meeting up with Joe Dabil or Terry Fredrick that trip, but the lady at the hippie shop gave me a lead to an old guy that lived near there that had and actual obsidian arrowhead made by Ishi. We tried to find him but he wasn't home that trip, I did get a great deal on it from him a few years later, but now some people think maybe Joe Dabil or Don Crabtree may have actually made it?
| Birth: | Dec. 6, 1914 Yakima Yakima County Washington, USA |
| Death: | Dec. 21, 2011 Wrightwood San Bernardino County California, USA |
 WWII Veteran, Educator, Outdoorsman 1914 - 2011 Alton "Longbow" Safford, long-time Wrightwood Resident, died peacefully in his home on December 21, 2011, having just turned 97. He was known throughout the West as an expert in Indian craft, primitive archery, flint-knapping and tanning in particular. He was also an expert marksman, fly-fisherman and a tireless hiker of the High Sierras. Alton was born where his father, Lee Ashton Safford, worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Toppenish Reservation near Yakima, Washington, on December 6, 1914. His mother, Alice Agnes Lugton, was born in Magdalena, U.S. Territory of New Mexico. Under the General Allotment Act of 1887 (known as the Dawes Act), Josephine Bowser Lillie was among Indians granted an 80-acre (320,000 m2) allotment of land. Of mixed Indian-European ancestry, she is known as "The Mother of Toppenish," as she platted the north 40 acres (160,000 m2) of her land. These tracts became the first deeded land to be sold on the Yakama Nation Reservation. Prior to the act's implementation, all territory set aside by the Treaty of 1855 was held communally in the name of the tribe. None of the land was individually owned. The treaty of 1855 between the United States government, representatives from thirteen other bands, tribes, and Chief Kamiakin resulted in the Yakama Nation relinquishing 16,920 square miles (43,800 km2) of their homeland. Prior to their ceding the land, only Native Americans had lived in the area. It was not until the railroad was constructed in the area in 1883 that more white settlers arrived to join the ranchers in older settlements bordering the Columbia River. The town is generally called Tẋápniš in the Sahaptin language of the Yakama. This is the likely source of the name Toppenish. The word means ‘protruded, stuck out’ and recalls a landslide that occurred on the ridge south of White Swan, Washington.[6] According to William Bright, the name "Toppenish" comes from the Sahaptin word /txápniš/, referring to a landslide, from /txá-/, "accidentally", /-pni-/, "to launch, to take forth and out", and /-ša/, "continuative present tense".[7] Ensconced in the heart of the Yakima Valley in Washington State, the city lies inside the boundaries of the Yakama Nation's Reservation. Toppenish was officially incorporated on April 29, 1907, and founded by Johnny Barnes. As a child he learned to make Indian bows and arrows and to brain-tan deer hides, lessons he never forgot. Indians from all over the west lived there; Sioux, Arapaho, Utes and Cheyenne. He watched Indian women brain-tan buckskin and men make their small plains-style flat bows. They taught him to shoot when he was six and he made his first bow, of willow, when he was eight. He learned to make his own moccasins and baskets. Alton's parents were told by a doctor that Alton and his brother, Lee, were not thriving as they should be because of the damp climate, so the family moved to Greater Los Angeles. Alton joined the local Boy Scouts and attained Eagle Scout rank.  . While in high school in Burbank he and his brother (Lee )sneaked off to Catalina Island and shot a buffalo with their handmade bows and arrows. They were eventually caught and paid a penalty. After the two were tracked down by the local constable L. Molich and Chief of Catalina Police Don L. Alger, violation of 597 of the penal code and Alton had to pay $200.00 for the Bison.  Two other LA boys did the same thing in February of 1935 with a similar outcome. They had used arrows from the Catalina Archery Club, whereas Alton and his brother used home made archery equipment. A few decades ago the fines were much smaller. After a "boater/poacher" was convicted in Avalon Justice court of killing a buffalo (bison) on Catalina Island, "just for the fun of it", the judge handed down the maximum fine, $250.00 but then things got interesting. On the recommendation of the warden, the poacher was ordered to "replace" the bison as restitution to the people of the state of California as well as the inhabitants of Catalina Island. End result: Buy bison from Yellowstone National park - $$$$$$ Transport said bison across several state lines with vet checks/blood tests at each crossing - $$$$$$ Hire a boat for the 26 mile ocean ride to the island - $$$$$$$ Restitution sentence - PRICELESS!!!!! Oh, by the way, as part of the restitution, the bison had to live at least five years after being released on the island or the whole thing started over. I think all poachers should be subject to this kind of punishment, It would sure do a lot to cleaning up the problem Catalina Island bison herd
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 A herd of American Bison roam, supposedly first imported to California's Catalina Island in 1924 for the silent film version of Zane Grey's Western tale, The Vanishing American. However, the 1925 version of "The Vanishing American" does not contain any bison whatsoever and shows no terrain that even remotely resembles Catalina, according to Jim Watson, columnist for the Catalina Islander newspaper. Over the decades, the bison herd grew to as many as 600 individuals. The population currently numbers approximately 150. Biologists found that the American Bison of Santa Catalina Island are not pure bred; 45 percent have a domesticated cow as an ancestor.[1] The island's bison herd is maintained and monitored by the Catalina Island Conservancy. Although the bison are not native to the island, they play an important role in the cultural fabric of Catalina. Therefore, the Conservancy has no plans to remove all the animals from the island. Controlling the bison population, however, remains important for Catalina's overall ecological health. In the past, bison were routinely removed and sent to the mainland to auction. In 2004, the Conservancy partnered with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the Tongva (thought to be Catalina's original inhabitants some 7,000 years ago), and the Lakota tribe on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. A hundred bison were relocated "home" to the Great Plains. Recently however, another solution was implemented. The Conservancy initiated a scientific study that determined that a herd of between 150 and 200 would be good for the bison, and ecologically sound for the island. Beginning in 2009, the herd was given animal birth control to maintain the population at around 150 animals.[2] Outdoor Notes / Earl Gustkey : Wrightwood Man, AltonSafford, 73, Charged in Bighorn Sheep Shooting
A Wrightwood man faces a maximum fine of $3,000 and a year in jail on charges that he killed a desert bighorn sheep in an Angeles National Forest canyon.
Game warden Dick Phillips found a freshly killed bighorn ram Oct. 7 in Vincent Gulch, just off California 2 near Wrightwood. The animal appeared to have been deliberately concealed in brush.
Phillips and other officers from the Department of Fish and Game began a stakeout that lasted 30 hours, on the expectation that whoever shot the ram would return. Alton L. Safford, 73, entered the canyon and was arrested when he emerged with a bighorn skin and a leg.
A later search of Safford's home turned up the rifle wardens suspect he used to shoot the ram, along with illegal animal parts that included eagle feathers and talons. Safford is to appear in Antelope Valley Municipal Court in Lancaster Nov. 18 to answer charges of illegal possession of a bighorn sheep. Alton graduated from high school during the Great Depression and among other jobs, he cleared trails in the Civilian Conservation Corps (Roosevelt's CCC), worked in a junk yard, as a "grease monkey" in a garage, on oil rigs, in mines, and for the railroad. One job that stands out was his co-ownership of an archery shop in Hollywood, where he became well-acquainted with all the great Southern California archers of the time, such as Howard Hill, Captain Jack Hoefer, Frank Garske, and his close friends Hugh Rich, Howard Mathisen and Fred Bear. He recalled great camaraderie with this group, as they hunted deer in the California foothills with their self-made 100-pound bows and broadheads. Also, because he had a tuxedo and could work as an usher in theaters, symphony halls, and other venues for live performances, his life became enriched by this education in drama and all kinds of music. support of the Loyalist democracy against Franco's fascist opposition. In 1937, influenced by his reading of Ernest Hemingway, Alton traveled to Spain in support of the Loyalist democracy against Franco's fascist opposition. He drilled troops with wooden machine guns, expecting a shipment alist of arms to arrive from the Soviet Union. The arms never came. When Barcelona fell, he and others hiked over the Pyrenees to France, where he was arrested and deported back to the United States. Having taken some machine shop courses in high school, he was able to get a job with Lockheed as the country geared up for World War II, working on Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. At that time he met and married his first wife, Margaret Blankenship. He was promoted to Senior Machine Parts Inspector. In 1943 he was drafted even though he was then 29 years old and working in the defense industry. In the Army Alton was first posted to England with the 9th Air Corps but in June,1944 went ashore at Omaha Beach, Normandy, landing on D-Day + 17. As the best shot in his outfit, for a time the Army made him a sniper. He once said it was a strange duty because he always felt that when he was aiming, the enemy sniper was probably sighting him. He worked across France preparing advance air field bases, was in Paris for its liberation, was witness to de Gaulle's triumphant return, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war he ushered at the Nuremburg Trials before coming home. Back in California, Alton returned to work at Lockheed and became the father of two children, John and Jeanne Safford. Laid off for lack of production, he decided to use his G.I. Bill to get a higher education at nearby Occidental College. He earned a B.A. degree in education and taught 5th grade for about 8 years while working on his M.A. degree. Divorced, Alton met his second wife, Juliana Brailovsky in Eagle Rock. They lived and taught in Ojai briefly before returning to Los Angeles where he administered academic tests for the Palos Verdes school district. Alton entered the doctoral program at USC and earned his degree in Education in 1965 at age 51. From his second marriage he now had three more children, Monique, Kimberly and Tony Safford. For the rest of his career he worked for the County of Santa Barbara as head of its Special Education department. Always an unusually good listener, he also used his skills and education as a practicing educational psychologist. Divorced, he met his third wife, Miriam Sacks Coker, a local Santa Barbara educator. They remained together for the rest of his life. Since his father had died of a stroke at age 54, Alton decided to retire at age 63. He and Miriam moved to Wrightwood in 1977 where he continued with a limited practice for a few years. It was here for the next 34 years that he flourished, passing on the old ways of bow- and arrow-making, bone work, tanning, and hunting to whoever would listen and work with him. Alton found a group of wonderful friends and students at the annual Wrightwood Flintknapping Rendezvous, which drew Indian-lore aficionados from all over the West. Alton attended the first California Flintknapping Rendezvous in 1983 set up by Ray Harwood at California State University at Northridge. Subsequent Wrightwood Flintknapping Rendezvous were held at Jackson Lake, Camp Guffey, and Indian Hills Ranch. He participated in archer shoots across the state and particularly enjoyed the annual Mountain Men Rendezvous in the southern Rockies. He was known as "Longbow" among flintknapping friends and collected a room full of rare and significant Indian artifacts. Alton was active until the very end, continuing to hike and camp and even renewing his driver's license for two more years late in 2011. He had many circles of friends, including the Saturday and Monday Hiking Groups, the flintknapping friends, the Thursday Breakfast Group, the First Friday Reading Group (where his wide knowledge and expansive reading were particularly appreciated), ex-students and clients, and hundreds of people with whom he corresponded. A memorial was held for him on Wednesday, December 28, at the home of Ed and Phyllis Gallagher. Half of Alton's ashes were interred at the Riverside National Cemetery with full military honors on January 13, 2011. His friends and family plan a spring flintknapping memorial and will also scatter his remaining ashes in the High Sierras as soon as weather allows. Alton is survived by his wife, Miriam; his son and daughter from his first marriage, John and Jeanne Safford; and former wife Juliana and his children from that marriage; Monique, Kimberly and Tony Safford. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Joseph David Safford, Janet Arlene Safford, Miles Jameson Safford, Sophia Rose Mindas, Benjamin Jacob Safford and one great-grandchild, Benjamin David Safford. Alton Safford–, one of a kind. Mountaineer Progress Newspaper, December 2011 Note: Lee Ashton Safford brother to Alton, Frederick Ashton Stafford nephew is also buried at Riverside Cemetery. | |
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| Burial: Riverside National Cemetery Riverside Riverside County California, USA Plot: SECTION 51A SITE 1828 | |
Created by: Linda Carole Mustion Record added: Jul 03, 2012 Find A Grave Memorial# 92980513 | |
WRIGHTWOOD KNAP IN STARTED IN 1984, SET UP BY RAY HARWOOD AND ALTON SAFFORD AT JACKSON LAKE., BUT OUR FIRST CALIFORNIA FLINTKNAPPING RENDEZVOUS WAS IN 1983 AT CSUN. SET UP BY RAY HARWOOD. AT THE FIRST KNAP IN 1983 : RAY HARWOOD, ALTON SAFFORD, JOHN ATWOOD, RICK WESSEL, CLAY SINGER, GEORGE HUFF, JENNIE BINNING, ROY VANDERHOOK, TERRY FREDERICK, JOE DABIL, FRED BUDINGER, TED HARWOOD, NANCY HARWOOD, BRIAN GUNTHER, AND A HOST OF OTHERS. FIRST LOCATION: C.S.U.N. . SECOND: JACKSON LAKE FLAT. THIRD; CAMP GUFFY (TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN) FOURTH: INDIAN HILLS RANCH. Ray had flintknapped in an artistic vacuum until he was in his early 20s. This is when Ray met fellow Ishi fans, Joe Dabil, Barney DeSimone, Steve Carter, Jim Win, Jennie Binning and Alton Safford. Barney had a small ban expert Ishi style knapper, to the point that he had killed a wild boar on Catalina Island armed with a sinew backed bow and Ishi tipped arrow of glass of his own making. Atlton was an avid traditional bow hunter and knapper, he had even hunted big game in Africa a few times with stone points. Years later Alton and Ray started the yearly California Flintknapping Rendezvous. Joe Dabil had become a California legend by the late 1970s and had the nick name of "Indian Joe", this name given to him by the prominent archaeologists of the day. Joe could make fire in of minutes with a natural yucca file board and mule fat stick. Joe was also a master of the Ishi style flintknapping methodology. Joe's Ishi points of both glass and obsidian were each an impressive work of art. Ray and Joe became friends and Ray began to study Joe's flintknapping methods. Joe Dabil had learned the arts of wilderness survival hands on. Joe was an Olympic class long distance runner in the 1960s, and when a Doctor informed him he had a life threatening decease he fled into the wilderness. There in the woods, alone, Joe eked out a survival on natural foods. Eventually Joe relearned the arts of Ishi, sinew back bow making, arrow-smithing, fire drill technology, cordage making, brain tanning and of coarse...flintknapping. As miracle have it, Joe lived out his death sentence and is still practicing wilderness skills today. Steve Carter was already an established master knapper when Ray met him in the early 1980s. Steve had been friends with J.B.Sollberger of Dallas, Texas and with J.B.s inspiration, at the 1978 Little Lake knap-in, Steve developed his own unique knapping style, one in which he detached the flakes of the top of the preform as opposed to the bottom that rests on the palm of the hand. Steve was versatile and also used the Ishi style knapping techniques. Steve's work even impressed the Grand Masters; Sollberger, Titmus, Callahan and Crabtree. Jimm Winn was there at the second or third Wrightwood knap-in with Barney Desimone and George hough and George Hough and Dick Baugh. Jim did a lot of heat treating of local materials there in the famous Wrightwood fire pit at Jackson Lake Flat. After the close of the Flintknappers' Exchange in 1981, there was a void for two years. Communication among flintknappers slowed to a stop. In 1984 at the knap-in at the Northridge Archaeological Research Center I was talking about the need for a newsletter to Clay Singer and Terry Frederick, they suggested I do it, well I had dyslexia, couldn't type and had no money, okay! Alton Safford, Jeannie Binning and Joe Dabill encouraged as well. I couldn't get anyone to help me with the project so I did it myself. I started work on the first issue, all the words were misspelled, the grammar was just as bad, I cut and past the cover. I wanted to call it the Flintknappers' Monthly but I couldn't find those words in the old NARC newsletters so I got close with "FLintknapping Digest" and cut and pasted it on the cover. I used the address list in the old Flintknappers' Exchange at the end of each article to find the knappers. It worked I began to get a flood of mail about it. It was really amateurish and I got a lot of flak, but everybody who got it loved it. Clay Singer said "it has a folksy, underground publication look" . In any case it got better with each issue. I remember asking J.B. Sollberger to write an article for me and he got really mad. He said that I was just trying to associate with his name to gain fame and make the newsletter sell better , I was unaffected and said yes, so do I get the article? We got along fine after that and I did get the article, I think he trusted me to tell the truth after that. He even made me some fluted points. The "J.B." in J.B. Sollberger is rumored to stand for "John the Baptist" . So you see with a reputation like that truth means a lot. I was amazed that the little newsletter was doing so well, my mom was too, she never thought such a weird newsletter would work. I was 24 years old when I started the newsletter and didn't have a whole lot else going, it was great, I met all my flintknapping heroes. One day I got a letter from D.C. Waldorf and he was asking about something, I can't remember, but he referred to the Flintknapping Digest as "The Digest", I put the letter in the next issue and from then on that's what everyone called it. Even now I see it referenced to time and again and it is almost always given its affectionate name "The Digest" it gave knappers a worm and fuzzy feel, like an old dog that you had when you were a kid. Even old dogs pass on, and in the late 1980s, even with Val Waldorf's help, I couldn't do it anymore. After some coaxing the waldorf's took pity on me and took the newsletter over. They gave it a face lift and a new name "Chips" . .Paul Hellweg, a fellow Army Tanker. Paul, likes to specialize inground stone axe manufacture, and he is quite good at it. He was actually a Crabtree and Flenniken Student, but went over to the servival camp when he got a job teaching it at C.S.U.N. where I first met him in the early 1980s. Paul wrote some nice articles for the Flintknapping Digest in 1984 and published a book on knapping the same year, Flintknapping, The Art of Making Stone Tools that has sold over 50,000 copies. Hellweg has also written many other books and is doing quite well financially. I attended a week long Callahan school with him in the summer and and he appears to be thinking of redoing his book and becomming more active in the knapping world. San Diego, California was a hot bed of really good knappers in the early 1970s, it sprung from a visit from Sollberger sometime in that era. Only Steve Carter remains of that group. Navodne (Rod) Reiner, another California sad story , Rod was one of the San Diego flintknappers that Steve Carter hung around with in the 1970s. Like Steve, Rod was a really good flintknapper, all traditional, and good person. Rod did a lot of knapping and made nice pieces of lithic art but was also interested in the experimental aspect as well. Rod came up with the two man fluting technique; Reiner gripped the biface in his left hand, held it down tightly against his thigh, while his right hand used the full weight of his body from the shoulder to bear down on the flaking tool. Then, to this he added a little more force by using a second person to deliver a light tapping blow to the end of the pressure flaker with a mallet. Reiner stated that the mallet strikes just at the instant that the pressure flake is pressed off. With Rod's method both constant pressure and a releasing percussion impact a nice flute is detached. Rod, whom was also at the Little Lake knap-in was a very good knapper and a big influence on Steve Carter, but Rod was killed early on in a hunting accident. Chris Hardacker was another, he just faded into the woodwork, I saw him working as a digger for Jeannie Binning at one of her digs in the middle 1980s. Robert Blue of Studio City, California was inspired by a collection of Reinhardt's points , Reinhardt had been long dead but Blue did find fellow Gray Ghost collector, Charlie Shewey in Missouri. Robert offered to buy all of Shewey's Gray Ghosts and Richard Warren points and that money was no object. Charlie refused Blue's offer, but directed Robert to Richard Warren. After Robert bought a fair number of points, Warren shared some of his secrets with Robert Blue and introduced him to Jim Hopper, whom Warren had taught. Jim Hopper andRobert Blue became good friends and Robert became very good at art knapping. Barney DeSimone, couched Robert through his early years of knapping. Later Robert inspired Barney to return somewhat to lapidary knapping. It was Robert Blue that taught Ray Harwood to knap in the lever style of Reinhardt, Ray produced dozens of "Raynish Daggers" with the lever flaker. The Raynish Daggers were simply slab points in the form of 10 inch Danish Daggers ("2-D daggers" -not 3 dimensional). These were what Callahan called the ugliest Danish Daggers he had ever seen. After Robert's death and some prompting from DeSimone and Callahan, Harwood returned to traditional flintknapping. One interesting bit of knapping lore I overheard at a knap in goes like this:" Steve Behenes had invented this steel fluting jig that could flute supper this preforms. Steve was close to Robert Blue at the time and he sent Robert a thin Folsom and the detached flutes, Robert returned the detached flute -and he had fluted them ! . Joe Dabil, Joe had become a California legend by the late 1960s and had the nick name of "Indian Joe", this name given to him by the prominent archaeologists of the day. Joe says he learned his style by trail and error using books with Ishi points as a pattern, same for the knapping tools. His notching style comes a great deal from Errett. Joe could make fire in of minutes with a natural yucca file board and mule fat stick. Joe was also a master of the Ishi style flintknapping methodology. I first came to here about him in about 1969 and then in the 70s, he gave demos on Catalina Island for Archaeologists and movie people. His points were often seen for sale for $3.50 up and down the central to northern California coastal towns, these populated by thousands of hippies. I remember buying one in a hippie shop in Pismo Beech in 1976. The hippie lady at the counter said I could meet the knapper, but like as ass I sais "naw it's OK. I did end up meeting him 8 years later, in 1984, at CSUN. Joe's Ishi points of both glass and obsidian were each an impressive work of art. Ray and Joe became friends and Ray began to study Joe's flintknapping methods. Joe Dabil had learned the arts of wilderness survival hands on. Joe was an Olympic class long distance runner in the 1960s, and when a Doctor informed him he had a life threatening decease disease he fled into the wilderness. There in the woods, alone, Joe eked out a survival on natural foods. Eventually Joe relearned the arts of Ishi, sinew back bow making, arrow-smithing, fire drill technology, cordage making, brain tanning and of coarse...flintknapping. As miracle have it, Joe lived out his death sentence and is still practicing wilderness skills today. The information set forth in this text relied heavly on the fallowing publications: Fintknapper's Exchange: Atchiston, Inc. 4426 Constution N.E. Albuquerque, NM 87110 Etidors: Errett Callahan, Jacqueline Nichols and Penelope Katson. Flintknapping Digest. Harwood Archaeology 4911 Shadow Stone Bakersfield, CA 93313 Editor: Ray Harwood Bulletin of Primitive Technology. Journal of the Society of Primative Technology P.O. Box 905 Rexburg, ID 83440 Dave Wescot, Editor Chips Mound Builder Books P.O. Box 702 Branson, MO. 65615 Editors: Val Waldorf, D.C. Waldorf and Dane Martin. New Flintknapper's Exchange. High Fire Flints 11212 Hooper Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70818 Editors: Jeff Behrnes, Steve Behernes and Chas Spear 20Th Century Lithics. Mound Builder Books P.O. Box 702 Branson, MO. 65615 Editors: Val Waldorf and D.C. Waldorf. : WARNING: Flintknapping is very dangerous and can cause serious health problems, including death. Ray Harwood, The World Flintknapping Society or any officer or members of said society do not suggest you should attempt flintknapping, do so only at your own risk. All those that are listed in this history book wore protection.usiness called Yana Enterprises where he marketed his Ishi posters and items and had become.
Dr. Peter Ainsworth, an archaeologist, was just out of the Flenniken knapping school and was knapping a pattern flaking Cumberland point here,
Joe Dabil does a demo while Alton and Steve Carter look on.
Steve Carter meets Scott Yo, Alton Safford and Terry Frederick look on.
Joe Dabil Pressure Flaking an Ishi Point
I remember the 1987 Wrightwood knapin. It was the first Wrightwood knap-in that people were actually selling stuff, before that it was all trading and knapping and so on. This was one of the knap-ins held at Jackson lake. Jackson lake is an alpine type lake in the high country.It was cold at night and warm and sunny in the day. It was the most beautiful place for a knap-in of all. The camp was a flat plateau just above the lake itself and it had a hard sandy floor, it had a good open area for archery, atlatl and knapping. Joe Dabil came with his friend Terry Fredrick, I had known the two friends since 1983, but we formally met in 1984 and the CSUN knap-in. Joe Dabill is a local legend for wilderness skills and native American crafts. Joe did demos on flintknapping Ishi style, fire drill, atlatl throwing and so on. I forgot my sleeping bag and the night was comming on so Joe showed me how to make a fire bed, the only thing was -it was to shallow and my pants started on-fire, it was wierd -I was dreaming I was in a burning barn! He has joked to me about that for 20 years! Terry was a part time archaeologist and knapper of Chumash points of Monterey Chert.
Brothers -Scott and Larry Yo were flintknappers from the South Bay, I remember the second night out there Scott came into the camp fire with "hello the fire"! He was a buff steel worker and welder- really cool folks. Scott had a Dutch over and he cooked up some amazing peach cobbler. Barney DeSimone came up "the A-wop-a-hoe", was his joke- he is Italian and everyone thought he was an Indian, so he said I am a "wop" and a hoe -so people thought he was a "A-wop-a-hoe", which is not a real tribe! Steve Carter came up from Ramona in his old flatbed truck, Steve was into pattern flaking and amazingly thin percussion bifacing before anyone else I have known about. Alton Safford was there and he demonstrated using the David and Goliath sling- did knapping and ate a lot of apples, he also brought some longbows he had made, his nickname is "Longbow Safford" . Peter Ainsworth and Jeannie Binning showedupfrom the acedemic knapping community and were doing very nice "Crabtree" large biface work. I can't remember much more about that knap-in except it was really fun and wonderful4 days in heaven.
| Name: | Alton "longbow" Safford |
| Birth: | 6 Dec 1914 |
| Death: | 21 Dec 2011 He showed us his self made deer skin back quiver.   This last photo has a memory that is stuck in my mind... This nice old guy, done hanging out and playing with bows for the day, standing with his gear waiting for his ride... |
Photo by Christopher Nyerges Sage keeps old-school skills Longbow’ Safford takes his craft back to primitive times By Christopher Nyerges 10/01/2009 Like it? Tweet it! SHARE IT! Alton Safford is more affectionately known as “Longbow” to his friends. He’s a legend in bow-making circles, one of the old-school bowyers who worked his way up through the ranks. Currently a spry 95, he lives in the mountain region near Wrightwood and has been making bows since age 9. Longbow was born on the Toppenish Indian Reservation in eastern Washington, where he developed a lifelong interest in Native American culture. I recently paid him another visit at his home and was again treated with a trip to his incredible workshop and “museum” of his life’s work, which includes not only handmade bows and arrows, but flint-knapped knives, leather work, bone work and much more. Longbow has made hundreds of bows and thousands of arrows in the primitive manner. He is one of the four livingmasters of the old school of archers, along with Frank Garske, Wright Huff and Dr. Charles Grayson. He continues to make bows and go on hunting expeditions using the bows he made. “A bow is not difficult to make, relative to arrows and string,” he explained. “But you must have a knife. Two knives are better — a machete-like Bowie and a pocketknife. If your plane crashed in the woods and you had no knife, you could still make a shelter and stay warm and dry. But without a knife, forget about making a bow.” To begin, Longbow says you need a standing dead tree limb at least 4½ to 5 feet long, and about 1¼ to 1¾ inches thick. You don’t want green wood, since it is too heavy and doesn’t cast the arrows well. And you don’t want downed wood, since it will likely be waterlogged or rotten. You want a piece of wood that is free of knots, checks, bumps and irregularities. A slight bend is OK. “You can make a good bow from just about any type of wood, but some are better than others,” Longbow pointed out. “The best bow-making woods are yew, osage, mulberry, black locust, apple, juniper, hickory and ash. But in a survival situation, you use whatever wood is available.” Before you start to work on a particular piece of wood, Longbow suggests testing some of the smaller dead branches from the same tree by bending them to see if they will stand the stress. Next, look at your piece of wood — the stave — and determine which way it will bend. Cut away wood only from the belly of the stave — the part that faces you when you shoot it — but don’t touch the back. “Slowly, carefully and evenly, cut flat strips down the belly of the bow all the way. As you remove wood from the belly, test the bow periodically by bending it,” Longbow explained. This process can take hours until the bow begins to take shape. When you are satisfied that the bow is bending evenly, cut nocks on each end for the bowstring, and you have a bow. Longbow suggests always carrying good cordage for the bowstring into the woods, since the bowstring can be difficult to manufacture from plants alone. “And, lo and behold, you have a bow,” Longbow exclaimed. “Twang it gently and listen to it — isn’t that a sweet, ancient and exciting sound? It was the first stringed musical instrument.” You don’t need to create a monster bow, he said. “Many Indian bows were rated at only 35 to 45 pounds of pressure. Keep your bow light and it will be easier to shoot more accurately, and its arrows will be easier to make.” ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, "Yes, sad news. While a difficult father, I grew to love him as a remarkable man. We're planning a memorial in Wrightwood on Dec 28th (I'll post details soon). Others are talking about a memorial knap in. Come spring, we'll scatter his ashes over Shepard Pass. We'll have Alton's Wrightwood memorial on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2 - 5 pm at the home of Phyllis Gallagher. 5276 Orchard Drive (off Lone Pine Canyon near where it crests over the town). Informal, drop by any time. Spread the word. Thanks. - Tony Safford ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Alton Safford passed away on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Miriam, and his children. His son Tony Safford and his wife Julie will be in Wrightwood for a celebration of his life, which is being held at Phyllis & Ed Gallagher's on Wednesday, December 28th from 2-5pm, @ 5276 Orchard Drive in Wrightwood. Please join friends and family to remember him and to share a story or two about his life...there are so many! ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''O Outdoor Notes / Earl Gustkey : Wrightwood Man, 73, Charged in Bighorn Sheep Shooting October 17, 1986|EARL GUSTKEY A Wrightwood man faces a maximum fine of $3,000 and a year in jail on charges that he killed a desert bighorn sheep in an Angeles National Forest canyon. Game warden Dick Phillips found a freshly killed bighorn ram Oct. 7 in Vincent Gulch, just off California 2 near Wrightwood. The animal appeared to have been deliberately concealed in brush. Phillips and other officers from the Department of Fish and Game began a stakeout that lasted 30 hours, on the expectation that whoever shot the ram would return. Alton L. Safford, 73, entered the canyon and was arrested when he emerged with a bighorn skin and a leg. A later search of Safford's home turned up the rifle wardens suspect he used to shoot the ram, along with illegal animal parts that included eagle feathers and talons. Safford is to appear in Antelope Valley Municipal Court in Lancaster Nov. 18 to answer charges of illegal possession of a bighorn sheep. Game wardens reported heavy turnouts in several Southern California deer hunting zones on opening day last Saturday. Hunter pressure was described as heavy in Zone D16 (San Diego County and western Riverside County) areas north of Interstate 8. And in the Santa Ana River drainage areas of Zone D14, warden John Slaughter said that hunter pressure was the heaviest he's seen in his nine opening days there. Pressure was also reported heavier than last year in Angelus National Forest, Zone D11, but hunter success was described as slight. Arizona game wardens are reminding hunters to observe a cardinal rule of gun safety, a violation of which cost an Arizona hunter his life recently. Rabbit hunter Paul Reece used the stock of his shotgun to flush a rabbit from a cholla cactus patch. The shotgun was triggered and the blast killed him. Wardens cited numerous accidents over the years resulting from hunters using their shotguns or rifles as walking sticks, or pulling loaded guns out of vehicles barrel first. In a few years, North America's tallest bird, the five-foot whooping crane, may again be seen flying over the eastern United States. Federal biologists are studying areas in Michigan, Georgia and Florida where new flocks of whoopers could be established. The birds once nested widely over the eastern U.S. but by 1850 were hunted to near-extinction for their feathers. Today, about 180 whoopers exist in three flocks, the largest of which is the Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock which winters on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast. When a site is selected, biologists will begin a process called cross-fostering. They will take eggs from whooper nests in Canada and place them in the nests of sandhill cranes, which are not endangered. Canadian whoopers will then lay new eggs and start over while the sandhill cranes hatch the whooping cranes and raise them as their own. Briefly The 3,427-pound great white shark caught by Donnie Braddick off Montauk, N.Y., last August has been submitted to the International Game Fish Assn. for world-record status. If accepted, the IGFA said, the shark will be recognized as the largest fish ever caught on rod and reel. . . . The National Coalition for Marine Conservation will hold its "Fish for the Future" barbecue Nov. 15 at Sea World's Nautilus Pavilion in San Diego. . . . Pheasant hunters planning to hunt in Kern County and other counties north of Kern are advised to double check the state hunting regulations pamphlet, where a misprint may cause hunters to incorrectly believe there is an eight-bird possession limit. . . . Art's Fishing Tackle in Gardena will be the site of a long-range fishing seminar Saturday with San Diego skipper Frank LoPreste present from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. . . . Saltwater fly fishing authority Alex Siemers will present a seminar on fly fishing for bonito and shark when he appears at the San Gabriel Valley Fly Fishers' meeting Wednesday at the Legg Lake-Whittier Narrows Visitors' Center in El Monte. ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' More on Longbow Just spoke with Terry Cornett who knew Longbow (Alton Safford) well. Longbow was 97 or 98, and was living at home, still in good health, still jogging in town. He just died in his sleep last week! Terry said that Longbow had gotten a little slower (who could blame him!?), and didn’t like living alone with his wife in an assisted care home. Longbow wrote for Wilderness Way on how to make arrows and bows the Indian way, and he occasionally went to various events, including Dirttime two years ago. There is no word yet about any service to be held, but I will post if I hear anything. Longbow, you lived a good life and we wish you well By Christopher Nyerges, on December 27th, 2011 ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Longbow was a really unique man... He was also very easy to like, he was a generous man. Christopher and I visited him a few times in his home, the interviews were packed with info. . An amazing place filled with indin artifacs, some real, some he replicated. He slipped in and out of Dirttime a few times.. Several years ago Christopher and I were at Altons and I noticed his big Didge Ram 4x was loaded. I asked where he was going.. "Why Im leaving on a hunting safari to Africa to bow hunt". He was 92. How damn cool is that!? His wife knew my cousins and my aunt and uncle in Lompoc , Ca... ( pronounced Lompoke, an indin word) I first met Longbow in 1993, at a powwow near Wrightwood. He invited me to come , so I did. We had talked on the phone a few times before that. You can catch pictures of him in some of the Mountain Man publications as well ... I am really sorry to have missed his service... I left town on Friday... Just got back Dude ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I was privileged to meet Alton a little over 20 years ago- don't remember exactly when but I remember where- A yearly meet at a ranch area near Wrightwood. Almost at a dead run you could spot him just about everywhere he went- his beautiful white hair flying- a boyish look on his face saying "I'm busy and I'm about to get busier". A generous man he was- we traded bow wood several times over the years - he even asked me to make a bow for his collection- which I did, an Ishi style plum bow- and, he immediately "modified" it. It was a better bow after he finished. He chuckled "Sorry, you know I can't leave things alone." I traded him some desert Juniper (really old main trunk wood with very tight rings- counted over 90 ) and he made the most beautiful wide limbed flat bow I had ever seen- such is the craftsman he was. That grove of Juniper still stands- a testimony to Alton's spirit. For those who didn't know him- count it a loss, for those who did- count it a blessing. A man of his character is seldom seen. In addition to his love of all things natural he was a servant- he retired years ago from the Santa Barbara School system as head of the Special Ed department- dedication being uppermost in his life. A man I truly loved. AUTHOR? See Paleo PLanet. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, #15 [-] Posts: ======================================================================================== Tate Tanka Date: 23-Dec-11 Yes,..I `ve known Alton since the mid-90`s. We have camped together many times, knapped together ( no wise cracks) ..he taught me how to build bows. He received a phd in psychology @ USC in 1951. Worked with Doug Easton on the first silk backed recurves. He sent me a Christmas card and said that he had an Oregon Ash longbow for me. I wrote him back ( an actual letter) and told him I`d be up in a few weeks and we`d go kill a crow with it. I`ll miss the guy. At least he didn`t end up in a nurseing home. Last year he crossed Shephard Pass in the Sierras on horseback and then spent a week in the hospital with a staff infection he got in his saddle sores. I truly tough old bird. ......................................................................................
| AN ASTOUNDING STORY! | ||||||||||||||
Alton "Longbow" Safford was my 5th grade teacher in La Canada, California 1955.
My grandparents raised me on the stories of my ancestors who came from Kentucky to Oregon in wagon trains. They lived among the Nez Perce. My grandma wore Indian clothes, and began teaching me Chinook Trade Jargon.
Being the first child in my family, I felt it essential that I did not let our history or our frontier ways vanish. I wanted to be like my great grandpa hero, and asked for a buckskin jacket for Christmas. I got some approval from the other kids, but Mr. Safford saw my spirit and praised me. His support for me was so strong that I longed for the day when I would tan my own deer hides and make my own jacket. It launched me on my life's work of learning the tanning techniques from Natives all over N. American and Canada, and working with anthropologists and the major museums.
I lost contact with Mr. Safford after 5th grade. In my early years I did not credit him with my life's interest. Young people think that they do everything by themselves. But in my adulthood I looked at the steps that directed my life, and Alton's impact on me was pivotal in setting my life's course. His validation of me was the moment that changed everything, and I was released to do what I was born to do.
In my early 30's in Montana I was living off the land as a full time brain tanner. I was frustrated with incorrect historic documents on how Indians tanned, because the observers writing the stories did not understand the process. Historic literature is all messed-up, and the secrets are missing.
I remember one very powerful day. An unforgettable day where my spirit was set free. During this day my imagination ran all over the place. I was dreaming of any possible scenario that I could dream of, where someone had witnessed how Indians tanned before white contact, and their record was somehow made available to me. I now see that this was actually a form of prayer where I invited unlimited possibility to happen. My mind was out of the box, and it allowed me to connect with "infinite possibility".
Three days later I got a very thick letter from California. I did not recognize the name of the person. It began like this:
"When I was a boy of 8 years old I lived on an Indian reservation in Oregon. One day a very old Indian lady came to my home and said, 'Come with me. I am going to show you how we tanned buckskin before we had white man's tools. These methods are not used any longer. I am the last one to know how to do it the old way. And I want to teach you how we did this before I die, so that you will always remember how it was done. Some day there will be a man that you are supposed to pass this information onto, so you must remember everything I show you'."
The letter continued, "I have waited all my life and never found the person that I was supposed to share this information with. I just saw in the Buckskin Report (magazine) that you are a brain tanner, and I thought you might be the person this was meant for."
Enclosed was a letter of about 18 hand written pages with all the details I had dreamed of finding. It had been written the day of my prayer.
The letter was signed, Alton "Longbow" Safford. I thought... "Wasn't my 5th grade teacher named Mr.Safford? Couldn't be.
I wrote him back thanking him, and it was my 5th grade teacher. He had thousand of students since me, and had written me now knowing who I was. He remembered me once I told him about my jacket. He did not know that his affirmation of my interest had set my life's course in motion.
To me Alton was the encourager of my soul. He intersected my life in a pattern that was established in 1914 when he was 8 years old. The intuitive Indian lady foresaw that he was to pass her knowledge onto me decades before I was ever born. This sends chills up my spine every time I think about how long ago this was planned.
We were people who all followed our destiny. I think that God may sometimes intervene in people's lives to guide them; but if we humans are tuned-in, God can use us and he doesn't have to use angels. Alton performed the duty of a guiding angel in my life, as an obedient messenger from the Great Planner.
Alton and I shared a few Rondayvoos. I enjoyed his wife Miriam too. He gave me the support and affirmation that I never got from my own Dad. And Alton loved my family. We talked on the phone a little, but it's been several years.
Alton did what he was born to do. He kept alive the art of bow making. I was his student, specializing in brain tanning. We were alike. Alton was "tuned in", and blessed many people in his very long and active life.
It is good to see that so many others loved him and saw how much he had to give. Thanks for sharing.
Dave Christensen
Big Timber, Montana
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My latest is this press release about which you may be very interested and
about which your referrals are very much appreciated. Best, Richard Burrill
PRESS RELEASE (for release September 19, 2013)
*Ishi’s Return Home: *
*The 1914 Anthropological Expedition Story*
By Richard Burrill
Retail Price:* $29.95 (Cost for one book mailed from out-of-state, $36)***
350 pp 8 ½ x 11 Perfect Bound (paper)
357 photos, 29 maps
Appendix & Bibliography & Index
- Photo documentation
- Possible undocumented class of flakers
- Small pebble question
- Cylindrical drifts
BY Benjamin EBLE
To those who are interested in the subject of prehistoric lithic reduction, I have two fairly important updates to make. The first subject has to do with a small flat type of pebble, that Dr. Shafer previously made reference to. The second subject has to do with a class of flakers, that I do not believe has ever been completely documented, or recognized.
With regard to the small flattish limestone pebbles, that Dr. Shafer, and others, have regularly recovered with flintknapping tool kits, I believe I can offer a viable interpretation, as to what the small flattish pebbles may have been used for:
The small flattish pebbles tend to show faceted ends, and also some lateral striations, that I believe both suggest platform preparation. In my own indirect percussion work, in bifacial reduction, what I find is that it is relatively easy to punch in the platforms, by punching from behind, and away from, the edge. This usually leaves a slightly concave spot, right on the edge of the biface, that can be utilized to subsequently seat the punch, for the follow up removal, which typically will drive more directly into the edge.
The result of creating platforms in this manner, is that the newly made punch platform tends to have a thin "razor edge", or what some might call a thin "wire edge". If the thin "wire edge" is left intact, after the platform is created, then the following punch blow, directed into the platform, can cause the wire edge to snap off, instead of causing a regular thinning flake to detach. As a result, it is important to remove all of these thin wire edges, and even to thicken up the edge a bit, before the thinning flake is removed with the drift punch.
Among modern knappers, I believe that the way in which they create platforms is by chipping the edge of the biface with a copper pressure flaker. The type of platform produced probably consists of a series of small flake removals. Afterwards, I believe that modern knappers use some sort of grinding stone, to grind down the surface, where the copper pressure flaker chips have been removed.
In creating a platform with a small punch - as opposed to a pressure flaker - the punch blow can be used to remove individual flakes that are much wider than the typical pressure flake (at least in my experience), while working raw stone. The subsequent platform, created by even a single punch blow, is already quite smooth, unlike the platforms that are created via a series of small pressure flakes. The only drawback to the punch made platform, is the slight razor sharp wire edge, which can snap during subsequent flake removals.
In my case, what I have done to deal with this wire edge, is that I use a small handheld piece of rounded sandstone, which is used to "scrunch" off the wire edge, via direct pressure. The edge removal motion comes from behind the edge, and over the thin area, on the edge. With enough pressure, I can "scrape off" the wire edge, with a few passes. Also, I can abrade the edge laterally, to thicken it up a bit, if it needed. The result is that the platform edge becomes duller, and thicker. Meanwhile, the concave platform, is still intact. In other words, I do not usually need to abrade the face of the platform. Since the punch made face of the platform is already slightly concave, it is ideal for seating the punch, during the subsequent punch blow. So, I do use a stone edge prepping tool, mostly as a type of pressure flaker, in "scrunching" off wire edges, in order to prevent buckling, and snapping, during subsequent punch blows.
With regard to the small, flattish pebbles shown by Shafer, I did not at first realize that they could have been used as edge prep tools, on account of their small size. But, what I finally realized is that the small type of flattish small pebbles would be ideal for prepping "isolated platforms". If the pebble is only one centimeter thick, and the edge of the pebble is used to abrade the platform, then the contact area would only be about one centimeter wide, at the most. In my case, my own edge prep stone is around one inch thick. And, what I eventually discovered is that the sheer width of the stone precludes the possibility of limiting the contact to very small areas, which could lead to undue wear on already sharp edges.
Also, if a prehistoric knapper was trying to prep an edge, inside a small indentation, he probably would not want to use such a wide prepping stone. This would be especially true in prepping for punch notching, where the entry is obviously indented, and narrow. The stone would also need to be narrow, in order to reach into tighter spaces, prior to notch removals. Also, if a prehistoric knapper was trying to maintain sharp bifacial edges, then he would not want the abrading stone to come into contact with too much of the edge of the biface. Therefore,probably would not want an overly wide prepping stone. Otherwise, there is some risk of dulling the edge, unnecessarily, through too much edge contact, as I have personally discovered.
At this point, I can see some very practical reasons for the use of small flattish edge prepping stones, that are no more than a centimeter wide, and that are easy to grip, between the fingers. The flat shape would allow the prehistoric knapper to grip the abrading stone between the thumb, and first finger. And, the use of the tool, in pressure scraping off wire edges, would result in faceting on the longer ends of the pebble. If, by chance, the prehistoric knapper also wanted to abrade an edge, he would probably laterally grind the edge directly on the flat face of the pebble. This would result in longer groove-like indentations, showing on the face of the stone. At this point, I strongly suspect that this is what these small pebbles were used for.
I believe that this is why they show faceting on the long ends. And, I believe that this is why they show striations across the face. I have attached a photo of my own edge prepping stone which is used mostly as a pressure tool, but also occasionally as an abrader. Both forms of use have resulted in distinctive patterns on the tool. If I had used a flattish, oval tool, as shown by Shafer, I believe that the resulting use wear would be similar to what is shown on the small stone tools which are regularly recovered, with antler drifts.
Here is my own edge prepping stone tool, which I now feel is overly wide. The rounded ends are frequently used for scraping off the wire edges, while the broad side is used for occasional abrading, to thicken edges:
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The next update could be extremely important, with regard to the identification of potential flintknapping tools, which were never fully identified. Some time ago, another flintknapper, by the name of Dan Burch, studied the evidence of antler drifts, and he came up with the idea that the drifts might have been used, while being horizontally struck.
At first, from a purely objective standpoint, I ran into several theoretical problems with this idea, in light of the the actual known evidence. But, at this point, I now think that Dan's idea was conceptually correct, though I do not think that he recognized either the tools, or the tool process, that were probably employed. For this reason, it has taken me a year, or so, to come to a conclusion about the actual tools, and tool processes, that I believe potentially would have been employed. So, I will try to explain how I eventually arrived at what I believe is a likely conclusion, while also showing what I believe may be an entire class of flaking tools, that was never officially recognized, due to a lack of technological understanding.
The immediate problems with the theory of laterally struck drift use, relates to the known evidence of the cylindrical drifts, themselves. If the cylindrical drifts were laterally struck on the broadside, then why are they typically only around two inches long? If they were laterally struck, it stands to reason that they could have been any particular length, not just 1.5 to 2.25 inches in length. For example, a cylindrical drift punch that is four inches long - or even eight inches long - could have just as easily been struck on the broad side - if not more easily - than a drift punch that is only 1.5 inches long. Yet, in looking at past studies of prehistoric antler reduction, as I believe was outlined by Webb, and also at Tlatlalco, it appears that antler drifts were initially fashioned as relatively short tools, possibly under 2.5 inches, in length, for moment they were first made. And, even when they were under two inches long, they still appear to have been employed.
Sometime after considering Dan's idea, I came up with the idea of the potential use of the cylindrical drift punches, via a handhold that I believe was described by Grinnell, who lived with the Cheyenne, during the 1870's. This handhold involved holding the biface - not on the palm - but, rather gripping it under the thumb, at the base of the forefinger, with the punch tool being held horizontally, like a small cigarette between the forefinger, and middle finger. Such a hold makes it possible to achieve direct contact between the end of the short punch tool, and the edge of a small biface, while the tool can be struck on the upper broadside, with a sharp downwards blow.
But, even though this technique worked to some degree, the second problem that I saw, had to do with the evidence of wear, that has been noted on drift punch tools, for close to a century. Typically, as has been noted since the 1920's, the ends of the drift punch tools show signs of direct pounding, and cellular compaction. So, this would suggest that the cylindrical punch tools were indeed pounded on the ends, as has been suggested by many researchers, since the early 1900's. And, that would mean that the tools probably were not primarily used by being struck on the broadside, but rather on the ends. So, this put me back to "square one" regarding the use of drift punches.
During the course of working with cylindrical antler drifts, what I eventually discovered was that the tools could be used quite well, but not within the typical reduction paradigms employed by modern knappers, via the baton method. Rather, the use of the drifts appears to become quite effective, once a person develops a certain degree ability, in carrying out primary thinning with hammerstones. Also, what I have since realized is that anyone who has been schooled in antler baton knapping may never be able to recognize how, where, and why, cylindrical drift punching can be incorporated into the overall lithic reduction process, on account of the overall differences found in hammerstone thinning strategies, and baton thinning strategies.
Initially, my hammerstone skills were not very well developed. I was more prone to creating hammerstone made preforms that were thicker in the middle, with thinner edges - something akin to "turtlebacks". These types of "turtlebacks" are not really conducive to the use of antler drifts, in my opinion. After spending a number of months improving my hammerstone skills, what I discovered is that optimal hammerstone thinning involves removing longer "planing flakes" that span either to the center of the biface, or to the opposite edge (outre passe). In this scenario, an edge is beveled. Then, a long planing flake is detached by striking the beveled edge, and initiating a break that spans over the surface of the stone. Becoming good at initial hammerstone flaking, such as outre passe flaking, involves some development of technique as well as learning about different types of platforms, and flaking scenarios.
Eventually, once a person becomes proficient at hammerstone thinning, what he or she will discover is that the end results will be somewhat "reversed". In other words, initially, the inexperienced flintknapper will make bifaces that are thicker in the center, with thin edges. But, by gaining experience, the flintknapper will eventually be able to create hammerstone made preforms that are sufficiently thinned, in the central areas, while the edges actually may contain thicker spots. These thicker spots usually appear in the form of leftover "deltas". Deltas are the areas left between flake removals, that have been detached from a beveled edge. If the hammerstone made thinning flake expands, as it travels, then the leftover deltas will have a triangular shape, being wider on the edge, and narrower on the inner ends.
In the scenario that I am describing, the primary purpose of the hammerstone thinning process is to immediately remove large expansive thinning flakes, that drastically thin, and even flatten, the surface of a preform. Such a process does not necessarily involve creating a "pretty work of art". In fact, that actual edge of the preform could still appear quite irregular, after the central thinning flakes have been removed. In this same scenario, the leftover irregularities along the edges could even be thicker than the centrally thinned portion of the preform. In such a scenario the use of the drift punches becomes ideal, in punch trimming all of these irregularities, in order to "regularize" the surface of the preform, prior to final pressure flaking - if pressure flaking is to be employed. I believe that this idea concurs with what was recorded by Holmes, regarding Ishi's own explanation of punch use, that must have been given through interpreter Sam Batwi:
"But if a large spearpoint or knife-blade is ultimately desired, an intermediate tool is needed. This is apparently (Ishi never made one for me to see) a short, stout, blunt-pointed piece of bone or wood serving as a sort of punch and sometimes as a lever. As a matter of fact, what is wanted in the case of producing a large implement is not the division of the obsidian mass but the TRIMMING DOWN OF THIS MASS by the detachment from it of all unnecessary portions."
Here, I believe that the distinction between the use of the punch, in blade/core production, and bifacial reduction, is clearly laid out. The "division" of the obsidian mass most probably would have referred to the creation of blades, via the use of a small, handheld drift punch, in freehand indirect percussion. But, in explaining the creation of a spearhead, or a large implement, it appears that the punch is used as a "trimmer". Many modern flintknappers focus on a tool, in the same manner that one might learn about a tool, from the Industrial Revolution. For example, the use of hammers, saws, wrenches, and screwdrivers, is very linear in nature, and well defined. Each tool was designed for an exact function. Thus, tools, and tool processes, of the Industrial Revolution, are easily equatable. Modern flintknappers have been unconsciously conditioned to view tools, and tool processes, in very much the same manner, with the linear perception of tools, and tool use, leading to many flintknapping "definitions". For example, many flintknappers insist that freehand indirect percussion, and drift punches, were only used in blade/core removal. Yet, the description given by Ishi suggests at least two very distinct usages of a drift punch.
In studying Ishi's explanation, it would be relatively easy to mis-read it, and to conclude that Ishi made a spearhead with a punch. But, by now it should be clear that Ishi did not say this. What he said is that the punch would be used as a "trimmer" to trim down unwanted mass. So, this begs the question: If the punch was only used to trim down unwanted mass, then what would have been used to "thin" the stone? In other words, if the punch is simply used for "trimming", then what was used for "thinning"? I think that it would be safe to say that hammerstones were used for thinning. And, this is the same paradigm that I found to be workable, once I developed a certain degree of proficiency, with hammerstones: Hammerstones are used to rapidly thin the preform, and drift punches are used to 'trim" the preform, by punching off any excess, or isolated high spots, such as deltas, humps, large ridges, etc.
Also, with regard to modern flintknapping, if a person uses Waldorf's "Art of Flintknapping" (1993), as a guide, I do not believe that the platform preparation, designed for baton thinning (pg. 54), is suitable for the use of antler drifts, or possibly even for hammerstones. Waldorf shows the ideal edge of the platform to be close to the centerline, with a 60-70 degree angle. In heavy hammerstone thinning, expansive thinning flakes can be removed, from platform edges, that are extremely steep, and even somewhat thick. A hard clipping hammerstone blow, delivered almost perpendicular to such an edge, can cause a large scaling flake to detach from off the face of the preform. Thus, the type of edges, cited by Waldorf, for the use of the antler baton, do not seem to be ideally suited for heavy hammerstone removals. And, naturally, it is in this scenario that the antler drifts have to be employed, after the primary hammerstone thinning flakes are removed. So, in dealing with the leftover deltas, and any other types of isolated high spots, the drifts would be used to punch through an already steep edge, in order to trim off, or punch off, the high spots, and deltas. The results of this process, in some cases, can look surprisingly like the results of heavier hammerstone thinning, because the signs of the drift blow frequently include the distinctive "bulb of percussion", in the flake scar initiations. In fact, in some cases, it can be very difficult to distinguish a small hammerstone made flake, from a large drift punch flake, even when the two are compared side by side.
Still, in the overall scheme of things, the drift punches can be used, on a smaller scale, to create secondary removals that follow the initial hammerstone removals. And, if this is done carefully, the process can be employed to leave a sharp edge, on a biface. Also, for modern flintknappers who became proficient with three sizes of batons (small, medium, and large), and who never fully developed their hammerstone skills, it would probably be very difficult to see where drift punch process could fit in, because the type of platform edges required for optimal baton thinning are probably not conducive to drift punch work, just as they may not be conducive for heavier hammerstone work.
That being said, coming to all of these conclusions, and even learning to use the drifts, in secondary "trimming", does not clear up everything, regarding secondary flaking, presumably with antler drifts, or drift like tools. The chief problem is that the use of the drifts, in secondary trimming, produces many of the same attributes of regular percussive flaking, such as the distinctive "bulb of percussion". And, once a stone tool reaches a certain degree of flatness, and thinness, such attributes actually work against the intended goal of the flintknapper, in creating a finer finish. This is actually the same type of problem that was eventually realized by past researchers. who finally realized that there were inherent limits to hammerstone use. That being said, I think that it would be fair to say that the drift punches can be effectively used in flattening a biface's surface, by removing all high spots, deltas, etc. But, once the face of the biface is already flat, I do not believe that the drift punches can be optimally used to further thin the biface.
So, this raises another serious question: If the typical drift punch process can be used to regularize, and flatten, the surface of a biface, by punch removing all leftover high spots, then how could a punch tool be used to further thin, or further refine, an already flattened surface? After giving this question a great deal of thought, I believe that I have discovered the answer. First, in going back to Dan Burch's original idea, Dan proposed that the process could be carried out via the use of the laterally struck drift punch. Still, as explained before, I see some problems with this theory, at least with regard to known cylindrical drift punch artifacts, which show such signs of end pounding, etc. But, is it possible that a similar process could have been carried out, only with some other tool, other than a straight antler drift punch?
Well, in thinking about this, what became obvious to me is that the typical cylindrical drift punch's shape probably was created for a reason. In using tools of indirect percussion, what I discovered early on is that if the antler punch tool is not entirely straight, the tool could inadvertently flex, during the flaking process. So, instead of the tool acting as an intermediary, to detach a flake, a slightly bent tool would simply flex, and behave as a "spring", while absorbing energy. For this reason, it became apparent to me, early on, that such punch tools needed to be fashioned straight, without any type of curve. And, this is probably why so many thousands of drift punch tools exhibit a straight, cylindrical shape.
Still, the issue of straight tools versus curved tools led to another question. The typical antler flintknapping baton, as used by modern knappers is not straight. In fact, antler flintknapping batons tend to have a curve. Well, I already knew that a curved punch, is capable of flexing, during indirect percussion. And, this can translate into a loss of flaking power. But, an antler flintknapping baton is curved, and it is not pushed forward from the end, as is typical of a straight punch. Instead, an antler flintknapping baton is swung downwards, and moves in the same direction as a pressure flaker - perpendicular to the long axis of the tool. So, why are modern antler batons typically curved?
Why aren' they straight? If the flexing, during a punch operation is disadvantageous, then what about the flexing of a modern flintknapping baton, during baton flaking? Well, I am not very good with mechanical ideas, but I would venture to bet that the flex of a curved baton causes the baton to better "bite' the edge, during impact. And, I bet that a straight baton would not "bite" the edge, so well, during impact.
Why aren' they straight? If the flexing, during a punch operation is disadvantageous, then what about the flexing of a modern flintknapping baton, during baton flaking? Well, I am not very good with mechanical ideas, but I would venture to bet that the flex of a curved baton causes the baton to better "bite' the edge, during impact. And, I bet that a straight baton would not "bite" the edge, so well, during impact.
So, here is the question of the century: What if a small, fingerheld antler punch tool was actually somewhat curved? And, what if such a curved punch tool was struck on the broadside, rather than on the end? Then, in such a scenario, is it possible that the slight bend of the tool might actually aid the flaking process, in the same manner that a slightly bent modern baton, aids the modern knapper? Well, my theory is that the curved flaking punch should work better than the laterally struck cylindrical drift punch, on account of the difference in shape - curved versus straight.
Also, if this theory is correct, then it would mean that, in the archaeological record (assuming that such a process was previously carried out via freehand indirect percussion), this would mean is that there should be another class of small curved flakers, that are probably under 2.5 inches in length, and that show signs of blunting, on the use end. Such flakers would probably have been made from either cut tine tips, that are bent, or from broken tines, or even from small bent sections of antler. If such a class of artifacts exists, then the tools probably would have been recognized, by archaeologists, as being some sort of flaker. But, archaeologists probably would have thought that the tools "probably were hafted", due to their small size. In other words, if my theory is correct, then there should be a class of small bent flaking tools, possibly between 1.5 and 2.5 inches in length, that people may have mistaken for originally being hafted. If such a class of artifacts exists, then the tools would not show any signs of hafting. The use end of the bent tool would be blunted, and maybe even chipped. And, the tools should be found in either flintknapping kits, or in association with lithic reduction workshops. The tools also could be more frequently associated with finer finishing. Also, it is quite possible that the end of the tool, not directly involved in flaking, could have been left unfinished, whereas a typically cylindrical drift, would have a fully fashioned end, in the area where the pounding takes place.
Anyway, here are the results of my experiments, involving the use of curved fingerheld punch tools:
Here are some types of curved punch flakers that I now believe may be identifiable in the archaeological record:
Conclusions:
At this point, my feeling is that cylindrical drift punches were used frequently alongside hammerstones, as secondary "trimmers". But, I believe that there also could be an entire class of finishing indirect percussion tools, that may have partly been identified, as diminutive flakers that researchers may have thought were "hafted", on account of their small size. These tools would have been finishing tools, also used in freehand indirect percussion, or rested forms of in-hand indirect percussion, along with a lateral strike. In the bigger picture, if this theory is correct, then I believe that it would be grounds for predicting larger forms of slightly curved indirect percussion tools, that were laterally struck. These larger tools would likely include curved deer tines, and slightly curved basal sections of antler. By the same token, if the larger tools are already known to exist, then one might hypothetically predict the smaller tools, too.
The difference between the larger tools, and the smaller tools, would have to do with the scale of the operation. The smallest scale is in-hand indirect percussion, where the punch tool and the stone, are both held, and controlled, by a single hand. The next larger scale involves one man holding the stone in his hand, and holding the flaker with a second hand, while a second man strikes the flaking tool. Such a process was recorded by Catlin, and a few others. Still, if the biface is even larger, the next scale involves supporting the stone on a padded anvil, as was recorded by numerous observers. All such scales of work involve different sized tools, and different support methodologies. Still the underlying principles are essentially the same, though the tool size, and support methodologies must be altered, for the scale of work.
So, my view is that a class of small bent flakers, used in freehand indirect percussion is hypothetically predicable, in terms of the possibility that such small bent flakers, showing attributes of indirect percussion use, may well exist in the archaeological record. My view also is that such a theory is also viable, as I have attempted to show, here. And, I believe that the existence of such artifacts is tied to the existence of larger technologically related artifacts, that were used in similar manner, but via different methodologies. Also, I believe that all of this is important, because I think that my theories can encapsulate very longstanding ideas that were never really cleared up, or maybe even understood.
Beyond all of this, I have arrived at another fairly tentative theory. As explained before, the use of the typical cylindrical drift punch seems to work well in removing elevated high spots, subsequent to primary hammerstone thinning removals. By removing all such high spots, the surface of a biface can be regularized, and even flattened, through the secondary drift removals. But, the use of the laterally struck punch flaker technologies seems to be much better suited for further thinning, or even finishing, edges that are already flat, and possibly thinned. In the larger scheme of lithic reduction, there are probably at least two main routes that a prehistoric knapper could have taken, in creating a biface. One route would involve creating a rough preform, via hammerstone reduction. This preform would have been roughed out, and thinned, with hammerstones. Then, the use of the typical cylindrical drift punch could have followed, in regularizing the surface of the preform. The second route involves creating a large unifacial spall, and then fashioning a biface from the spall. Under such a scenario, the initial spall might already be adequately thinned. Also, the unifacial spall would have at least one flat surface. Under such conditions, the laterally struck flakers - whether they be basal sections, tines, or finger punches - could be used to work the unifacial spall. The use of such technologies would be carried out in lieu of using hammerstones, and drifts, due to the lateral punch flaker's inherent ability in removing mass off of already flat surfaces. The reasoning for carrying out such procedures is not difficult to see. Typically, many siliceous types of rocks have finer materials on the outer periphery, and lower grade material, at the core. So, if a knapper first removes large unifacial spalls, from the surface of a nodule, he will already have a thin, flat, "plate" of stone, from which to make his biface. And, the stone will already be the highest grade of material, which coincidentally is also what is optimal, with regard to the use of laterally struck punch flakers. So, by following this route, the knapper can bypass long rounds of hammerstone reduction, in bifacial thinning, by starting with a high grade unifacial spall. Then, the knapper can immediately employ laterally struck bent punch flaker technologies to immediately effect subsequent thinning. Under such a scenario, it is possible that the finished products could still retain signs of the original unifacial spall's flat surface.
For example, I believe that the Sweetwater biface may show signs of a flat unifacial spall being employed. If so, a hypothetical reduction sequence might follow the removal of the spall from a larger core, possibly via wood based indirect percussion. Such a process could yield a completely flat spall, that is already relatively thin, and of the highest grade of material. Then, the spall could have been tied down to a padded anvil, as described by one Apache knapper, and worked with the horizontally struck basal flaker. After the flat unifacial surface had been primarily removed, via the larger basal flake removals, the prehistoric knapper could have switched to a thinner tine punch flaker, and continued the process of laterally striking the tine, with a flintknapping hammer, so as to focus on subsequent thinning/finishing removals, by targeting the smaller spots left over after the initial removals had been made. While the controlled use of the heavier laterally struck basal flakers would result in large wide flake scars, and flake removals, on a flat surface, the use of the smaller tine flaker, with the lateral strike, would result in the removal of much smaller, narrower removals, that could have been employed to clear leftover deltas, etc. Also, if the initial spall was first edges with a "zig zag", then the subsequent punch flaking processes could have been carried out, while flipping the point from one side to the other. The spacing of the "zig zag" would simply need to accommodate for the predicted size of the initial flake removals, made with the heavier laterally struck basal punches.
Aside from simply being a theory, another reason why all of this could be very important is because it could directly relate to a number of ethnographic accounts, that may not have been adequately studied. For example, in descriptions (like the one given by Cushing), there appears to be indications that even historic Native American flintknappers followed a "unifacial spall to punch" methodology, as opposed to a long hammerstone reduction methodology. In such accounts, the initial spall is first made, by striking a large nodule, with a hafted stone maul. Then, the thinnest spalls are selected, and subsequently worked via indirect percussion. In Catlin's account, such spalls are worked directly on the hand, while in Cushing's account the spalls are worked, while rested on an anvil, that has a hollow spot, under the area of flake removal. So, it appears that there are even historical accounts which substantiate the idea of a "thin spall to punch thinning" form of bifacial reduction.
Once it become apparent that the laterally struck punches can be more effectively employed on flat surfaces (as opposed to the typical butt-struck cylindrical punches, on elevated surfaces), then it raises the question as to whether such historical accounts either were never fully understood, or possibly were misinterpreted. It also raises the question as to whether such tools - forms of laterally struck flakers - can still be found in historic era archaeological sites. If so, then the idea that "all of the evidence has perished" might be nothing more than a mis-guided conclusion, when in fact, there may well be tons of evidence that is going mis-identified, or mis-interpreted. The smallest class of laterally struck flakers, would probably be misinterpreted as "small flakers that were probably hafted". The larger tine punch flakers would probably be mis-identified as "pressure flakers". And, the heavier basal flakers would probably be mis-identified as "billets", in spite of smaller mass, and a difference in wear patterns, and even morphology. So, I think that it is possible that there is an entire class of slightly bent punch flaking tools, with multiple subsets - bent finger punch flakers, bent tine punch flakers, and bent basal punch flakers - that all have escaped detection, due to an over reliance on long held flintknapping models, that were mainly devised, over in Europe.
If anyone finds this information to be of help, please let me know. It is partly the culmination of three years of intensive personal study on the subject. Also, down the road, I might try to make some sort of update on striker/motion technologies. I am now founding that some of the optimal motion technologies are very specific with certain practices. And, tool use can be an utter failure, unless a person develops proficiency with certain types of striking motions, used in conjunction with certain types of punches.
Ben
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