Beachcombing for Arrowheads

I would often look for Indian arrowheads in my spare time. I liked to comb the beach near my house for them. I yearned to have one sitting on my bureau the way my dad had one displayed on his. We also had a neighbor who was a serious collector. As my brother and I played catch in the street, he would pass us on his way to the beach in pursuit of artifacts. On his way back, we would ask him if he found anything. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn’t. He showed us his findings when he did, which was always exciting. I just needed to find mine.

I would often come home with a few triangular rocks and show them to my dad for confirmation. I would watch in anticipation as he examined them one by one to see if they were the real deal. They never were.

One day while I was out searching, I just happened to look down, and sitting right there on top of some other rocks was an unmistakeable arrowhead. It was missing a piece of the tip, which is common. I picked it up, clenched it tight and ran home to show my dad. I handed it to him for inspection, and he instantly replied with a positive confirmation. Affirmative. Finally, I found one. It was time to display it on my bureau, but after I played around with it for a bit.

It has been a long time since I have even thought about looking for arrowheads. My good friend Jay is an avid collector, and shows me his findings every week when I go over to his house.

Recently, just as the brutal winter was showing signs of waning, Jay and I decided to go to my old stomping grounds in pursuit of arrowheads. Walking around on the beaches of Potowomut seemed to be a better way to spend a Sunday than being stir crazy in his house.

We arrived at our spot. It was the same area where I found my arrowhead as a kid. Initially, it was chilly, but after 10 minutes or so of walking with a focus, the temperature was perfect.

I started to examine the endless rocks and shells on the ground and found it hard to pick anything out of the crowd. Jay told me to look for quartz. Just look for white angular rocks. If I find one, pick it up and look for signs of manipulation, like chips worn into it. It was a good starting point for a novice like me while he looked deeper into the array of rocks on the shore.

I had a little buzz on and was psyched to just be walking around on the beach. Jay had more of an agenda. He has a serious collection of artifacts that span time periods I cannot recall. When he goes looking for artifacts, he means business. I was just along for the ride.

When it was all said and done, Jay only found one thing that was barely worthwhile. It was a chip of quartz that showed signs of human manipulation. It was not an arrowhead, but perhaps a piece that was chipped off of one. It was still, however, technically an artifact. I asked him if it was worth saving and he said no. I skimmed it into the ocean.

I have a feeling that I will be keeping my head down a little more this summer when I walk on any beach. I could get lucky and look down at the precise time and place where there is an artifact waiting to be noticed. Maybe it is time to have one displayed on my bureau for my kids to be excited about. I could look in storage for the one I found as a kid, but it would probably be easier to find a new one.