by Todd Walterspaugh, Galesburg, Michigan
Originally Published in the Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol.56, No.4, pg.200
Originally Published in the Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol.57, No.2, pg.94
This group of Stemmed Lanceolates were recovered in the Central Michigan area of Montcalm County near the town of Entrican. All are made from Greywacke Chert which was the commonly used Lithic for this type in Michigan. For reference the pre-form blade in the center measure 8 1/4″.
The Eastern Stemmed Lanceolte is considered to be the Eastern form of the Scottsbluff point made by the Cody Complex of the Western United States. The size ranges from medium to large with a broad stem. Not to be confused with Late Archaic Adena points which were also made from this material, these Stemmed Lanceolates always have a heavily ground stem and are knapped in horizontal to oblique parallel fashion. Most are thin and of high quality. A similar version of the type out of the Ohio Valley region is the Stringtown which is an Eared version of the type.
Greywacke Chert has a semi-porcelaneous texture and comes in a wide variety of colors from tan to brown and bluish green to light blue. A natural forming material which is found as chunks and blocks eroding from it’s matrix in streams and gravel beds. Surprizingly there is an absence of Fossils in this Lithic as most materials from the Great Lakes Region have some form of Fossil content. Greywacke is the Geological name for metamorphosed sandstone and many collectors call this material Argillite which is a similar form of sandstone.
Greywacke Chert was predominantly utilized by Native Americans during the Early to Late Archaic time periods. Commonly seen in use for Stemmed Lanceolates and heavily used by the Adena culture, Greywacke Chert was a largely distributed material and was used by Native Americans in all of Michigan’s lower peninsula including as far away as northeastern Indiana northward into northwestern Ohio and southwestern Ontario, Canada.”Used by Permission of the Author”
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