By Matt Rowe Curator, Museum of Native American History, Bentonville, Arkansas
Central States Archaeological Journal April 2013
Spavinaw Creek dart points are small to medium-sized side-notched projectile points made on a triangular preform. The blades are triangular in outline, with edges that may be straight, slightly convex, or recurved. In cross section they are typically lenticular, and many examples display sharp, needle-like tips. Fine serrations are not uncommon. The side notches are delicate and positioned very low near the base, usually angled upward. Basal edges are well thinned and may be straight, recurved, or concave. When the base is deeply concave, the low notches can give the point an auriculate or fish-tailed appearance. These points are finely crafted, with flaking that ranges from random to parallel or evenly patterned. Thermally altered lithic materials were often preferred, especially Kay County and Reeds Spring cherts. Most examples fall within a size range of approximately 35 to 60 millimeters in length and 17 to 20 millimeters in width.
Although precise dating remains uncertain, Spavinaw Creek points are generally associated with the terminal Hopewell period and are thought to date between A.D. 100 and A.D. 400. In eastern Oklahoma, they are considered part of the Cooper Focus. They have been recovered from a number of Late Woodland contexts, including the Shields site near Kansas City, the Rice Shelter site in Missouri, the Lawrence site in Nowata County, Oklahoma, and at Pine Mountain Lake in Crawford County, Arkansas .
The distribution of Spavinaw Creek points is centered along the western edge of the Ozark Plateau and across the central lowlands of Oklahoma and Kansas. They are most commonly found in northeast Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas, western Missouri, and eastern Kansas. A large percentage of known examples come from sites along the Arkansas River drainage and the Grand (Neosho) River system and its tributaries. As recognition of the type improves, this distribution may become better defined.
The type is named for Spavinaw Creek, a small perennial stream that originates in the Ozark foothills of northwestern Arkansas and flows into the Grand River in northeastern Oklahoma. This region supported numerous prehistoric sites due to its reliable water source, rock shelters, plant resources, and abundant wildlife.
Spavinaw Creek dart points were first recognized from specimens found at two sites in Mayes County, Oklahoma. These sites produced a number of Hopewell-related artifacts along with Late Woodland materials, but relatively little else. A cache of seven Spavinaw Creek points recovered from one of these sites helped define the range of variation within the type. These points, made from Reeds Spring and Barren Fork chert, exhibited basal forms ranging from straight to concave, with one example showing an extended tip.
Small, side-notched dart points similar to Spavinaw Creek are found throughout much of the United States, and this has led to occasional misidentification. In northern regions they are sometimes mistaken for Pelican Lake points, while in southern areas they may be confused with larger Scallorn, Edgewood, or Ensor types. Some researchers have suggested that these forms could represent a late transition toward bow-and-arrow technology, although their use as atlatl dart points is generally considered more likely.
A larger knife form is occasionally found in association with Spavinaw Creek points. These knives are typically side- to corner-notched, considerably larger in size, and often exceed three inches in length. They are distinguished by deeply concave bases and well-developed barbs.
Spavinaw Creek dart points are not considered rare and are commonly found in collections from the southwestern Ozarks through the central lowlands of Oklahoma and Kansas.
References
Bray, Robert T.
1956 The Culture-Complexes and Sequence at the Rice Site (23SN200), Stone County, Missouri. In Preliminary Salvage Archaeology in the Table Rock Reservoir Area, Missouri, The Missouri Archaeologist, Vol. 18, Nos. 1–2, pp. 47–131.
Bell, Robert E.
1984 Prehistory of Oklahoma. New World Archaeological Record. Academic Press, New York.
Hurdlebrink, Douglas; Judith C. Husted; and Thomas Pilgrim
1976 Archaeological Sites Recorded and Tested in the Pine Mountain Lake Area. Arkansas Archaeological Survey, Research Report No. 7, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Shippee, J. M.
1967 Archaeological Remains in the Area of Kansas City: The Woodland Period, Early, Middle, and Late. Missouri Archaeological Society Research Series No. 5, Columbia, Missouri.
Baldwin, Jane
1969 The Lawrence Site (NW-6): A Non-Ceramic Site in Nowata County, Oklahoma. Bulletin of the Oklahoma Anthropological Society, Vol. XVIII, Oklahoma City.