I am currently studying an arrow straightening tool left
behind by the Ute Indians long ago. The artifact is made of an unusual
material—a Jurassic dinosaur bone. As I
work with this artifact that is more than 13 decades old, I imagine a scene
when it was used.
A group of Ute braves are sitting on a forested mountain
slope that overlooks the plains where the braves and their families have
camped. The braves are manufacturing arrowheads and straightening the shafts of
their arrows for hunting. The day is quite peaceful. The sun is shining—showering
the landscape with its blissful, gratifying warmth and light. In the distance,
the dark silhouette of a herd of grazing bison is visible.
One brave, called Leaf Who Rides on the Wind, has a tool for
straightening the shafts of arrows. It is made of a peculiar material that is
like bone, but is as hard as rock, and all the other braves believe it contains
great medicine.
The arrow straightener that Leaf Who Rides on the Wind uses
is part of a large dinosaur bone, although he does not know it. The bone was smoothed so it would fit in his
hand. A single long groove was put in to the bone to straighten the shafts of
arrows, so that they would hit their intended target straight and true.
After Leaf Who Rides on the Wind completes making and straightening
an arrow, he wonders about how well the arrow will shoot. Ten quivers worth of
arrows are finished, and with more to make, Leaf Who Rides on the Wind takes a moment
to observe his surroundings in closer detail. Across the clearing in which he
and the other braves sit, a couple of chipmunks are chasing each other. His
thoughts are interrupted by a hunting call from a Shoshone hunting party from
the west. Not wanting conflict, Leaf Who Rides on the Wind and the other braves
quickly gather their things and then hastily make their way down the mountain
slope and into their camp. They recount the events of the afternoon to their
families late into the night around their campfire, and as the moon climbs into
the night sky they head for their tepees and soon fall asleep.
Leaf Who Rides on the Wind wakes up the next morning to find
that his special tool of untold magic and power is missing and he is afraid
that he has misplaced it. He is desperate to find it as he feared he would not
hunt well. He looks everywhere and asks his friends if they have seen it. Several
days later, he finds it behind a blooming mountain mahogany bush, where he had
dropped it earlier on his way from coming down the mountain slope. Eventually Leaf Who Rides on the Wind lost
his arrow straightener one last time.
More than 13 decades later it was found again, this time by
a fossil hunter. Arrow straighteners are not that common, and are not always
seen in museums. But when they are, they will probably not be made of dinosaur
bone from a prehistoric time that has long faded away. Now that the artifact
has been recovered it is currently being studied. Continued research will
reveal more of the archeological secrets of this arrowhead straightener made of
a Jurassic dinosaur bone.
Table 1. Measurements
|
|
Length (across groove)
|
approx. 8.89 cm
|
Width (tip to groove)
|
approx. 6.89 cm
|
Height (bottom to top pictured)
|
approx. 5.08 mm
|
Groove length
|
approx. 5.08 mm
|
Groove width (at top)
|
approx. 5.08 mm
|
Groove depth
|
approx. 1.27 cm
|
Weight
|
242 grams
|
 |
| Figure 1. View of arrow shaft straightener made of dinosaur bone from a Jurassic bone bed.G. Noller collection.Photo © by G. Noller |
 |
| Figure 2. Two red lines show where the grove is on the top of the arrow straightening grove. G. Noller collection. Photo © by S. Veatch. |
Author bio: Gavin
Noller is a 12-year-old middle school student in 6th grade. His favorite
subject in school is science, and he loves finding rocks and fossils in his
free time. Gavin also has a strong interest in archaeology. He is a member of
the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society and has worked on day-long outreach
projects at the Colorado City Founder’s Day celebration and the Cool Science
Festival at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.