Spears & Lances

 Native American Indian Spears and Lances

In ancient times, spears were used as weapons for hunting and war.  As long ago as 10,000 years ago, archeologists believe that the earliest Native Americans inhabitants, known as Paleo-Indians, used very primitively made spears to hunt animals such as mammoths, mastodons, bison, and smaller animals.  They would chip away a large rock to make a spearpoint as sharp as a razor.  Soon, they developed a new tool called an atlatl.  This tool helped them launch spears very quickly and with great force, so they could kill the animals while still at a safe distance.

 The shaft of Native American spears were usually made with a wooden stick while the head of the spear was an arrowhead, piece of metal such as copper, or a bone that had been sharpened.  Spears were a preferred weapon by many for many reasons.  A spear was inexpensive to make.  It was also an easy weapon to use.  There was less training required to teach someone to use the spear than other weapons.  They could be made quickly in mass quantities.  And when used, they were often a lethal weapon. 

They often used a technique called the Buffalo Pound method to kill buffalo.  A hunter would dress as a buffalo and lure one into a ravine where other hunters were hiding.  Once the buffalo appeared, the other hunters would kill him with spears.  Another technique of hunting called the Buffalo Jump method had a runner leading the animals towards a cliff while others waiting behind rocks or trees.  As the buffalo got close to the cliff, they would jump out from behind the rocks or trees and scare them over the cliff.  Other hunters would be waiting at the bottom of the cliff to spear the animal to death.