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Why aren't we on the same page?

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jamie:
pat i deal with collectors and archeologists all the time. i was asked to come to a meeting and give my "wisdom" on what the pieces were. my answer pissed em off. ....................sharp rocks. group-yes but is it an arrowhead or an atlatlhead. me- could be a small knife too, not sure i wasnt there.  ;D

Bevan R.:

--- Quote from: jamie on February 13, 2011, 07:08:48 pm ---my answer pissed em off. ....................sharp rocks. group-yes but is it an arrowhead or an atlatlhead. me- could be a small knife too, not sure i wasnt there.  ;D

--- End quote ---

Jessie, next time really fool them and say it is a point from a broken atlatl that was used as a knife. ;D

Bevan

JackCrafty:
Thomas, you're right.  We've been taught bigger is better.

Eddie, I've never been to an artifact show but I have listened to collectors tell their stories.  ;D I think some collectors are extremely knowledgeable.  I've never met a "high dollar" collector...maybe that's a good thing.  As far as archeologists go, the guys I've met are very specialized in their research.  They know a lot about certain things, like paleo sites, but not much about the rest.  They also knapp, so I think they are well grounded in reality, but I know what you mean about "romanticizing".

Timo, yep, they used what they felt would get the job done.  However, many tribal cultures are very superstitious and they have all sorts of "rules" and rituals for hunting.  I've heard that some NA's, back in the day, would not re-use an arrowhead that missed the target because it was bad luck.  I don't know how true that is...

Parnell, I've gotten some cold shoulders from collectors that feel that I shouldn't be making reproductions.  I'm with you, though.  We shouldn't spend time arguing with them.

Bevan, I believe warfare and conflict is part of the history of all cultures.  I just thought it was worth mentioning that some people out there don't agree.  Once in a while I'll get a cold response when I suggest that warfare has not been taken into account when determining the possible use of an artifact.

Crooketarrow, good observations.  None of us can be purely primitive in terms of tools and materials.  But our brains haven't really changed in thousands of years...  unless maybe we are getting dumber...or is it dummer?   ;D

Hunter, I like the idea that we are on the same page simply because we don't know the right answer for everything.   I guess I get frustrated too easily.  ;)

Jesse, I'm hoping that more people will begin seeing the big picture.

Dane, collectors are "funny" sometimes.  It amazes me when I hear all the different reasons for collecting artifacts, for instance.  As far as keeping a collection intact when you die, I know one collector who wants to make sure that his collection stays intact.  He is looking for a certain special person to give his collection to.  I mentioned to him that I would never sell his collection if he gave it to me, but he just looked at me for a second and then went back to what he was doing...  ;D

Jamie, it's true that those guys get pissed off easily.  I try not to get them upset... they might not let me look at their collections.  ;)

Dane:
The ultimate collector that I have come across was George Walter Vincent Smith. He was a wealthy guy in Springfield, MA in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He amassed an amazing collection of stuff, includng some of the finest Japanese arms and armor you can see in the US. He gave his entire collection to the city's museum and library association with the stipulation that it be housed as an entire collection, and when he died, it can never be broken up or even borrowed by other museums. They built him a lovely building, he filled it, and spend each day there in his old age, playing with his stuff, putting on suits of armor, etc.

After his death, he and his also deceased wife were cremeated and they are still in one wall, kind of hidden by a rare tapestry. Behind it is the stone with his and her names, and there he will spend eternity with his collection. When I worked there, I used to make it a point of showing visitors where his urn is located. I found it cool and creepy.

Of course, some may think the place is haunted, but the actual haunted building was across the quandrangle from Smith and his museum. I know, as I saw the ghost once.

Dane

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