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Ishi fishing spear head attachment.

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wstanley:
I'm guessing the lighter colored attached 11'' forks are intended to stay on though? Is that correct. If so, I wonder why not find a forked stick instead of making them and tying them on. Is this way stronger; or if they break then you just replace it? Sorry I am slow to understand the whole system here going on. Thanks for your feedback. 

GlisGlis:

--- Quote --- the fatter end is probably drilled out a bit to fit on to those forks
--- End quote ---

yes I think that too


--- Quote ---I'm guessing the lighter colored attached 11'' forks are intended to stay on though?
--- End quote ---
to my understand yes


--- Quote ---I wonder why not find a forked stick instead of making them and tying them on. Is this way stronger; or if they break then you just replace it?
--- End quote ---
I dont know. maybe it's very difficult to find a stick strong, without knots and with correctly positioned branches. they also seems pretty easy to replace that way

probably once  passed through the body of the fish the foreshaft will slid off and place crosswise (mind it's retained by the string in its middle point) and retain the fish

wstanley:
Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.

Been doing more research and the long shaft was likely made of bull pine (also know as grey pine, and a derogatory name attributed to natives of California which I wont repeat). The immature trees grow nice and straight, few offshoot branches, and holds massive amounts of sap (which is why its not logged for lumber). That heavy sap would have been useful in providing some degree of waterproofing is my guess. The trees grow all around me, and I can see that finding one with a closely symmetrical fork in it would have been very difficult, if not impossible.

I've got the cordage material collected (dogbane), next step is find a straight 12' long bull pine, cut it, and dry.

GlisGlis:
curious to see the result  :OK

wstanley:
A few neat pictures. The top two pics are the same harpoon. The last one is a harpoon shaft which Ishi left behind when in hiding and was relocated by them (Kroeber, Ishi, and Saxton Pope) again during their trip back up to Ishi's homeland/hideout of Deer Creek. Interesting its much stouter and shorter than the top one. Both appear to be heat treated. Especially the longer one.

This weekend I'm headed out to find a nice straight bull pine.

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