Native Indians of North America, what was considered valuable to them.

[Jollyrodger1]

I guess I’m looking at it from a metal detectors perspective, other than trying to survive, what did they have as in currency or tender, what metal would they have, coins, weapons, obviously I don’t know so I’m asking.

 

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[newnan man]

The Shawnee Indians in Ohio had a lot of silver. They wore it as jewelry. It's source was never found. They were a historic Indian nation that fought hard to no avail against the encroaching settlers from the east.

 

[GirlWithWolf]

Apaches used a variety of things for trade such as fur, baskets, beads, and medicines. Those of course aren’t useful for metal detecting. But jewelry was made of turquoise and a lot of times silver from Mexico, mostly from their coins.

Comanche history I’m familiar with after spending a few years in Oklahoma, but I can’t think of anything helpful for metal detecting.

When we visited Sault Ste Marie I (edit: was) told the Chippewa were some of the first, if not the first, to trade for European weapons. So that might be helpful. They didn’t go into specifics with me but I’d assume swords, rifles, etc.

 

[releventchair]

It

I guess I’m looking at it from a metal detectors perspective, other than trying to survive, what did they have as in currency or tender, what metal would they have, coins, weapons, obviously I don’t know so I’m asking.

Will vary with Nation.
Tribe.
Region.

Though some things traded hands over great distance at times.

The Red ochre "society" obviously favored that.
Ojibwe and more cowrie shell use. (What was their source?)
Wampum in the Eastern woodlands.

Perhaps obsidian held value when brought to areas it wasn't common.
In the great lakes region , copper.

Post Euro contact quite a variety of items.
From Russian beads on West coast to about anything shipped across the oceans.
Colonial beadworks were influenced by the very secretive Italian trade. Being a glass worker in Italy meant guarding the secrets or being in danger. Including ones family.
Too , it was understood that glutting the market would reduce the value of glass.
Metal (iron) hooks and spears and blades and kettles and awls ..
Wool rade cloth. Linin.


Funerary relics hint of regions and eras values.
A bone comb perhaps.
Copper knife.
Beads bannerstones and more likely.


There were pottery makers. Bark basket and more from bark use makers.
Sugar makers.
Of course watercraft.
A site of pottery work had evidence it was a long time use. With proper resourses. Not just anything works! Clay type. Tempering material. Though used pottery or rejects might work for a temper , sand and burnt shell might be better?


A claim I haven't supported had Algonkins bring meat and furs South from upper Michigan or even beyond to trade. Given the clime and mineral soils , IF Southern areas had grain it would have been valuable in that relationship.

Gar scales might have traveled through routes.
Why not shark teeth ect.?

Flint quality varied. Sources can often be traced from samples.
Areas where chert was the common lithic material might appreciate the option of a good condition and quality flint.
Archeological records have shown me different type(style) heads of varied material in the same context. Both era /deposit time , and location. Together. Many miles apart in my state. Near hearths on deliberate structured ground.
How was that done? My guess of a coalition or allies ceremony or agreement of sorts is just another unproven.

Shell middens offer evidence a lot of shell was available,
Besides wampum there were plenty of shell uses.
(Even Euro's adopted shell buttons.)
What did oyster consuming natives do with pearls?
Or the "fresh water" pearls and slugs out of clams?

Porcupine quills were cleaned and the ends cut off , dyed ,then flattened.
Quill work is impressive.
Who lives where quills are scarce?
(A Florida trader visiting here one year wanted many. The few I had left were at home. Had I known in advance some road hits could have been skinned and boraxed.)

Unique to a region that doesn't have it , it can be a potential trade item.
Native silver. Turquoise. Petosky stones. Squirrel hides where squirrels don't exist. An otter hide maybe for a pipe or arrow case.
Easily worked Pipestone where pipestone doesn't exist..

 

[RGINN]

That's too general a question to answer in a couple of sentences. You would have to narrow it down to pre-historic cultures, historic cultures, specific culture maybe, and part of the country. I can't think of a simple one sentence fits all answer to that. However, the one metal object I always wished to detect in SWOK was an iron arrowhead, historic post contact era. I got lithic things from thousands of years ago, but never one simple iron arrowhead from less than a 150 years ago.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Copper kettle points come to mind. Haven't found one yet, but they're out there.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I think smoking pipes were very valuable. Pipes are first found in the late archaic, which ended before 1000 AD. Stone pipes were important to the Hopewell who made many beautiful effigy pipes in IL and OH. After the Europeans came, metal tomahawk pipes from Europe became very popular. Smoking vegetable matter in a pipe was a Native American thing and was totally unknown in the rest of the world before the 1500s. Within a short time after euro contact with natives, smoking spread around the world.

 

[Blackfoot58]

Trade items such as skinning/hunting knives , especially with adornments on the handles.
Often times glass beads and ceramic beads.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

My local tribe lived in an area where gold nuggets lined the cracks in the bedrock along the creeks and rivers. Apparently they never saw a use for it (either decorative or utilitarian), or there was a superstition against it.

 

[Jollyrodger1]

Very nice photos, and comments. Metal objects from various tribes were much the same I’m guessing. Gee they had to create something out of nothing. I’m stuck at our earliest maps of 1860, you’re on your own going into the woods, in specific what does government protected property mean,does that cover historical sites too. Far western pa and far eastern Ohio are my interests.

 

[newnan man]

Very nice photos, and comments. Metal objects from various tribes were much the same I’m guessing. Gee they had to create something out of nothing. I’m stuck at our earliest maps of 1860, you’re on your own going into the woods, in specific what does government protected property mean,does that cover historical sites too. Far western pa and far eastern Ohio are my interests.

Have you read any books by Alkan W. Eckert? They are very accurate portrays of the early frontier in that area of the continent.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Have you read any books by Alkan W. Eckert? They are very accurate portrays of the early frontier in that area of the continent.

Butting in…I enjoy historically correct books. I’ll have to check that author out. Do you have a particular book to recommend?

 

[Older The Better]

You mention a metal detector so I think trade era artifacts…. A different way to look at value… was access to European trade goods and more importantly keeping them out of the hands of their rivals…. I’ve read many books where tribes would want exclusive trade rights or try to prevent goods from making it any farther than their settlements… so it was valuable to strengthen yourself while keeping your enemies behind the times… also considering how readily European goods were adopted I’d say pretty much any trade good held value.

As far as trade metal arrowheads I’ve found a few in se Kansas, so close ish to swok, so I’d say there’s a good chance they are out there… and I’ll add my detector was ignoring the site because it was nearly all iron, I thought it was odd it was ignoring so much stuff in the woods so I dug one and the first thing that popped out was a bullet scissor mold… so if you’re looking don’t ignore the iron.

 

[ToddsPoint]

Butting in…I enjoy historically correct books. I’ll have to check that author out. Do you have a particular book to recommend?

“Mystic Warriors of the Plains” by Thomas Mails. This is a good one with a lot of early drawings of Indian life. Highly recommend!

 

[BennyV]

Spear points, metal arrow heads, knife blades come to mind in my area.

I live outside NYC. So these items were readily available as trade items with local tribes probably earlier than in other parts of the country. First from the Dutch. Then from the British.

The problem for me is there has been constant activity in the area from the earliest settlers through today. This equals a ton of trash to sift through before possibly finding something significant. There are a few areas that may still have some relics, but it will be slim pickings.

I have heard of someone finding a metal spearhead/point in the area back in the 60s or 70s I believe. There was also a 1700s musket found around 1/2 mile from the spear point find.