Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Cultural Services

Item's Choctaw Name:  Iti Naki

Item's English Name:  Arrow

Age:  early 1900s?

Material: Dogwood

Dimensions:

            Length =  87.5 cm.

            Diameter (max nock flair) = 95 mm

            Diameter (distal from nock) = 82 mm

Diameter (mid-point) = 96 mm

            Diameter (proximal to blunt) = 96 mm

            Blunt max diameter = 1.46 cm

            Nock depth = 41 mm

Origin: Choctaw (possibly Durant area).  Owned and possibly made by Aden Colbert and given to Jimmie Beal in the 1950s. 

Current Owner:  John Lopez,

Notes:

Blunt-tipped arrows of this type were made for hunting small game.  They stun small animals through the force of impact with the big, heavy point.

This arrow was made by scraping down a thick piece of wood in all areas except the part that would become the blunt tip. Tools marks on the arrow include those made by a sharp scraping tool, and a file or fine-toothed rasp.  After rough-shaping, all surfaces were heavily burnished. 

The family is unsure if this arrow ever had fletchings.  There are no signs that it ever did.  The arrow does have marks near its center that appear to have been left by adhesive tape at some point in the past.

The nock area has been flared only on the sides perpendicular to the axis of the nock cut.  It appears to have been cut out with a saw.  The tip of the arrow shows what appears to be some impact roughening.  This tip was particularly highly burnished.

This arrow accompanies a bow.  However, it has the appearance of being older than the bow.