Phil,

I realized all of this a few years ago. These small points had two main advantages:

First, the smaller cross-section meant less friction and thus more penetration.
Secondly, before horses everything had to be carries on a person's back or possibly a dog. Thus, only a certain amount of rock could be carried and thus these small points maximized the amount of arrowheads that could be made with that amount of rock.

By the way, I understand that for some surgical procedures, obsidian scalples are preferred over stainless steel ones.

Carney asks what are normal sized arrowheads used for. Actually these are normal sized arrowheads, these were typically used for most game animals using a bow and ranging in size from a 1/2 inch or smaller to about 2 inches. Arrowheads 2 inches and bigger were typically used for Atl-alts or (long dart) with a thrower or spear points which were used for even larger game such as Bison, Mammoths and other large game animals long extinct. I have been flint knapping for over 20 years and have had great success with an Osage bow and river cane arrows which have been proven to be as lethal as modern steel or metal arrowheads.

Very interesting. Thanks for that!

That makes the thought of being shot with an arrow much worse for the early settlers who experienced conflicts with the native Americans. That especially since the point could break off somewhere inside of the body and primitive medicine such that it was.

I have long suspected these were big game points. I can't imagine the ancients getting many birds with a bow. Some sort of trap would be much better for birds. I've seen indian bows and arrows in museums with the small points.

I've often wondered, what did they use to make arrowheads if there wasn't any flint around? Did they use bone or parts of sea shells? Is there another kind of stone that they could have used?

Phil please allow me my dumb question of the month. Is it legal to hunt with a primitive point? I know they are as sharp as the dickens, but fragile.
As a side note. My wifes Grand Father used a glass shard to fashion all his wooden wine making tools. Metal might contaminate the product. There were other superstitions IE no women were allowed near the fermentation process. Only my wife as a small child.

Woodpecker - Native Americans used whatever they had and they also traded with other groups and sometimes obtained the point making materials that way.
Carl Huber - I think Longhunter is right about point regulations varying from state to state.

Birds such as turkeys, prarie chickens, pheasants, etc. if on the ground were shot with an arrow with an arrow head. Birds in flight were also shot with arrows the difference was that the arrows instead of having an arrowhead attached to the shaft had a woven 5 to 8 inch flat like mat woven out of vines. it was big enough so when it hit the bird in flight it usually broke a wing or neck bringing the bitd down. This was a very efficent way of hunting birds. It is hard to describe exactly what this looked like. But with a little reasearch you can see exactly what i am talking about.