Columbia River WASCO CHINOOK Rose Springs Bird Point

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An authentic and undamaged Chinook Nation, Wasco Tribe, "Rose Springs" bird point from near the Columbia River...measuring nearly 1" long by 3/8" wide, in a bright butterscotch-orange agate...with exceptional workmanship for such a tiny point!A fabulous addition to your Native American Arrowhead or Artifact Collection...trying to get an authentic point this nice is extremely difficult...as my box full of smaller broken points will attest!I have seen arrowheads and spearpoints shadow-boxed with large Gorham or other Southwestern prints with stunning effect...in glass-top curio tables along with pottery, baskets and other artifacts that was equally impressive...and arranged by tribe or locality in Riker display boxes that gave them a Museum look."The Chinook Nation included a vast number of tribes about 16,000 in the early 1800s, settled along the banks of the Columbia River, starting from British Columbia, Canada, through Eastern Washington State all the way to the Pacific Ocean.The Chinook were dependent on fish for food; salmon, smelt and sturgeon came in seemingly endless supply, meaning the Chinook did not have to work very hard to feed their families, and could concentrate on more pleasant social activities, from dancing to storytelling. The Chinook were a placid people, with hedonistic tendencies and did not do well in warfare, which accounts for their use of "hired assassins" to carry out their dirty deeds; this was uncommon though, as the Chinook preferred to resolve conflicts though water challenge rituals, which would end in reconciliation and the exchange of gifts.The Chinook were also skilled traders, bartering with Europeans and other Indian tribes from as far away as the Great Plains. They traded in everything from fur to dried fish to seashells, even slaves.Upper and Lower Chinook tribes include the Cathlamet, Cathlahmahs, Chilluckittequaw, Clatsops, Chahcowahs, Clackamas, Clowwewalla, Cushooks, Killaniucks, Klickitat, Multnomah, Wac-ki-a-cums, Wasco, Watlala, Wappato, Wascopan, and the Wishram; and Chinook villages were comprised almost entirely of relatives.The eventual decimation of the Chinook populace, took place as a result of exposure to diseases brought forth by European explorers; In less than half a century, the Chinook were all but extinct.Today, the last descendants of Chinookean stock live on reservations in Washington and Oregon, with a large segment of the population remaining in and around the Columbia region, namely Bay Center, Chinook, and Ilwaco. T are currently over two thousand registered members of the Chinook Nation and hundreds more applying for membership. Their legacy is that of a placid, thriving society; never to fully reveal its complex culture and mythology, save for a few scattered texts, artifacts and images."While I am hardly an expert on arrowheads and points...this tiny Rose Springs bird point appears to have no damage...and is evenly knapped with nice even serrations. (Any of you experts out t are more than welcome to weigh in with your thoughts on this piece.)Selling Native American artifacts these days is a very complicated and litiguous business, and for good reason with unscrupulous grave robbery and archeological site decimation a serious concern...however you can rest assured that the source, location and collection of this item complies with all Federal, eBay, and other requirements...because I surface collected these items as a kid, from private land near the Columbia River, when I lived t in 1964-65.In reviewing the photo against the actual point...the color is dead on (finally)...I just thought you would want to know!For more information on the Chinook Peoples, see either : / or /default.htm read more

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