Hunting Tools Used by Maritime Archaic Indians in Newfoundland.
These five tools were used in Newfoundland by Maritime Archaic hunters about 4,000 years ago. At the extreme left is a large chipped stone spear point found at an eroding site in Bonavista Bay. The other four were all used by the people who buried their dead at Port-au-Choix at about the same time. From left to right they are two polished slate weapon points archaeologists believe were used to lance sea mammals and perhaps caribou; a toggling harpoon and foreshaft; and a bone lance probably also used for hunting caribou and sea mammals. Archaeologists do not know the function of the large single barb on the lance on the right; however, they recognize that the toggling harpoon shown here represents an improvement over the earlier harpoon type found at L'Anse-Amour. This specimen shows clearly the line-hole and the detachable foreshaft, which was fitted into a three-sided socket and then bound with rawhide. The operation of the toggling harpoon is explained in the next illustration (slide 11).
