"I Got Caught Knapping" - Flint Knapper - Shawn Waters

With the Ontario Archaeology Society - Huronia Chapter

Join us for an evening where Indigenous ancient ingenuity and tradition will be brought to life in a presentation and demonstration on the art of knapping (shaping stones into functional objects).

Shawn Waters is a resident of Waubaushene (where the Rock Meets the Water) and member of the M’Chigeeng First Nation on the largest fresh water island in the word – Manitoulin Island/Great Spirit Island. He became fascinated with stone tools and ancient technology as a kid, seeing his first projectile point and wondering how it was made. It wasn’t until years later that he was introduced to the atlatl - Apaginaatig Attatowiin in his Ojibway language. Through archaeology, we know that some of the projectile points/arrow heads found in Ontario would not have been fastened to the traditional bow and arrow but to large spears on the ancient atlatl, a tool that predates the bow and arrow. Seeing these bigger points first hand through
some of the work he does, drew Shawn back to the day he was that kid who saw his first arrowhead. Then the rest was history.

Shawn was trained in the art of knapping near Sudbury by a young master. Flint knapping became a part of him. He now goes to universities and colleges to demonstrate this ancient art. It also brought him to a movie called The Silencing which is on Netflix. He was the Indigenous Atlatl Consultant for the movie. He hand-carved the atlatl and arrows, and flint knapped the arrowheads out of obsidian for production.

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