Robert Chandler holds three of the spear points he has made using his ancestors’ technique of flintknapping by hand.
Story and photos by Valerie Chandler
Historically, Native Americans utilized and hunted with arrowheads, spears, celts, and war clubs among other tools made of bones, clay and rocks. Only occasionally are one of these rare treasures found and, unfortunately, the art of flintknapping is just as scarce.
After many years of admiration for the art of his ancestors, Robert “Bob” Chandler decided to teach himself how to flintknap or shape stone. Chandler and his wife Sandy live close to where a historical Indian Village was once located along the Manistee River. He is an Elder of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and has been flintknapping for approximately six years. His knowledge has come from books, videos, talking with fellow flintknappers and simple trial and error.
Depending on the size and type of implement Chandler is making, the process can take a couple of hours to days at a time because he does not use any machinery to aid his skill; he shapes the pieces entirely by hand.
He starts by selecting a piece of flint, chert, obsidian or other type of rock and inspects it for any hairline cracks. Chandler’s keen eye discerns the rock’s cleavage to indicate how the flakes will break away, pieces at a time, once he begins striking the rock and applying pressure.
He has created 1/2-inch bird points to 7-inch spears, as well as a variety of arrowheads, knives, drills, discoidals, bird stones, pipe bowls and war clubs. When asked how many pieces he has crafted over the years, he laughs and says he’s “lost count; there are hundreds and when I pass, I hope someone enjoys them.”
This unique art takes a great amount of patience, and Chandler said the process “can be discouraging when you work on a piece all day and, in one motion, the arrowhead or spear can break in an instant.” Of course, the art form comes with risks. His hands have had many flake shards imbed themselves like glass, as well as cuts that forced him to take a hiatus.
As a child, he was given a Native name by his mother that meant “Great Hunter.” As he’s aged, the hunting has becoming harder, so perhaps turning to the primitive art of flintknapping is a natural transition. Chandler can often be found in his “knap shack,” and during colder months in his basement, honing his skill because in his mind he “still has a lot to learn.”
Valerie Chandler is a lifelong Manistee County resident. She lives in Wellston with her husband Matthew and their Border Collie/Australian Shepard. She is a citizen of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and has been employed with the tribal government for more than 25 years. Robert Chandler is her father.
