Clovis Point

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from National Museum of Natural History as part of Tools: Extending Our Reach.

These spear points, dating to between 13,200 and 12,900 years ago, represent one of the first widespread cultural and technological traditions in North America. The distinctive shape of the points and the characteristic flute, or channel, driven up from the base characterize a style that was followed by artisans across what is today North America. The fact that these design traits persisted across great distances is evidence of close social interactions and provides an example of how a material object can express cultural identity. The smaller of the two is from the New Mexico–Texas border, the other is from eastern North America. Projectile points like these have been found near mammoth kills across North America, revealing that hunting large animals was part of early subsistence practices. Clovis points, however, were undoubtedly used as tools for other functions as well, including hunting smaller game, rituals, and cutting.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Tools: Extending Our Reach.