Archaic Indian Weapons

You've learned that the Archaic Indians of the Lower Pecos basically had two weapons. Don't be fooled, however. In the hands of a skillful hunter, they were deadly! Let's examine each of these weapons to see why.

WEAPON: Rabbit Stick

USE: Rabbit sticks were obviously used to kill rabbit, but they had other uses you will learn about in a moment. Sometimes, rabbit sticks were thrown at a rabbit. Archaic Indians of the Lower Pecos may have preferred to hunt rabbits in a different way.

Nets were made from cordage. These nets were stretched across an area close to where the rabbits lived. The hunters spread out and joined together in flushing the rabbits out of the tall grass. Shouting and screaming, they drove the rabbits toward the net. When the rabbits reached the net, they were caught. The hunters quickly killed them with their rabbit sticks.

Rabbit sticks were also used to rake the coals of an evening fire. Stirring the coals of a fire kept the fire burning hot. Rabbit sticks also came in handy when a hunter was traveling through thick brush. The stick could be used to push thorny brush aside, allowing the hunter to pass with few or no scratches.

WEAPON: Atlatl

USE: The atlatl was a spear thrower. These spears are really darts. As you will learn while visiting the Archaic Science page, it helped hunters to throw their darts farther and with more power.

This is another type of atlatl used in the southwest. It is known as the basket maker style.→

Darts were mounted on the atlatl and then launched with a snap of the wrist at the end of the throw.

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