The Arrowhead Of Piercing

The Arrowhead of Piercing

By Keenan Chesko

The Arrowhead of Piercing

Arrowheads were traditionally made out of bone, flint, wood, chert, or metals. They were used for arrows for hunting or fighting other First Nations people during land disputes or such. This story is not about a real arrowhead but is to showcase one and its uses. The story you are about to read has been inspired by this artifact,as well as people, settlement, and life in New France.

The year is 1650, and Hiawatha has seen what the French have been doing to his villages hunting grounds. They’ve scoured it with their muskets and hunted most of their beavers for their pelts. Hunting was scarce, so he was left with few choices. Stop hunting and let the village slowly run out of furs, or find new grounds to hunt on. It seemed that other were also thinking like he was and decided that they were going to take the Wendat’s territory by force. Hiawatha was against this but his clan were all going to war and they insisted he come too. Hiawatha decided he didn’t wast t follow his family into war just yet and went out, searching for unclaimed territory with a rich beaver population. And so he set off, and for 3 days he roamed the area north of his village, and he was successful. He had found a huge population of beavers all with incredibly thick pelts.

The Arrowhead of Piercing

The year is 1650, and Hiawatha has seen what the French have been doing to his villages hunting grounds. They’ve scoured it with their muskets and hunted most of their beavers for their pelts. Hunting was scarce, so he was left with few choices. Stop hunting and let the village slowly run out of furs, or find new grounds to hunt on. It seemed that other were also thinking like he was and decided that they were going to take the Wendat’s territory by force. Hiawatha was against this but his clan were all going to war and they insisted he come too. Hiawatha decided he didn’t wast t follow his family into war just yet and went out, searching for unclaimed territory with a rich beaver population. And so he set off, and for 3 days he roamed the area north of his village, and he was successful. He had found a huge population of beavers all with incredibly thick pelts.

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He took what he could carry and headed back towards his village, only to find that all the hunters and people with the strength to fight had left for the battle for territory. He waits for his people’s return to tell them of the great news, and when they come back the warriors announce that they have successfully taken the Wendat territory as hunting ground, and at the same time Hiawatha told them of the thick beaver pelts to the north. The chief saw that it was no longer necessary to take he Wendat territory anymore but it was too late. The Wendat peoples had already mounted Ann attack on the Haudenosaunee village. It was then, that crowds of enemies with bows and spears emerged from around the village. They were surrounded! They began their assault and injured many people but the Haudenosaunee counter-attack was mostly successful at pushing the attackers back, but they haven’t won yet. The Wendat launched a final push at the village.

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It began with a volley of arrows one of which was flying straight towards Hiawatha. As he watched it, almost frozen in time, fly at him. He realized just how sharp arrows were. Hiawatha was struck in the stomach and fell to the ground along with a few of the other warriors but there were still enough to defend their territory. The warriors from both sides charged at each other at the same time but they were soon called off due to both sides taking too many casualties. Over half of both sides were killed in this battle and some were severely injured like Hiawatha. Although the battle was over, they still had to deal with the aftermath, whether that be injuries, bodies, or wreckage of buildings. The immediate action was, although not the best, to send the remaining hunters to the hunting grounds that Hiawatha had found. They treated him with all the medicine they could and he just barely pulled through.

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It began with a volley of arrows one of which was flying straight towards Hiawatha. As he watched it, almost frozen in time, fly at him. He realized just how sharp arrows were. Hiawatha was struck in the stomach and fell to the ground along with a few of the other warriors but there were still enough to defend their territory. The warriors from both sides charged at each other at the same time but they were soon called off due to both sides taking too many casualties. Over half of both sides were killed in this battle and some were severely injured like Hiawatha. Although the battle was over, they still had to deal with the aftermath, whether that be injuries, bodies, or wreckage of buildings. The immediate action was, although not the best, to send the remaining hunters to the hunting grounds that Hiawatha had found. They treated him with all the medicine they could and he just barely pulled through.

The village through the next few years and prospered with the beaver pelts and the village remained that way until the French approached them with a peace treaty in 1670. The Haudenosaunee accepted and the conflict came to an end after all of the war.

About the author

My name is Keenan and I am a student in the PLP program at Seycove secondary school. Keenan first became interested in he First Nations aspect of history when he began learning about exploration. Although he has not worked with much from New France, Keenan was interested with arrowheads from First Nation villages. As a lover of sharp things, Keenan made this story around a character that he made himself. In his free time, Keenan plays video games, soccer and enjoys other sports as well. He lives with his family in North Vancouver British Columbia.

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