Posted: 7/21/04
By Barbara Brown
If you asked Dale Cannon, heíd probably say he does it to spread knowledge and keep alive an ancient art.
But, he really does enjoy it.
Cannon travels all over giving demonstrations about the old form of tool and weapon making called flint knapping.
Wild River State Park hosted a day-long event where Cannon shared his expertise on the art with visitors.
Cannon intertwined a history lesson about tool and weapon fabrication from Egyptians to Native Americans as he explained the process.
A tradesman, called a knapper, would take a chunk of rock ñ usually volcanic glass or some quartzite material ñ and begin percussion strikes on the rocks to remove chunks.
Those chunks then would be honed into a rough shape for whatever tool or weapon he was making.
After the rough shape was achieved, a more delicate and precise knapping technique called pressure flaking would be used.
Pressure flaking employs a long stick pressed at certain points along the rockís edge to create a sharper, more refined edge.
ìIt doesnít take a lot of strength to do it,î said Cannon, who demonstrated the technique using a modern knappers tool. ìYou just have to know where to press.î
Early knappers would have used a deer or moose antler and large rocks for their knapping tools, Cannon said.
He said he sometimes uses modern aides to help him.
Some knappers use a rock saw to slab their rough rocks before they begin percussion or pressure techniques.
Cannon said that one of his goals is to preserve the ancient art, but that if modern tools are available they can be utilized as long as the knapper is honest about their technique.
Cannon said he makes both ìfrom scratchî tools and weapons as well as those honed from slabs created on modern saw machines.
In Minnesota, Cannon explained, most of the arrowheads, other blades and tools found in the area were either made from imported rock or imported to the area as finished pieces and sold or traded.
ìMinnesota is a rock-poor area and they had to bring rock in.î
During the demonstration, Cannon showed a cast of an Egyptian blade which had been found in a tomb.
He said studying the cast and others like it has helped him and others learn more about knapping and appreciate the longevity of the art.
ìItís not really hard once you get started,î said Cannon, who has been a knapper for 15 years. ìI like to think of it as combining modern tools with ancient techniques.î
More information and contact information are available on Cannonís flint knapping Web site: www.futureartifacts.com.
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