Cherokee Traditions: Flintknapping

Flintknapping is an ancient method used to make various stone tools. Join Cherokee National Treasure Noel Grayson as he discusses the processes and history behind the art form in this new episode of Cherokee Traditions.

#Cherokee #Flintknapping #NativeAmerican #Knapping

[jaredpeterson]

"Even as a master flintnapper I don't consider my self a master because I still have alot to learn." True wisdom right there.

[thegreatowl]

This man is the Bob Ross of knapping. The world needs more folks like yourself. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[darrenjones]

Not only does he have mad skills....he has the soul of a teacher.

[mikeconner]

I like that he brings up copper. A lot of us ABO knappers shun any modern tools but what many don't realize is that copper was being mined and made into tools several thousand years ago here in North America.

[shaneallen]

The most important part of this is he doesn't let the old ways fade away and he's willing to teach them to others. Very valuable. Good for him.

[Bushmen]

I too am a Cherokee fint knapper and I can already tell you Noel Grayson is awesome just by looking at the piece he is holding . : )

[AllenGoodman]

This man is a National Treasure. I have so much respect for the Cherokee people. Thanks for this video and awesome channel content ! 🇺🇲👍

[brucefisk]

Thank you for sharing, for me it was a real pleasure being able to spend 12 minutes with you.

[dr.froghopper]

I love the Cherokee notion that information is given in order to be shared and, if you have knowledge that someone else needs, you should be willing to share. I’ve learned that the more I know, the more I know that I don’t know squat. We should never stop learning!

[stefanvanrensburg]

Keep your heritage alive Noel because it will leave one hell of a legacy

[jwjenkins]

I started knapping about 6 years ago I got started because while I was fishing at a lake an older gentleman was there with his family and he was going knapping. I knew one of the girls in the group who had married this gentlmans grandson. Turned out this guy lived about 1.5 hours from where I lived, but he invited me to come by and he would show me what he knew. Later I called him and we set up a time and when I got there he gave me a pressure flanker and larger pad and a hand pad which I still use the pads to this day. This gentleman mostly worked with slabs and pressure flaking, but it made a point and worked for him. He started me down a path of learning that has slowly evolved and I love learning new things, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[runawayfaeIX]

Teaching my boys about their heritage (even though we only have a little Cherokee blood left in the family tree at this point) and they loved this! Thank you for keeping the traditions alive.

[bluestormcloud]

Arguably one of the most enduring technological advancement in the history of man. To be able to find something made thousands of years ago in almost the exact condition as when it was made is amazing. It is conceivable that the some of the arrow heads that your father found were lost and found several times throughout their life by different people spanning hundreds of years between each lost and found episode.Thank you for sharing some of the knowledge of your culture with us. It is a blessing to be able to share and learn from others.

[naturewithandy]

When I was about 6 or 7 years old my friends and I discovered that we could make sharp objects by smashing certain rocks together, originally I think we were trying to make sparks but accidentally made some crude stone tools as well. We weren’t allowed to own knives at that age so we felt pretty good about being able to make our own from nature!

[allenmorris]

My grandmother was Cherokee, and I miss her stories much. She would rock back-n-forth in her rocking chair while combing her long black hair talking about how she grew up living under wagons, and soooo much more.

[nocfox]

"You don't have to solve all your problems.. You can save em' Think about them for awhile" I love that quote.. Hit me right

[shannonrice]

I remember visiting the cherokee heritage center in Tahlequah 35 years ago when I was a little boy and seeing someone flintknapping (it may have been Mr. Grayson). I told myself on that day that I'm going to do that one day. I'm finally starting to flintknap with traditional tools and really am enjoying it. I'm glad to carry on our traditions and it really gives me valuable insight into how our people lived their lives hundreds and thousands upon thousands of years ago.
Thanks you sir for all that you do. You really are someone to be treasured.

[sethhofstetter]

"You don't have to solve all your problems, just sit and think about them for a while."
Best advice I've ever heard!

[theebigda]

Last summer I had a 12 foot deep pond excavated in my yard, mostly for bass & bluegill. This summer I was raking the area to smooth out the bottom before filling it, when I found a stone arrowhead, about 2 inches long. As a deer hunter myself I love thinking about the hunter that was once here as well, trying to get food for his family. In this area of Southern Wisconsin I believe it was the either the Potawatomi, Chippewa or the Ottawa people.

[addictedrc]

Thank you Noel! I appreciate your time and sharing with us!