Knapping a Cahokia point. Indirect Percussion 

I have been telling my wife that for years “ let’s try new things and have a good time”!!! 🤦‍♂️

Probably my favorite YT channel! Hunting videos Flint knapping videos empirical tests and theories primitive weapon builds and sharing of the practical knowledge and everything in between man, I sincerely enjoy watching every single thing you post, definitely keep it up, it's awesome!

Have you talked with Noel Grayson ? Cherokee (the real kind) napper, works for Cherokee heritage center in Tahlequah Ok

That's an exceptionally beautiful artifact :)

Personally The more Knapping lube I use the better my points turn out. Just a tip for beginners

Don’t sell yourself so short brother. Your waaaaaaay above average lol. I understand the modesty tho. Keep up the good work.

The Cahokia point has always been my favorite arrowhead

I grew up in Cahokia, I remember going to mounds when I was young! Definitely the reason I clicked on this video 😏👌🏻

Love those cahokias. I have that casting that you displayed. I think copper had a part in its creation. Atleast for those notches.. They had access and worked with lots of it as far as I know. Good work.

Glad to see you're able to use my technique. A lot of guys have trouble holding the flaker (horizontal punch) in the "behind the knee" position. You can also use a strap to hold the flaker on top of the thigh. I call it a "Kelly strap" named after a friend who came to visit me and showed me how he overcame the challenge of holding the indirect flaker.

SUGGESTION/REQUEST; A super-close-up in SLOW-MOTION of a single (successful) Indirect Percussion flake being driven off, with the camera right down BELOW the CENTERLINE of the workpiece, so we can all better understamd the ANGLE of the Percussive Blow, and the what it ACTUALLY happening in Knapping ISN'T that you're "pushing" (compression) on the stone, but instead you're "pulling" (tension) on the stone, so that when you say you're "lifting" (tension) a flake... ...it's actually a TRUE-RE statement than you might realize! THANK YOU for inspiring me to dive into this skill! - Mark Vogt, VOGTLAND OUTDOORS

Ryan, I'm from around the area that the Cahokia lived in. I am also a primitive hunter and followed you for quite some time. I have collected some Mill Creek chert that the Cahokians specifically used for their tri-notch points that I would gladly send you. We're friends on Facebook. Send me a message if you would be interested. Thanks for everything that you do. Keep up the good work!

Aw snap! Clicked so fast! Just started and I'm excited!

It would be helpful for beginners if you show how to identify the proper rocks to flintknap with

What kinds of projectile points would be best for hunting large reptiles? Like a Komodo Dragon, or the extinct Australian Megalania? What about hunting large birds such as Cassowaries or Ostriches? I assume a smaller sharper point, like the Cahokia, would be better against the thick scaly skin of a large reptile, while a broader point would cut better into the feathers of a large bird.

Tengo una punta muy parecida a esa. La encontre en una zona cerca de Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur. En ese lugar he encontrado puntas que no he encontrado en ningun lado.

What a beauty

That’s beautiful Ryan I was impressed with the dirt time I saw you I was pissed off you kept dropping your tools and daring people to leave it was if you were telling people if they didn’t want to watch in depth stroke by stroke with audio go watch something else

Why are you holding base of tool stationary as you sharpen the face ,when you flip the tip you don’t hold it stationary you track?

On my farm I mostly find quartz points do you make quartz points?

The notching on the casting shows who the real master of notching is. That dude was skilled and an artist. There is a very interesting kind of symmetry and the notches are heading to a central point. Not required of course but admired by me.

I have an artifact that I need help to identify. Serious inquiries only please

Mr. Gill should make his own style points so that people can identify his trade

i would love to see you build the full arrow brother these are such dope hobbies i think you’ve got me hooked i’m a trucker and i’m gonna be looking for rocks and minerals in all these desters i go to if really like to find a shed of antlers on my own jusg to make it more personal for myself

jack craffy is the master of Isie stick

Chopping down trees with a flint axe is not to too environmentally friendly

Ryan you are awesome. That's way better than shooting a steel point.

I was at Cahokia last year, and it was very interesting to see the artifacts from 1000 years ago. Nice that you are keeping these skills alive today Ryan!

Thank You so Much for you teaching this dieding art

Love your videos I would love to see you make a hohokam style barbed point

Jack crafty is the godfather as far as this technique goes

I mean like also hunting is illegal like is it open season how do you hunt make a video to show us o g

I think you are very smart and creative I have learned so much from watching you! awesome

I will be glad when my worry is about being slow.

I love indirect. Also I've been watching Marty's videos alot because I'm wanting to get away from copper. He is very, very knowledgeable. Indirect is the best way to get paper thin pieces.

Learning a lot from this dude

LOVE your videos! Methinks you UNDER-VALUE both your DIVERSE skillset and the content of your videos. We all watch "transfixed" by your close-ups as yoy work. It's as if it's 3,000 BCE, and our little clan was attending a "gathering" or enclave, and all the men were huddled around one of the old dogs - he's too old to HUNT anymore, but he makes the BEST POINTS, so at the enclave we all stand in AWE and literally "go to SCHOOL" by WATCHING you... THIS was how "tribal knowledge" was SHARED so long ago - only YOU can create a :virtual enclave" that spans the GLOBE...KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. I'm waiting for my full Abo kit (ordered from you) to arrive!...

That is awesome man thanks

Awesome work Teacher

Beautiful point!

beautiful work

i want to biy a set

make a sper hed

I have learned more about napping than everything I have bee told or read or seen on web by watching your beginner video. You are a great teacher. As many times as I have told or read to “abrade”, I did not realize the importance until your video.Been trying to find North Carolina rock and knap for 20 years. Not much rock to work with in NC. Got my MASTERY KIT today with a box of mixed rocks to practice on. Everything in the kit looks well made. Thank you!

The cahokia points had the 3rd notch for war arrows. The idea being the point will break into bits when it hits bone. The points without were hunting so they didnt break

I think you are absolutely correct on that notch in the base! That makes so much sense! I haven’t made any primitive arrows in a while, but I used to heavily zig zag my bases so the base was an effective saw and I would “custom fit” every point to its shaft to remove that web left over from sawing the notch out for the point. A notch in the base would have been much easier to do!

Thanks for teaching. Much appreciated and well spoken. Perhaps someday ill meet you at a knapp in.

Los trabajos que haces son extraordinarios. Eres unico y es un don que dios te dio.

My state doesn’t allow Stone point hunting yet. It’s almost an insult to someone who knows the potential of the whole traditional technology. I think LOTS of young people dream of taking an animal with completely hand made equipment

Awesome videos!! Suggestion- put your tools on another chair , bucket bottom,or something! My old back groans watching you continually bend to retrieve other tools!

I think I like the long videos because u actually take the time to show the whole process and you educate about it the whole time, I don't like some knapping videos where it's skipped and rushed so ur videos are exactly what I was lookin for

I've always struggled with the under the knee indirect, like Patrick and yourself do so well. I just can't see what I'm doing - my eyes are getting old too. I use Marty's long stick punch method, just because I can get it up on my lap. But you've really got yours up high. Impressive. Beautiful little point.

Excellent work. I think your theory behind the purpose of the center notch makes sense. It would also serve to keep the point centered with the shaft of the arrow by preventing any side to side movement during the hafting process.

Awesome point. Good job, thanks for sharing.

Nine out of ten deer recommend the hunter use one of your points but in certain buck circles, also advise large pasture travel only at night.

I just made my first ishi stick out of some vine maple and whitetail antler. As well as my first copper notcher from some scrap copper wire and a lilac foreshaft. You have given me a couple ideas! Thanks for the lesson!

Cahokia point tech was certainly refined.

literally Ryan Gill'ed all my tools as you mentioned your crotch being a youtube star hahahaha

Customary knapping lubrication 😂

You inspired me that much that i myself will start flint knapping ,unfortunately to purchase of your web site will have a punitive shipping cos (im located in the UK)however close to me is a large teritory which served as flint mine for our Celtic ancestors so i can get first class flint .Thank you for your selflessness to made available your high skills for all who sense the calling of the olde.Blessings.

Good to see the small points coming back they better for your arrows fly so good

Amazing technique ! I can't wait to try it out. This is going to help me a lot thank you

Thank you so much for your videos, I've been learning so much from them! my first set of tools and Flint should be here by the end of the week! Anyways I was looking at your method for indirect percussion, you said you use sparkleberry for a hardwood with the wood mallet. I've built in exterior deck made out of ipe, the wood was so extremely hard, dense, and heavy that you might not need the mallet it might have enough weight behind it and you just tapping it with your hand. Let me know your thoughts and if you think it can work I still have quite a few sticks left I can send you a couple. They are square pieces but you can send them round if you wanted to. It's the least I can do after after what you do for everybody else in the community. Thank you once again.

Amazing job. First point I ever saw made.

How much you charge for one of these points?

I still sitting, for the algorithm.

Learning a lot thanks for the help

wow, it's perfect !

if you place your hand behind the item the camera will focus faster for you on the item in foreground