And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: from Victor's pechanga net. Martha Arrowheads are lucrative for anthropologist http://cjonline.com/stories/071899/kan_arrowheads.shtml By JIM RAMBERG The Capital-Journal MANHATTAN -- Turn off the John Deere tractor. Forget about the crops. Run to the barn or attic and find that old shoebox full of arrowheads. There just might be something in there that will pay off the mortgage. That is the message Daniel Fox is spreading through Kansas. There's gold in that there flint. Fox recently purchased a collection for more than $10,000 at a Salina auction. This weekend he is attending an auction in Newton where another collection of American Indian artifacts is expected to bring $40,000. "Now, I don't have $40,000 to my name," Fox said. "But I do know collectors and other buyers around the country, and one might just give me $50,000 to make the sale." Fox said he has just finished his bachelor's degree in anthropology and is working as a graduate assistant, teaching a course in cultural anthropology at Kansas State University. Buying and selling artifacts is a relatively new occupation for him, though he has searched for arrowheads for many years. The official title of his business is Sasnak Artifacts. "Over several years, I've accumulated quite a personal collection. Many people offered me money for pieces over the years. I just decided to go into business for myself about a year ago," he said. Fox said he isn't trying to fool anyone about this sideline. "Obviously, I'm making money," he said. "I do keep everything I personally find in my own collection, but I make money selling other collections. For instance, I bought three arrowheads in Texas for $3,000 and almost immediately sold one for $2,800. The most I've ever gotten for one arrowhead was $12,000." Kansas is an untapped area as far as buying and selling artifacts go. While some may profit, others feel that it is a shame such commerce has sprung up. "There is definitely a market out there for artifacts," acknowledged Virginia Wulfkuhle, public archeologist for the Kansas State Historical Society. "When a collection is sold, it usually goes somewhere out of the state. That information is lost to us forever." Both Wulfkuhle and Fox have heard of persons leasing land in southwest Kansas to searchers. The searchers keep whatever they find or dig up. But if they find an Indian grave, it is hands-off time. Margie Nowick is on the President's Advisory Council for Indian Affairs. She is an independent historical preservation specialist. Nowick said the act of leasing land for such endeavors is legal. "If it's private land, there is no federal jurisdiction involved," she said. "If human remains are found, then it becomes the state's problem. But it is against the law in most states nowadays to tamper with burial sites." Wulfkuhle likens this new rage to what happened to the Indian culture in the Southwest. "Everyone began buying these wonderfully crafted bowls," she said. "Soon, there were no originals left and the knowledge of that whole era was destroyed." Fox counters that charge by saying he does keep records -- at least for his personal finds. "When I find an arrowhead, it's a privilege and a gift," Fox said. "I write down what and where I found it. I never dig. I've got about 400 perfect arrowheads in my collection, and I've found all of them on the surface." So where do the arrowheads go? "There's a big market in Germany, Italy and Japan," said Wulfkuhle. "They're fascinated by the Wild West. Once an arrowhead goes over there, that information is gone for good. "My plea is that we take an educational look at the artifacts rather than a monetary one. We wouldn't have information without a systematic procedure." Fox said he has shared his information with K-State and University of Kansas researchers. "There's definitely a fence between archeologists and searchers," he said. Fox makes it clear he is in the game for money, but he doesn't want to be known as a hustler. "I would advise people to buy one or both of these books: 'The Overstreet Guide to Buying and Selling Arrowheads,' and 'North American Indian Artifacts of the Midwest.' Barnes & Noble will have them," he said. "They're excellent guides to see what you've got in your collection and its approximate worth. Then call me -- (785) 539-9270." Meanwhile, Wulfkuhle didn't want to leave the impression the Historical Society wants your collection for themselves or is even soliciting them. "We do not have the room or the staff to accommodate collections," she said. "We just really want to know what's out there." Copyright 1999 The Topeka Capital-Journal Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
