Hayes Point

A small Caddo arrow point with a slender triangular blade. Blade edges are usually concave or recurved, occasionally straight and rarely convex, and are sometimes finely serrated. The tip is often sharply incut, giving a narrow, drawn-out point.

Some examples are square-shouldered without real barbs; on others the barbs sweep out sideways rather than pointing down. The stem is the distinctive feature: it is bulb-shaped on some points, but often diamond-shaped, with tiny projections on one or more edges. Stems are fairly uniform at 5–8 mm wide and 6–10 mm long.

Newell and Krieger (1949) noted the near-identity of Hayes points with the common arrow point of Classic Teotihuacan in central Mexico, the Mexican examples being almost always obsidian rather than flint. The key trait is a bulb- or diamond-shaped stem, often with tiny edge projections, on a slender, concave-edged blade.

Length 30–50 mm; maximum width 15–20 mm; stem width 5–8 mm; stem length 6–10 mm. (Suhm, Krieger and Jelks 1954.)

Common only around the great bend of the Red River, in the adjoining corners of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and possibly Oklahoma.

Identification tips: Look at the stem first: a bulb or diamond shape, often with tiny side projections, marks Hayes; then check for a sharply incut tip.

Similar types: Alba is similar except for its parallel-sided stem and lack of incut tips; Bonham differs in its very narrow parallel-sided stem and its proportions (Suhm, Krieger and Jelks 1954).

Naming: Newell and Krieger (1949) described the type from the Haley focus.

Dating evidence: The handbook ties Hayes to the Haley focus, estimated at A.D. 800–1200 or part of that span. At the Sanders site in Lamar County, Texas, Hayes occurs with Alba and Bonham points (Perttula et al. 2015).