In 1959, in his will, Lothar Kohnke left the New London Public Museum his collection of Native American artifacts. Mr. Kohnke was born in New London in 1901. He was a longtime collector, trader, and dealer. His donation contains mainly projectile points and some stone tools from around North America as well as Central and South America. Until recently, the museum was not able to fully catalog this impressive collection. Grants from the Friends of the New London Public Museum allowed the museum to hire temporary collections assistants to focus on the work. It took three summers to catalog the collection. The following pages give a small example of the breadth of the projectile points in this amazing collection. Items represent the following time periods:
Paleo-Indian Tradition 10,000-8,000 BCE
Paleo-Indians are the earliest known peoples in North America. They lived here at the end of the last Ice Age. The climate was much colder than today. They lived in small, mobile bands. They traveled great distances hunting large animals like mastodons and mammoths.
Archaic Tradition 8,000-1,000 BCE
This period saw great changes in climate, technology, and the way people lived. The Early Archaic people lived much as the Paleo-Indians. Their small bands moved around seasonally and depended on hunting and gathering. A gradual increase in population led the Middle and Late Archaic people to start creating permanent camps. It was during this time that trade systems started. During the late Archaic period, burial mounds start to appear.
Woodland Tradition 1,000 BCE-900 CE
The Woodland peoples were the first to make and use pottery in the Midwest. The start of farming was seen during this time. Many of the large burial mounds and earthen works found throughout the Midwest region were created by the Woodland peoples. They also created larger, more permanent villages. It is also thought that the bow and arrow first started to be used in the Late Woodland period, around 700 CE.
Mississippian Tradition 900-1600 CE
The Mississippian peoples relied on farming. Although hunting and gathering was still important, they grew maize, beans, squash and other food items to help feed their growing population. They built large, permanent villages, trade networks, and ceremonial centers.
