Point to the Sky Biface

Early one morning just as the sun was rising (just like the friendly giant) I was up and out walking along a stretch of shoreline when an amazing gift presented itself.  Less than 20 feet from where the boat was parked I spotted a nicely flaked, tear-drop shaped biface.  It was about four inches in length and was made out of a reddish coloured variety of Hudson Bay Lowland chert.  However, the most amazing part of the discovery was the context in which the biface was found.  I was out an early spring expedition up in the northeastern section of Lac Seul less than a week after the ice had gone out on the main lake. 

Water levels were quite low during this period but over the previous four days of my excursion the winds were fierce creating choppy waves across the lake.  But as this day broke there wasn’t even a whisper of wind and the lake surface was like a mirror.  On this particular day, as I walked this particular stretch of shoreline, I spotted the biface in the water but perched upwards with its base embedded in the ground and its tip pointed straight up at the sky and, with the lake being flat calm, the tippy tip of the point protruded just above the water.  It was amazing to see and at first I couldn’t believe my eyes.  I thought to myself, “how did this artifact wind up in this position” and “what were the odds of finding it like this”?  These were quickly replaced by thoughts of gratitude at my good fortune to be the person selected to be presented with this special item in such a manner.  Sometimes in life you are never sure what will come your way.  But if and when you discover something special, you need to appreciate it.