TOPEKA (KSNT) – Finding an arrowhead or other relic of the past in Kansas can make for an exciting experience, but it may be best to leave it where it lies.
27 News reached out to the Kansas State Archaeologist Nikki Klarmann to learn what people should do if they discover an arrowhead or similar artifact of Native American origin while exploring the great outdoors. While finding one of these relics might be cool, people should think twice before removing it from the area where it’s found.
Klarmann warns against taking these artifacts from the wild, instead encouraging people to engage in “catch and release” practices. Take a photo of the artifact with an item like a ruler or coin for scale, mark its location with a GPS point on your phone, leave it and consider contacting an archaeologist with the Kansas Historical Society.
“You can contact the Archeology Office here at the Kansas Historical Society to record the location of artifacts,” Klarmann said. “We maintain the archeological site record for the state, and it can be helpful to know where items have been found. If you are on Federal land, you can reach out to the land manager to let them know you found an item.”
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Multiple laws guard artifacts found in Kansas that can be traced back to one of the nation’s Native American tribes. Arrowheads found in the Sunflower State are likely attributed to the ancestors of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Kansas Kickapoo Tribe, Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska or the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. Kansas was also home to tribes like the Cheyenne, Comanche, Kansa, Osage, Pawnee and Wichita.
“People have lived across what we call Kansas for thousands of years, leaving remnants of the lives they led,” Klarmann said. “However, archeological site locations are not disclosed to the public to help protect these properties and the artifacts found at them.”
Klarmann said the Kansas Antiquities Commission prohibits people from disturbing archeological sites or items on state, county and municipal lands, including state parks. Protections like the Kansas State Preservation Law, Federal Preservation Law, Antiquities Law and Unmarked Burial Law all play a part in the discovery of Native American artifacts and remains in the Sunflower State.
“We are happy to work with the public on recording locations where they have found items and we can often identify them through images,” Klarmann said. “We have an Outreach Coordinator here at the Historical Society that can provide information on stone type, tool type, and sometimes other information. We cannot authenticate artifacts for the public and we cannot appraise artifacts.”
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The National Park Service (NPS) also informs visitors to the parks it manages to avoid digging for or collecting artifacts on federal lands. Violations of this federal law can result in jail time and fines. Similar to Klarmann’s advice, the NPS encourages people to leave artifacts alone, take a photo of them and share them with a park ranger.
“Please notify a ranger immediately if you observe someone removing artifacts, damaging sites or rock images, or using metal detecting equipment on park land.”
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Artifacts that can be found in Kansas do not consist strictly of arrowheads. Stone tools, pottery and other relics may also be discovered in parts of the state.
“It depends on where you are, Kansas has a variety of different stone types, which led Native American communities to use these resources and resources traded from elsewhere to create a variety of different tools for use in their day to day lives,” Klarmann said. “The geology of Kansas is fascinating and can be further explored through resources provided by the Kansas Geological Survey.”
People removing artifacts like arrowheads from where they’re found for their own personal collections are only making the jobs of archeologists like Klarmann more difficult.
“We want to reiterate that artifacts when found should be left and documented in place,” Klarmann said. “An archeologist needs context and locational information to help identify sites or connections between sites and it is best to leave items where they are found. On state, county, municipal, federal, and tribal lands, that is the law.”
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Klarmann said it is legal to possess private collections of artifacts like arrowheads if they were purchased legally or collected from private property with the permission of the landowner. Human remains or grave goods are illegal to possess or purchase. Those who believe they have human remains or grave goods are encouraged to contact local law enforcement or Klarmann for more information on what to do with the items.
“While I recognize that people are inherently interested in the past, I would encourage them not to collect,” Klarmann said. “Eventually your descendants will need to determine what to do with these collections and museums have many and may be unable to take them in the future. In archeology, we do not excavate entire sites, we test and address specific research questions through scientific processes and want to consider the preservation of sites into the future. When collections are made without the process, they lose their context, which limits our ability to make interpretations about people’s lives in the past.”
If people have a collection of artifacts in their possession, Klarmann encourages them to document the items as much as possible, including information on where the items were found and how they were obtained.
To learn more about what legal protections surround Native American artifacts in Kansas, click here. You can find out more about how archaeological research is conducted on a site by clicking here.
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