Point Type: LAMOKA  a.k.a. Dustin, Durst Stemmed
Also See: Bradley Spike, Dewart Stemmed, Duncan's Island, Dustin,  Durst Stemmed, Garver's Ferry, Merrimack , Neville, Piney Island, Randolph, Sandhill, Sylvan Lake, Swan Lake, Wading River

Location: Northeastern States

Associated Dates: 5500 - 4500 B.P. - Middle Archaic - Late Archaic
Morphology: Side Notched or Stemmed

General Description: The Lamoka point is a medium to large sized, narrow, side notched point.  There are some varieties of the Lamoka that are not side notched but rather are stemmed.  The side notched forms may have C-shaped notches with a rounded or straight base.  Another side notched form has asymmetric V- shaped notches that create an expanding stem with a straight or convex base.

These are small, narrow, thick points with weak to moderately pronounced side notches.  They can be also straight stemmed with slightly slopingshoulders.  The blade is basically trianguloid in outline, with biconvex or median ridged  diamond shaped  cross section.  The blade edges are straight, excurvate or may have one or both blade edges slightly incurvate. 

The base is often straight, but also oblique or slightly convex, and usually unworked and just as thick as the blade.  This thick, rather crude and unfinished condition of the base is a prime diagnostic feature of the Lamoka point wherever found.  The Lamoka type is often crudely made by percussion flaking techniques only, and sometimes a remnant of the cortex remains on the stem base.  Marginal retouching is rare.

There is a Dustin subtype of the Lamoka that has a more bulbous basal configuration.

The Lamoka point type is part of and a characteristic point type in the Lamoka complex and is a Middle to Late Archaic point.  Both side notched and the stemmed versions occur together in the same components and at the same levels of strata but the proportions vary somewhat from site to site.

The size of the Lamoka point ranges from 25 mm to 65 mm in length. The average size for the point is in the 40 mm range.

The Lamoka type is typically made from local materials principally cherts, quartz, and quartzite.  A pebble industry was indicated at the Lamoka Lake site. 

The Lamoka point type can be found in New York, all of southern New England into Vermont and New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, northern Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Northern Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

The Lamoka type was named by William A. Ritchie for the Lamoka Lake site in New York.

Notes:

Ritchie indicated that the Wading River type has some typological affinities with the stemmed Lamoka point "especially in those specimens having a rough, "unfinished" base, preserving traces of the rind of the pebble...".

Justice suggests the Dustin and Durst Stemmed points are regional names for the Lamoka points.

Boudreau notes that "to understand the small stemmed or "narrow point" tradition is to understand that small stemmed points are not a cultural manifestation.  It seems more likely they are a technological manifestation that transcended cultural boundaries across much of eastern North America."

My personal note... it appears to me that the Lamoka is a very difficult type to classify.  It has two separate stem shapes, and it is a very convenient type to attribute to an artifact.  In addition, here in Connecticut, there are very numerous Lamoka specimens which are made from quartz.  The quartz lithic material is quite difficult to knap and this material results in some very crude workmanship.

About the Point Above Left (shown twice size): The average sized Lamoka point stemmed form pictured at the top left hand side of this page, was found along the Susquehanna River near the town of Berwick, Luzerne Co. Pennsylvania and is made from a weathered Helderberg black chert. It is 41 mm in length, 21 mm wide at the shoulders and 7.1 mm at its thickest point, which is in mid blade. The stem is not ground and is not thinned and has an asymmetrical base which retains rind on the basal edge. The stem measures 8.4 mm wide at the side notches and is 8 mm long.  Close examination of the blade surface shows smoothing of the knapping scars (which retain field dirt) due to some abrasion probably due to water erosion. The material has a dull satin look and the workmanship is crude. This point was once in the Herman Seltman collection.  This point could be a Neville Variant type but the rind on the basal edge swayed me to keep it in the Lamoka category.  Additionally, Seltman also concluded it to be a Lamoka.  Catalog Number 215-15-M

About the Point Above Center Left (shown twice size): The large sized Lamoka point stemmed form pictured at the top left center of this page, was found in central New York and is made from a weathered tan chert. It is 53 mm in length, 16.1 mm wide at the shoulders and 7 mm at its thickest point, which is in mid blade. The stem is not ground and is not thinned and has an asymmetrical angled base which has retains the rind on the basal edge. The stem measures 10.7 mm wide at the side notches and is 12.8 mm long.  Close examination of the blade surface shows smoothing of the knapping scars (which retain field dirt) due to very heavy abrasion probably due to erosion. The blade has a median ridge. The material has a dull satin look and the workmanship is fairly good for the type.  Catalog Number 235-7-BB

About the Point Above Center Right (shown twice size): The average sized Lamoka point stemmed form pictured at the top right center of this page, was found on the old Forbes Farm in East Hartford, Connecticut and is made from white quartz. It is 44 mm in length, 17 mm wide at the shoulders and 9 mm at its thickest point, which is in mid blade at the shoulders. The stem is not ground and is not thinned and has a symmetrical angled base which does not retain the rind on the basal edge. The stem measures 10.3 mm wide at the side notches and is 15 mm long.    Catalog Number 429-11-C

About the Point Above Right (shown twice size): The average sized Lamoka point stemmed form pictured at the top right hand side of this page, was found along the Susquehanna River near the town of Berwick, Luzerne Co. Pennsylvania and is made from a weathered Helderberg black chert. It is 51 mm in length, 16.5 mm wide at the shoulders and 7 mm at its thickest point, which is in mid blade. The stem is not ground and is not thinned and has an asymmetrical angled base. The stem measures 10.1 mm wide at the side notches and is 9.8 mm long.  Close examination of the blade surface shows smoothing of the knapping scars (which retain field dirt) due to very heavy abrasion probably due to water erosion. The blade has a median ridge. The material has a dull satin look and the workmanship is crude. This point was once in the Herman Seltman collection. Catalog Number 217-5-M

References: Boudreau, Fogelman, Hranicky (1), Justice (1), Overstreet, Ritchie, Snow

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