This item is a set of Pre-Columbian Neolithic points, or arrowheads found on the shore of a large island in Gatun Lake near the south end of the Gatun Locks. We called this island Navy Island and before the Panama Canal was constructed, this was a tall hill on the edge of the Chagres River. All ten of these artifacts are surface finds. As a teen living in the town of Gatun, I used to visit Navy Island often to fish and camp. The wave action from the ships leaving Gatun Locks would wash against the steep hillside and erode the red clay soil to expose lithic artifacts. I collected these arrowheads between 1966 and 1968. All of these artifacts were collected in the American Canal Zone prior to when the territory was ceded back to Panama in 1999.

All of these lithic points are approximately the same size. Most have one side that is flat and the other side is irregular. The material is Chert or Flint and this type of stone is found on the higher ground near the Continental Divide, so there must have been trade between the Indians who lived near Gatun and the Indians on the Pacific side of the isthmus. The lengths vary between 33 mm and 46 mm. The widths vary between 13 mm and 22 mm. The total weight for all 10 lithic points is 30 grams.