ARROWHEAD ART STILL LIVES.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - For more than 40 years, John McCarthy has dabbled at making arrowheads from obsidian, the glasslike volcanic rock most prized by American Indians for their weapons and cutting tools because of its lethal sharpness.

But even after decades of studying books about ancient techniques and chipping away at obsidian and other rocks, McCarthy says his work doesn't come close to arrowheads made by the nation's first inhabitants.

``At the start I was happy when I got anything at all. I was absolutely delighted,'' said McCarthy, 69, a retired chemical engineer for Rocketdyne.

``What amazes me is that some of the stuff existing today that is not broken - and it tells me that there must be a lot of it that was lost - is beautiful. It makes you gasp.''

When viewed under a microscope, steel razor edges appear blunt compared with those crafted by the Indians, who used deer horns and stones to shatter the obsidian into sharp arrow points and spearheads, McCarthy said.

And it's that sense of admiration and respect for the art that McCarthy likes to pass on to the younger generation.

``It gives you a whole new window on life that our civilization doesn't expose you to,'' McCarthy said.

A few times a year, McCarthy demonstrates the art of making arrowheads at Strathearn Historical Park, where his wife, Lois, has been a docent for 25 years.

``The kids get to handle the obsidian, and they wear gloves and goggles, and John provides the safety equipment so the children don't hurt themselves, and the children will just sit there for hours,'' said Patricia Havens, director of the Strathearn Park Historical Museum.

``I just think the kids get a real kick out of it,'' she said.

Eleven-year-old Tyler Schoffstall got interested in making arrowheads during one of McCarthy's demonstrations three years ago.

Since then, the Knolls Elementary School sixth-grader has been a regular at McCarthy's sessions, watching closely and using construction nails to transform obsidian into arrowheads.

``He gives us all the safety rules before we start, and he lets everybody have a go because he has enough for everybody,'' he said. ``He speaks very clearly about things. He's a very good explainer.''

Tyler now has a collection of 20 arrowheads at home - some of which he's made - to complement his rock collection.

McCarthy's interest in making arrowheads began as a child when he spent summers with his family in the volcanic Clear Lake area of Northern California, where obsidian abounds. The area was a favorite spot of Indians who made arrowheads that were traded all over the West.

Neighbors at Clear Lake regaled McCarthy with stories of the battles and legends of the local Indians and showed him how to use stones and deer horns to shape the arrowheads.

``I never got anywhere near doing it right,'' McCarthy said.

But then he went to college, joined the Army and didn't really get back into arrowhead making until coming to Simi Valley to work for Rocketdyne. Having bought a home in 1960 in Simi Valley, he unpacked his stash of anthropology books and arrowheads collected over the years, reigniting his interest in seeing if he could replicate the Indians' artistry.

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Photo: John McCarthy carves arrowheads in his back yard. The retired engineer has been making Indian-style arrowheads for years and teaches children how to make them out of local materials.

Lexey Swall/Special to the Daily News