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Atlatls were weights attached to spears at a middle point to help their aim. Men were usually the hunters and fishers among Northeastern Native American groups. One use of atlatls on spears was for fishing. Each year in the spring the men would net and spear shad, salmon and other fish as they migrated upriver to lay their eggs. This was also time for groups to gather to trade, visit and take part in ceremonies. There was such a gathering place in the Pocumtuck homeland, where the Deerfield, Green, Falls, and Connecticut rivers meet in present day Greenfield.

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Atlatl or spear throwing weight

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