someone I know told me they knew of a tree like this that pointed to a spring.
After being bent, the young trees were fastened by one of several methods. Sometimes the trees were weighted down with a rock, sometimes a pile of dirt was used, and often the tree was tied in position with a length of rawhide, a strip of bark, or a tough vine. The various methods used in each case were dependent largely upon the custom and ingenuity of the individual performing the work, and the materials at hand.
http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2017/12/indian-trail-trees.html