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Hello Bill;
I have just read your account of tanning a pelt with interest. I am studying a creative writing degree at my university and I am in the process of writing a horror story for my next assignment. I intend for one of my characters to kill domestic cats and tan their pelts to be made up into coats. I wonder if you could answer a couple of questions for me?
1. Can you tell me why you cook up the brains and rub them into the pelt? Can you describe the smell?
2. Once the pelt has been smoked doesn’t it smell? – How would you get rid of the smell?
3. What sort of alcohol do you use?
4. Would there be any particular problems in skinning a cat?
I will be very grateful for any help you can give me and will mention
your website in my bibliography.
Regards,
Lin Whitehouse
Hello Lin;
I would be happy to answer your questions.
1. Can you tell me why you cook up the brains and rub them into the pelt?
As in handling any raw flesh, there is always a safety issue. Perhaps you have heard of people getting infections from raw chicken getting into cuts on their hands. Cooking raw flesh, or brains reduces that risk.
2. Can you describe the smell?
Not really, save to say it is kinda nasty. I like to soak my old smoking skirts in water and add a bit of that water to the brains while cooking them. Improves the smell, and seems to make the brains last a bit longer.
3. Once the pelt has been smoked doesn’t it smell?
Yes it does, but it is quite a good smell, sort of like barbequed meat. It is a huge improvement over the brain smell.
4. How would you get rid of the smell?
You don't. The smell does fade with age, but never goes away entirely. One of the advantages of smoked buckskin is it will mask human scent.
5. What sort of alcohol do you use?
I use denatured alcohol, or rubbing alcohol.
6. Would there be any particular problems in skinning a cat?
I skinned a bobcat once a long time ago. Don't recall any unusual problems. The small parts of any pelt, such as ears, toes, and tails are always harder to do than the large areas. If you are not going to use those parts, it will make your work easier, but a less interesting final result.
I would love to get a copy of your story. Give me a shout if you have any more questions.
Good luck,
Bill Scherer
Norm;
Recently I have been attempting to steam bend limb tips on Osage wood in a attempt to make a static recurve bow. In my first attempt, I steam boiled about 12" of the the wood in a baking pan covered with tin foil for about 55 minutes. I have been told that you should bend the wood in one quick motion without any hesitation. It splintered in the bend area of course. I then experimented with a piece of scrap Osage with good results. The last piece of scrap Osage splintered in the bend area like the first one. This piece I steam boiled for 1 hour. The thickness for the one that worked in the bend area was 5/16" and the one that broke was 6/16". After reading your article, I am thinking that perhaps my problem is that I am boiling the wood too long. I have enclosed some photos to give you a better idea of what I am attempting to do. You can see in the one photo I am using a piece of metal on the belly side of the limb or the outer side of the bend to prevent the wood from splintering or lifting. I would appreciate any help or suggestions you cab give me.
Jerry
Jerry, your set up looks good, and you may be correct as to the problem. I bent a yew stave of similar size, and boiled the end for only 20 minutes (as per Tim Baker's instruction). My jig was simpler, catch the tip and then bend over a piece of wood using the stave for leverage. I would also try a slower, steady bend. You may have bent it too fast as well. (I'm thinking of something like a five to ten second count). Your jig works to prevent the inside of the curve from collapsing, which puts all the stress on the outside stretching. You might try cutting out the area of the gig under the area that fails. Another factor is the wood grain. I try to cut critical areas of a stave so as not to cross grain layers. If all else fails, try cutting a piece a bit thicker than you will need and then sand down past the splintering. Hope some of this helps.
Good luck,
Norm
Norm;
I want to thank you for taking the time to try and help me with my steam bending problem. I did another experiment today with a piece of Osage scrap which was 3/8" in the bend area. I soaked the wood for 10 to 15 minutes prior to boiling and then for another 45 minutes. I did the bend a little slower as you suggested and it worked. Thanks again.
Jerry
Dear Mr. Scherer,
I am sorry to bother you, but I recently came across an article of yours on the internet at http://www.primitiveways.com/foxtan/Tanafox.htm. I have never done this before and am not sure where to start. I am using your article as my main reference. I only have the tail and wish to tan it so it does not become stiff. I am attempting to learn as much as I can and gather all the needed materials before starting this task. One question I have is that in your picture of smoking the two pelts I noticed that it did not look like you smoked the tail, but only the body and up where the leg of the jeans started. Also, is your planner blade like a razor blade or is it just a flat blade that is duller. Is there a substitute for brains if I cannot find them?
I was wondering if you had any other tips or for someone not so familiar with this.
Thank you,
Sean Burke
Hello Sean;
Never a problem to talk about tanning. As for the tail smoking, this has been a problem I have never come up with a good solution. I don't remember what I did for those particular foxes in the article, but Here is a few things I have done throuhout the years.
1. This one gave me the best results, but takes the most time. Sew the tail skin into a split in the tanning skirt. This leaves the flesh side exposed to the smoke, but not the fur.
2. The second method is to hold the tail by hand into a stream of smoke, directing the smoke onto the flesh side of the skin. This is done when tanning a deerskin, and some smoke is leaking out of the deerskin where there is a hole.
I would like encourage you to try tanning an entire pelt, not just the tail. The tail is a very fragile piece, and cannines are very thin skinned creatures.
Good luck,
Bill
The planer blade for scraping the fat, meat and membrane off the hide is not sharp like a razor blade. It's edge is bevelled on one side. You can substitute brains with egg yolks. There is a formula, if you use egg yolks.
Regards,
Dino Labiste
Dick, all of your articles are excellent. I have one question. How does one apply sufficient downward pressure when trying to start fire with a hand drill? Try as I might, it just won't happen. I use the Egytpian variation of the bow drill and it works a treat. The hand drill defeats me. I can't even get smoke and only got dust once.
Chuck McKinney
Hello Chuck;
It only took me about six months to gain success with a hand drill. Because of my age and weight I have to have sticks that are really optimized. It took a combination of:
1. A transition from blisters to calluses
Use the palms of your hands, not your fingers and use the bottom part of your palms, nearest your little fingers. If you feel heat in your hands then stop for a day.
2.
Finding the right materials
The hearth board should be relatively soft wood like cedar or yucca from the desert, about one half inch thick. The bottom end of the spindle should be about three eights inch in diameter and tapered. Long spindles work better for me than short ones. I have a wild rose stem about three feet long that I have been using for years. It has a square hole in the base so I can use replaceable tips. The tips are generally a little harder than the hearth board (elderberry, mule fat, mare‘s tail). For me small differences in density of the materials mean the difference between success and failure. Persons who are heavier, more muscular and have bigger hands are successful with materials that I can’t even get smoke from.
3. Proper ergonomics
I am left handed so I kneel on my left knee and step on the board with my right foot fairly close to the hole/notch. Avoid having your hands far from your shoulders. Keep your hands pretty close to your shoulders so you can get better leverage. Get up off your rear end and push down HARD on the spindle as you spin it. Work from the shoulders rather than from the elbows. Don’t forget to breathe. Just like every other athletic endeavor, all the muscles that you aren’t using should be relaxed .
4.
Technique
Use both arms with equal vigor. I see novices working like heck with one hand and the other hand is barely moving. If the tip of the spindle doesn’t flop back and forth then you are using both arms. Put a little spit on your palms to increase the friction. You must move from low on the spindle to back up to the top as quickly as possible.
5.
Building up the appropriate muscles
The first time I had success I cheated and stuck the hearthboard in the oven at 300 degrees before doing it. Another trick is “training wheels”, a pair of thumb loops tied to the top of the spindle. They will allow you to twirl continuously without having to move from the bottom to the top of the spindle.
And there’s always the Tom Sawyer method. Get someone else to do the work. The Paleoplanet web site has a pretty good forum on, among other topic, friction fire. Ask them too.
Dick Baugh
Dino;
I have been charged with making kalua pig in an imu for a family
reunion on the Mainland (central Wisconsin) this summer. I've
been involved in several 'backyard luau' imus when we lived in
Hawaii, always as a 'laborer' but never been the head luna [foreman] before.
I have never have been involved with one on the Mainland where
there is a need to substitute for some of the core materials.
Although I paid attention whenever I helped with an imu. I'm a
bit apprehensive about taking on full responsibilities myself,
however I do feel that I can do it. Your very detailed info on
the PrimitiveWays website (http://www.primitiveways.com/Imu1.html
) was an excellent find, and has given me more confidence. Thanks!
May I ask your advice on a Mainland imu?
Not sure if I can come up with lava rock in Wisconsin. What can I substitute for the lava rocks? I believe that any smooth river rock would work. Suggestions?
Banana stump & leaves. I have heard that corn stalks can
be substituted for the banana stump. If corn husks and leaves can
be substituted for the ti and banana leaves, I have access to
TONS of those in Wisconsin. What do you think? If not, do you
know of anyplace to get mail order banana stump and/or ti leaves?
Aloha,
Mike Warriner
Aloha Mike;
The ideal stones to use for imu cooking are igneous rocks. Stones
that are formed by the solidification of molten magma. I use vesicular
basalt rocks that I have found in Northeastern California. The
basalt stones retain a good amount of heat after they have been
fired. I don't know what type of river rocks you have in your
area, but I would not recommend sedimentary rocks. These stones
will break and may explode when heated. Sedimentary rocks do not
retain as much heat as igneous stones. Here is a test to see if
you have a type of sedimentary rock, like sandstone. Take a hammer
and whack the river rock. If it breaks easily, it might be sandstone.
If it is still in tact, then it MIGHT be useable for your imu.
Try testing a few stones by heating it up in a small fire. Blaze
the stones to see if it does not break or explode. Another alternative
to acquiring stones for imu cooking is to purchase them at landscaping
businesses that sell basalt rocks. Some contruction material stores
may also carry basalt stones.
You can substutite corn stalks, husks and leaves for the banana stump/leaves and ti leaves. Any plant material that will provide moisture, is not toxic and will not impart an unpleasant taste to your food will work. I have also gotten bags of lettuce scraps from the grocery store. Just talk to your local grocer and have them save up the lettuce scraps for your imu.
Good luck on your imu cooking.
Regards,
Dino Labiste
Aloha no, Dino!
I just wanted to touch bases with you to say 'tanks, eh' for your advice regarding my Mainland imu last summer. I was able to find plenty of good 'river rock' locally, and I took your advice and did a test fire to test our rocks the day before lighting the starting imu fire to weed out any bad rocks.
Substituting corn stalks for banana stumps and corn leaves for ti and banana leaves worked absolutely perfect. We used seasoned oak, which along with corn is abundant in Wisconsin, to heat things up and got an absolutely perfect result!
For some reason my plastic covering did not get as tight as I expected. Though there was plenty of heat and steam in the imu, it didn't balloon up and hold as taunt as I have seen it do in other imus that I helped out with. I had a great seal and the clay soil seemed perfect for holding in the pressure/steam. This caused me some concern overnight, as I wondered if my stones and coals were not hot enough, or I wondered if I was otherwise loosing heat somehow/somewhere. Though I am still puzzled as to why I didn't get that nice tight plastic cover, the 200 lb. pua'a [pig] come out absolutely perfect, and the rocks were still holding plenty of heat some 12 hours after we sealed up the imu.
We cooked another pig on a spit overnight, but the kalua pig was a huge hit, and was gone long before the spit roasted pig. Next reunion, I'm on the hook to do both pigs "Hawaiian Style", and I'm very much looking forward to it.
Thanks again for your excellent imu resource on PrimitiveWays, and for taking the time to answer my e-mail!
Alohas!
Mike
Hello,
I'm not sure if you have cooked a pig this way, but if you have I was wondering if the pig will cook just the same if it has been skinned?
Jon
Hi Jon;
> . . . . wondering if the pig will cook just the same if it has been skinned?
Yes.
Regards,
Dino Labiste
Wow!
Thanks for the quick reply. This is my first time trying anything like this. I live in Pa. I'm going to dig a hole and cook a 50 pound pig in it. Any tips or tricks? What should I use to season the pig if anything. What should I wrap it in since I don't have access to banana leaves? I really appreciate your response because I can't find someone who I can dialogue with that knows what they are doing.
Blessings,
Jon
Hello Jon;
Read my article again on Hawaiian Imu cooking. I tried to cover as much information as I could think of. If you have any specific quesions, e-mail me and I'll try to answer them.
> What should I use to season the pig, if anything?
You don't have to season the pig with anything, unless you want a certain flavor or sauce on the pig. My suggestion is to cook the pig without any seasoning. You can always add seasoning, like salt and /or pepper, after the pig is cooked.
> What should I wrap it in since I don't have access to banana leaves?
Keep in mind, the wrapping is to keep the meat clean of any dirt that might fall into the pit when uncovering the imu. Also, the wrapping allows you to take out the pig from the imu after it is cooked. You can cut up the pig and place it in clean burlap bags. Or you can surround the pig with clean burlap bags that have been opened up to create sheets of burlap. Cover the pig with the sheets of burlap and use cordage or a strong string to tie everything together. Improvise, while keeping the 2 reasons for wrappng the pig in mind.
Regards,
Dino Labiste
Hi,
I am new to these primitive ways, but I have learned to make cordage from your excellent videos on PrimitiveWays.com. In one of your videos, you show a bag that was made from cordage. Where could I learn to make one of these or other bags from cordage?
I. McCarthy
The bag you are referring to is called a looped string bag. You can try a Google search for more information on how to make the bag. This style of bag was used by indigenous cultures throughout the world in some form or another. The other bag is called a carrying net. This type of bag was used by California Natives. I also teach workshops in primitive skills. Access the webpage below for this year's workshops. Check the webpage again in February of 2008 for more workshops. The majority of the workshops are held in Fremont, California.
http://www.primitiveways.com/kahiko_schedule.html
Regards,
Dino Labiste
Hello,
My name is Michael and I'm 9-years-old. I'm doing a project on Indians. I need to make a deer hoof rattle. Do you have any suggestions on what to use besides deer hoofs.
Thank you,
Michael
Michael;
One possible substitute would be metal cones, which you can buy from www.tandyleatherfactory.com (10 for $2). You can also make your own by using the metal tops and bottoms of cans (soup can size) that you take off with a can opener. Next, use a hammer and nail to punch a hole in the center of each. Then, using metal cutters (tin snips), make a cut to the center hole of each piece, then bend it into a cone and stick a sting through the nail hole Tie a big knot in the end or tie it around a bead. This kind of thing was used by many Indians during more modern times.
Good Luck,
Norm Kidder
Hi,
I'm an anthropology student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I'm currently researching bone tool production in the Belize River Valley. For part of my project, I am doing some experimental archaeology, and I am attempting to recreate some of the bone tools we have found. Any advice on bone tool production is welcome, but I'm more specifically looking for information on how to clean bone that has been freshly butchered, and how to carve/shape using stone tools.
Thanks for your help,
Lizzy
Lizzy, you're the second student from UW to ask this question, so I'll copy you what I just sent off with a few additions.
In General, I prefer working with fresh bone when I can, but it needs to be free of rotting flesh. There are a few ways of cleaning it. What I do most often is to scrape off as much as possible, then let it dry (protected from scavengers) until the remaining dry flesh will scrape off. If I'm in a hurry, I boil the bones until the fleshy stuff separates. The only problem with boiling is that it removes the fat from the bone, which can leave it more brittle. If you want to remove the fatty residue from the bone, some folks also use bleach. If it has been boiled or bleached, it is good to oil up the finished product. My favorite is Walnut oil because it doesn't go rancid. Fresh dried bone is relatively easy to work with stone tools, and can even be knapped to some extent, speeding up the shaping process. Old weathered bones can be too brittle to break predictably, but are softer and abrade more easily.
To work the bone, I first use a burin to create a groove as deep as I can. If cutting across the bone, I may use a large stone with a good edge, held between my feet or buried in the ground and move the bone back and forth across it. Then I place the bone over a stone anvil and use an antler wedge and hammerstone to carefully crack the bone along the groove. Finally, I abrade the bone on a course rock, usually sandstone (cement works well too), until it is done, then polish it with a very fine grit held by soft leather, or a finer grained stone or use Equisetum (Scouring Rush) as sandpaper.
Hope this helps,
Norm Kidder
Hi,
Thanks so much for the information - you did get two emails from us in Wisconsin. I do zooarch on Maya sites (I'm a grad student) and have been helping Lizzie look at worked bone in the collection. The 1,300 year old site doesn't have very good preservation and we don't have many tools (mostly needles, awl-type implements, and some flute and decorative items). So this is the our first time really going through these pieces and how they were made.
Lizzie started to process the bone as you suggested and your advice was very helpful.
Thanks a lot,
Carolyn Freiwald
Department of Anthropology
University of Wisconsin - Madison
I have a question. I am brain tanning a deer hide. I have scraped it and will be soaking tonight. I'll apply the brain solution. I
will set that overnight, then smoke it tomorrow morning. How long should I smoke the hide?
Tom
Hello Tom;
I'm afraid there is no exact answer. There are a lot of variables that are specific to each deer hide you smoke. Such as: how thick the hide is, what fuel you are using, what color you want the hide to be, are you smoking both sides, and what method you are using. The smoking is done when the smoke has completely penetrated the hide and it is the color you want it to be. Make sure the hide is completely dry and pliable before you begin smoking, unless you are doing the presmoke method. There are whole chapters written about this subject, I suggest Matt Richards book, "Deerskins into Buckskins", "How to Tan With Natural Materials", "A Field Guide for Hunters and Gatherers and Buckskin", "The Ancient Art of Braintanning Buckskin", and "The Ancient Art of Braintanning" by Steven Edholm and Tamara Wilder.
Good luck,
Bill
Hello Norm,
I am looking for information regarding an artifact that has been passed to me from my mother. She was born in Prince Rupert, BC and had this item since she was a kid. The only thing she told me about it was that it was called a 'zonk' and it was native indian. Now, I have done internet searches like crazy on cooking / boiling stones of lava, pumice, basalt and other tools for not only West Coast Native Peoples but also around the globe and have come up with nothing that even looks remotely like it. ACK! Help!
I have enclosed pictures. Its 2.5 lbs, 5.75" in diameter, and 2" tall. It doesn't smell of anything in particular. And although the pictures appear like it is medium grey in color, it is actually more a slate black. It would be great to hear from you.
Regards,
Anne-Marie Jensen
Anne-Marie, thanks for the interesting question. On looking at the pictures, my thoughts were:
1. Cooking stone - there are some with holes, and many are vesicular basalt (the type of rock your artifact appears to be. The ones with holes are most often made of soap stone however, and the pictures of Northwest Coast cooking stones doesn't match, as you discovered.
2. Net sinker - many Northwest nets are held down with stones, including some with holes, however, all the pictures I could find show stones with rounder profiles, and holes off center.
3. Game piece / stone hoop. While checking on this possibility, I found a drawing that matches yours, with the following information: "Perforated lava disk, 5 inches in diameter and 1 3/8 inches thick. Collected in March, 1901, by Dr. C.F. Newcombe, who describes it, under the name of laua'iu, as used in a game: The Kwakuitl say that these stone disks are no longer used. According to Mr. George Hunt (the main Kwakiutl informant), they were originally rolled in sets of four of different sizes and were shot at with bows and arrows.
Dr. Franz Boas, in his Kwakiutl Texts, describes a game played with these stones between the birds of the upper world and the myth people, i.e. all the animals and all the birds. The four stones were called, respectively, the `mist-covered gambling stone,' the `rainbow gambling stone,' the `cloud-covered gambling stone,' and the `carrier of teh world.' The woodpecker and the other myth birds played on one side, and the Thunder bird and the birds of the upper world on the other, in two rows, thus. The gambling stones were thrown along the middle beetween the two tribes of birds, and they speared them with their beaks. The Thunder bird and the birds of the upper world were beaten in this contest. This myth is given as an explanation of the reason for playing the game with the gambling stones. They are called laelae."
This is from page 521 of Stewart Culin, Games of the North American Indians, Dover Press, 1975, based on publications dated to 1902-1903 at the Smithsonian. You said your mother is from Prince Rupert, which is in the territory of the Tsimshian tribe, which borders the Kwakiutl on the south. I can send you a copy of the page, with the drawing, which I'm sure you will agree is a match for your stone ring. I think it's also a much cooler explanation than a cooking rock! As to the term - zonk, this could be a non-Indian term, a Tsimshiam term or a translation of the Kwakiutl name for one of the specific stones. In any case, you have an object with some interesting history and cultural value, take good care of it.
Hope this answers your question.
Thanks again,
Norm
I was curious if you can harvest hazel and willow during the “second spring” like late summer months when the roses start blooming. I have heard of this before, but haven’t tried it. Do you have any suggestions of websites or books to do further research?
Julie Chouquette
Coquille Indian Tribe
Administration Assistant/Records Management Assistant
Hi Julie:
Thanks for the question regarding willow and hazel harvesting. I'm sure it can be done in late summer, but bark removal becomes more of an issue that time of year. I'm going to refer your question to my colleagues who are more knowledgeable regarding basketry materials. Also, you might try getting in touch with a fellow Oregonian by the name of Margaret Mathewson, who is really quite an expert on basketry materials, harvesting practices, etc. I'm sorry that I've forgotten where in Oregon she resides but I believe my fellow basketry fans can provide that information as well.
Thanks again, and best of luck.
Ken Peek
Dear Julie,
I am not an expert, nor am I Native American, so what I can offer you is limited.
My understanding is that hazel is usually gathered in the spring, during a narrow window of time when the sap is running and it can be stripped of bark in one motion. As it continues to mature two things happen. The little bends at each leaf bud become more pronounced, so the stick isn't really straight any more. It also can no longer be stripped easily. I know of a "second spring" for redbud, but this would be for redbud intended as a stripped white element, not a red one. As for willow, the wood tends to get soft as it grows in the summer, so I would think it might not be optimal to gather in the summer, even if you can strip it during a " second spring". If you are a traditional weaver, following the advice of elders or relearning an old art form, you may not want to deviate from your cultural norm. If you are trying to recover lost information, experiment a little. Plants are good teachers if you pay attention. If you care to share information, I would be interested in what you learn.
As Ken suggested, Margaret Mathewson is a good contact. She is very knowledgeable. Try this website: www.ancientartscenter.com
Susan (formerly Witmore) Labiste
Hi,
I stumbled on your website detailing the making of a dugout canoe and would like to add some pertinent information. I spent some ten years on an Indian Reservation in Central America. The population of around 50,000 lives mostly on several dozen small islands in an archipelago of over three hundred. Given the above, it is not surprising that the dugout canoe is the basis of all travel and communication between population centers. Nowadays, the outboard motor is used extensively, but sail is still common. The smaller boats are only paddled.
The canoes themselves range from maybe ten feet in length to over thirty, although the larger sizes are becoming rarer due to lack of large trees. The vessels are beautifully constructed and the better ones have quite thin shells. The technique used to achieve the thin shell without fatally penetrating the hull is simple and ingenious. The outside of the canoe is fully formed first, then the hollowing-out process undertaken. Adzes in various forms being the tool of choice. When the hollow is large enough that the risk of penetrating the hull with an over-enthusiastic adze stroke becomes a problem, a series of holes are bored in the hull. The holes are bored with a hand auger and are drilled completely through the hull. About an inch is the usual diameter, but most anything will serve. With the holes, the adze-man can finely judge just how much material to remove without fear of penetration. After the canoe is completed, dowels are hammered into the holes and cut off flush, rendering all watertight. An ongoing problem with all hollowed log vessels is eventual splitting at bow and stern. Most working canoes I have seen (Caribbean, Central America, and Pacific) have somewhat thickened and usually raised ends for this reason. The Carib canoe or "Gommier" in the West Indies has a distinctive underwater projection at bow and stern to help prevent splitting. It looks like an ancient Mediterranean war galley's bow. The so-called "Ram". The natives use pieces of white polystyrene which nowadays floats around all oceans. The polystyrene is dipped in gasoline, making an instant fast-setting caulk, which is applied to the crack, then a piece of any scrap tin-can nailed over to make a shingle. Quite ingenious!
Hope this is of interest.
Robin Pringle
Hi, I'm a friend of Hank Koerper. He brought me the flute he bought from you to see if I could play it. Can't get much from it. Wondered if you have instructions that would help?
Sherri Gust
Sheri;
First of all - good luck. Only about one person in seven to ten in a class gets a sound with me there helping them. Having played the modern flute may even be a disadvantage, as you need to unlearn your mouth position. The simple and ancient elderberry flute that you are trying to master can be played in a couple of ways, but the main one is to blow a very gentle stream of air against the far edge of the flute, holding it at about a 45% angle (I was told 42%) and slightly downward. What I tell students is to breath out rather that blowing, with your mouth in a whistle position only looser. Think of bending a candle flame instead of blowing it out. To place the flute, I have them hold their left index finger in the center of their mouth, and place the edge of the flute against it, then remove the finger. Cover the top two or three holes on the flute and move the flute back and forth, and in and out, while looking in a mirror. It took me about 20 minutes to get a sound, and about an hour before I could hold it. I think most people fail from trying too hard, so relax as much as possible while trying. If you do get it to sound consistantly, the final step is to hit the upper octive. This is done with a tighter, more intense burst of air. Again, good luck. A final note, if you can find someone who plays the flute (Hank's friend, Paul Campbell, knows someone), study what their lips look like and reproduce this in the mirror.
Again, good luck,
Norm Kidder
Dino;
I'm attempting to knap a flint knife and have questions on the hafting of it. Would you happen to have details on how this would be done? In particular, I want to know the pattern of the stone inside the handles. I haven't seen much on this part of it.
Thanks,
Jim Kenyon
Hello Jim;
The primitive method of hafting a stone blade to a wooden handle is to use pine pitch, charcoal, deer dung, sinew, wood, hide glue and a flaked stone like chert or flint. Here is a condensed version of how to do it.
1. Use the flaked chert (or flint) spall and create a serrated edge. Use this tool like a saw and make a notched slot in the end of your wooden handle.
2. Slide your stone blade into the notch to check the fit. Create a notch large enough to accommodate the blade.
3. Melt the pine pitch, powder the charcoal and mix the melted pine pitch, powdered charcoal and deer dung together. You can substitute finely chopped up grass for the deer dung.
4. Add the pitch solution to your notch in the wood and slide your stone blade into the notch.
5. Wipe off any excess pitch solution and smooth out the pitch solution around the stone blade and the wood.
6. Soften your sinew with water (or saliva) and lightly coat your sinew with hide glude. Wrap the hafted area with sinew.
7. Let it all dry and you have a hafted stone blade.
OR you can go with electrical drills and saws to create your notch. Epoxy the blade and wrap it with cordage.
The shape of the stone blade that fits into the hafted area of the wood should be thick enough to keep the stone tool from snapping in half when using the tool for rigorous cutting or sawing. This is important especially for an obsidian blade. The "tang" area on my stone blades are shaped like one side of a rectangle. It has corners. The end tapers slightly, but it has enough thickness to give it strength. It should also not be too thick. You do not want to create a large notch in your wooden handle and compromise the sides of the notched area on the wood.
Good luck on your project. Let me know how your project turns out.
Regards,
Dino Labiste
Hi Norm Kidder;
On reading your article [Bare-Handed Basket], I was wondering how you managed to harvest without damaging the tree? I look forward to hearing from you.
Anthea Naylor
Anthea, harvesting by hand takes a little practice, and a quick snapping motion to minimize damage to the plant. The willows I harvest from are in the winter flood zone, and take a much worse battering from the creek in flood. Local Native people also cultivated willow by cutting it back after harvest (copicing) or by burning, so harvest damage wouldn't have been a consideration. The bare-handed harvest method somewhat limits the selection, but doesn't add significantly to the time involved. As much as anything, I enjoy the feeling of direct connection to the process, whithout the need for tools. I use both methods of harvest depending on local conditions at the time. Also, the larger shoots that come up from the root system directly have to be cut. I've done it with a stone tool to see how that works, but normally use clippers.
Norm
What do you use to sharpen the knife in your article on how to make knives?
Max M.
I start with a very coarse carborundum
stone, the type used for sharpening garden equipment. Then I
go from medium coarse to medium to medium fine to fine, all lubricated
with water, not oil. Then I use a Japanese water stone dry.
The last step is to burnish the edge with a piece of very smooth
glass rod.
Dick
Hi Dick;
I've been dabbling around with making knives for a while and I've
made some nice knives, but they ain't worth a dam because I didn't
heat treat them. They just look good. I read your article on heat
treating and was wondering if this technique applies to larger
blades? I like making bowie type blades. Can I use a barbeque
to heat the steel? Your knifes are very nice looking.
Thanks,
Chuck Cottrell
Hi Chuck;
If you are using carbon steel you can heat treat a large blade
in a barbecue. The first thing I would do is test a small scrap
of the steel to see if it really is hardenable. If it doesn't
have sufficient carbon content it will never harden and if it
is a fancy alloy you may not have a hot enough fire to properly
harden it. If you are successful with the test piece then go ahead
and do your big blade. Don't be stingy with the charcoal. You
will have to heat the entire piece. I would also recommend buying
"Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife shop". This is an excellent
little book.
Best of success,
Dick
Sir;
In your 2-stick hearth board article for fire making, where does
the powder go when it's abraded? Does the powder fall between
the sticks? Is there a space between the 2 sticks and and does
the powder collect into a tinder below?
I would appreciate the clarification .
Thanks,
Ignacio Ciccolini
Hello Ignacio;
The intention is to drill a primary hole and then drill the next
hole close enough to the primary hole so that the char falls into
the primary hole.
I hope this clarifies the situation.
Dick Baugh
Hi Norm;
I'm working on a replica arrow for hands-on interpretive use at
Calaveras Big Trees State Park and would like to be as accurate
as possible with regards to the replica. However, I'm running
into difficluties finding clear photos of arrows made by the Miwok
of this area. According to Barrett and Gifford, the Yosemite Miwok
(Awhaneechi?) made 4 feather fletched arrows. However, I have
not found this to be common and have no photos depicting 4 feather
fletching. Have you seen this before? Could it be a preference
of a particular arrow maker? It seems to me as though a four feather
fletch style arrow would be noiser as it was shot across the bow.
Were the feathers glued down with pine pitch glue or animal glue, or left unglued? If they were left unglued, was the laminae sinewed down and then bent back over onto itself to hold the feather tight (near the nock end)? What shape/ depth were the nocks?
Any assistance would be appreciated. According to one of our archaelogists, arrows from the Bay Area would have been similar to arrows in our area. If nothing else, perhaps your experience with the Ohlone would be of assistance.
Thank you,
D. T. Cooke
California State Park Ranger
Darren, the data I have for the Bay Area is very basic - elderberry mainshaft, 'greasewood' (chamise?) foreshaft, and red-tailed hawk tail feathers. There are some drawings from the Mission era, and that's about it.
I haven't heard of four feather fletching, but who knows. "Volume 8 (Smithsonian - Handbook of Indians of North America)" refers to three feather fletching attached with asphalt, but no details. I'm forwarding this to friends to see if any of them know. The primary source of info for the Sierra Miwok has been Craig Bates, who was the curator at the Yosemite Museum and wrote a monograph on the Sierra Miwok bow. It has a few pictures of Sierra Miwok and Bay Area bows and arrows. All I can tell is that they are composite, with three feather fletching. The Bay Area ones are in a quiver, and appear to be rather long - projecting out both ends of a fox skin.
. . . . The arrows from other parts of the state show wide variation in length and materials, so you can figure that whatever you come up with may be valid for some. The fletching all appears to be be simple sinew wrapping on both ends of the feather piece, with no fold back, but this is based on a small sample size. Check also Paul Campbell's book, "Survival Skills of Native California" (Gibbs Smith Pub.)
Good luck,
Norm
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