The Native Iowan

Ive been working on a few new sticks. Spending time “whittling” is good for me. I quietly think through the happenings of the day, inventory my mental stores, set new targets, rehash ongoing dramas.

And, as an old fart with a very large tribe, there are many, many ongoing dramas to rehash every day.

My “thing” with this work is to create useful (very useful) tools out of waste wood.

The Acacia is a tree that went down a couple years ago here on the farm. I have a couple life times of Acacia pieces hanging, drying in a shed.

The hard wood comes from old fence posts, old split rails, massive pieces of almost petrified hard wood buried in the mud, exposed by the floods. I harvest (scavenge) the old stuff. Store it. Sweat my heart out to cut and size this stuff.

I like hand tools… spoke shave planes, rasps, checkering tools, chisels and various cutting tools all slowly whittle my sticks into shape.

The wood is so, so hard, dense. Almost iron like. My blades and bits do not last long on this stuff…

I have a couple big trees buried in the swamp I need to dig out. The place is drying out and I have a few really good prospects I want to get to work on…

The two sticks I’m working on dont have a home yet.

Been a while since I just made a stick. Normally I am behind schedule on getting sticks to old friends in need. I name all my sticks, normally aligning the name with the person. Thus far there has been Thug, Copper Head, Barb, Granny Glide, Peregrination, Little Bird, Le Doktor, and more.

All my sticks come tailor made for the person I am working for. Size, shape, weight can all be managed through design and material use.

All my sticks are weapons. I normally make either a knobkerrie (shileleh) style, or a standard T-handle style. I like using bone, brass and antler.

All my sticks are interesting composite creations that will last a couple life times…

The finish product is always, in my mind, a work of art…

And the beat goes on…

Wood not War…

Smiles