 This is a reproduction of a Pā kahawai trolling lure I made form wood, bone abalone and coconut fiber. Pā kahawai are designed to attract and hook large surface-feeding fish, such as kahawai (sea trout: Arripis trutta). Adapted from Polynesian trolling lures, pā kahawai are composite lures typically constructed using a ground and shaped pāua (large New Zealand abalone with blue-green inner shell) shell lure set in a wooden shank with a bone barb fixed at the base and bound tightly with muka (flax fibre) cord.  
This is a traditional U-shaped Halibut fish hook used by Native Americans from Central California and North. It is made of steam-bent Yew wood, dogbane or spruce root cord and a bone spike. This style traditional hooks were used to catch fish from a few pounds up to 200lbs. If interested check out the calendar for the traditional fishing course where we will be making fish-spears, Yew hooks, handwoven fish nets, lures and fish-traps. (coming soon..)
 Primitive fish-spear made of a small oak branch, which is split in four quadrants. Dogbane cordage is woven and wrapped around base at terminus of splits to prevent further splitting. Bone barbs are secured with pitch-glue and lashed on with animal tendon. The spear-head is secured into a long spear shaft but will come loose in order to prevent damage if the fish struggles. Spear tied to shaft with a small line so you dont loose the fish. The entire piece is 4" long.   Greenstone axes or celts have been used in North America for more than 10,000 years, since the early Archaic period. Basalts, Ryolite and Greenstone were used because of their hardness. Numerous indigenous groups still living hunter/gatherer or agriculturalist lifestyles continue to use polished stone axes (or celts) in places like Papua New Guinea and the Amazon. Stones are first flaked into a very rough shape through direct percussion techniques. This process removes the bulk but is not incredibly effective due to the hardness of the stone. The bulk of the work lies in the hours spent 'pecking' or hitting the axe with another hard cobble to slowly remove bits of rock, one little piece of dust at a time. Once the axe takes shape through hammering, we grind the celt on a large flat piece of course sandstone. All-in-all this should take a few days to a week of constant work--this particular celt took 16 years, from start to finish....entirely due to procrastination. Glad to have it done and excited to start the next one.  |
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