September
19, 2009 This was the weekend of the second annual CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA KNAP-IN
and PRIMITIVE SKILLS RENDEZVOUS. It is held in Burlington, NC.
Joe, a knapper himself, was set up out there so I
decided to go find out what this knapping is all about..
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I missed
seeing this sign and drove right past it! How? A
quick u-turn and the arrow pointed the way off of McCray Rd. The
dirt road winded through a wooded area
and then eventually opened into a large
field. In fact a field large enough for airplanes to take off
and land.
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There
were tents and tables set
up in the middle
of the field with many interesting things on display. I found
Joe
standing next to a big pile of rhyolite he had personally collected.
But
first things first. What's this knapping
all about?
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Joe
demonstrates the process used in reducing a large block of rhyolite
into workable pieces.
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Here
Joe shows two workable pieces of some very high grade
rhyolite. Thie ideal piece has no cracks or seams running
through it. The piece on the left has been cut with a diamond
saw.
The darker piece on the right has been cleaved off of a larger block of
rhyolite.
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Using
a hammerstone they shape their working piece into the tool of choice,
usually an
arrow head or a spear head.
And then usually
using wood, bone, or antler they can
further refine the shape.
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This
is the final result.
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Besides
all the knapping going on there were also people making bows.
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Here
they are tilling the bow. This is
the process of balancing each side perfectly. If one
side is off they
will shave a little more off one side until it is in perfect balance.
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The
end result was a display of fine and elegant craftsmanship.
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A
gentleman fires an arrow at the red and white target in the center of
the bails of hay.
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The
tool this man is demonstrating is an atlatl.
This tool uses leverage to throw a spear or dart with greater
velocity and accuracy.
Look at all that kinetic energy stored in that
dart just after it is launched..
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Next
to Joe's tent was a fire pit
and what looked like clay pots sitting in the ashes. On the
table
next to it was this piece of pottery that had just been made.
It needs
to sit and dry for a few
days before it is fired. It was made using only clay
and
sand.
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Here
he demonstrates how he
applied the texture to the outside of the pot. With careful
strokes he smacks the side of the still soft clay creating the texture
you see in the previous photo.
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Next
he places the pots
near the fire to warm up. Too abrupt of a
temperature
change
can cause them to break or shatter. After they have been
evenly
warmed up
he covers them with small pieces of wood to begin the
firing process. He
said that the temperature needs only to be brought up to
around 500
degrees F.
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Here
they are after firing.
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Rose
nodded with approval.
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Montana
demonstrated one of the hand made flute/walking sticks available for
sale.
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Bone
and antler knives were on display here at the tent next to Joe's.
The blades were made using various material from
stone to steel.
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Here's
a plug for Mike McGuire's finely crafted tools.
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I
had a great time learning about all the
primitive tools, how to use them, and even how they were made.
If you are
interested in coming next year, keep an eye on this forum page:
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?board=8.0
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