MUNArch Pressure Flaking Wrap-up

We held the last of the MUNArch Flintknapping workshops this past Tuesday and Thursday.  I had a great time meeting everyone and they all did an excellent job in both the percussion workshops in February and the pressure flaking workshops this week.  We had 12 participants on Tuesday and another six on Thursday.  The MUNArch executive did a fantastic job of putting these workshops together and I really appreciate all their effort.

Hopefully, the flintknapping workshop will become an annual event in the MUNArch calendar.  No matter what your focus in archaeology, I think understanding and being able to explain to people how stone tools were made is a valuable skill for archaeology students to pick up.

Here's a sample of some of the points produced in the pressure flaking workshops. Well done, everyone!

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Stone, Culture, and Science in the Classroom

Two of the student's reproductions

During this time of year I do a lot of work with school kids, primarily through the Open Minds program at The Rooms art gallery, museum, and archive here in St. John's.  Sometimes these are talks about archaeology and the pre-contact cultures of Newfoundland and Labrador structured around a flintknapping demonstration.  Lately, I've been doing ground stone tool making with grade 5 students.  We've been making ground slate ulus and men's knives based on Inuit artifacts from Labrador.

One for each student

In one of these workshops, I bring in prepared slate blanks, wood handles and all the grinding, drilling, and tying tools that the kids will need to complete the project.  With a class of around 25 kids and a half dozen adult helpers, we can help each student create their own slate ulu or men's knife in about 2 hours.  Its a satisfying project for everyone involved and the kids learn about Inuit people, archaeology, patience, and perseverance as they work to create their own stone tool artifact reproduction.

Parents and teachers help with the drill

An important part of the process is using traditional tools, like the bow drill, to create their reproductions.  This works especially well in the Open Minds setting at The Rooms because the classroom is set up next door to the Connections Gallery where many of the original artifacts are displayed.  During lunch or recess, the students have the opportunity to visit the Connections Gallery and see first hand the tools that they are using and recreating in the classroom.

A finished ulu - great work!

Yesterday, during the review at the end of the session, the instructor asked the grade fives what words they would use to describe Inuit people after their experience with making and using the traditional tools and the kids replied with; "Hard-working, Strong, Independent, and Patient".

"Hard-working, Strong, Independent, and Patient" 

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Getting back into the workshop

Working with my hands again

So, Elfshot was waiting for me as soon as I got off the plane in St. John's last week.  I've been travelling a lot for the past couple of weeks and made a lot of promises to people that came due as soon as I got back.  I finished a final draft of the monster report I've been working on most of the winter and sent it up the line for comments late last week, so now Elfshot has become my priority.

Stone drills over copper pressure flakers

I have a trio of ground slate ulu making workshops with grade 5 students enrolled in the Open Minds program at The Rooms this month.  The first session was last Friday and I have another one tomorrow and then again in two weeks.  These are a lot of fun, but a lot of work.  I've added a few new drills with knapped bits to the roster.  They're not as authentic as the ground nephrite drills for making ulus, but their big advantage is that I can resharpen them during the session much easier than regrinding the nephrite bits sharp.

The first of many points to come

I also have a pair of pressure flaking workshops to prepare for this week.  Over the weekend I made a couple dozen brand new pressure flakers for the participants to use.  I need to make a couple arrows and knap a few assorted points for necklaces and other projects before Friday.  Its good to be busy, and I'm glad to have a few small projects on hand that I can finish up quickly and cross off the list.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

MUNArch Flintknapping - Pressure Flaking

Chipping a stone tool

MUNArch, Memorial University's student archaeology society, has organized a pair of flintknapping workshops for next week.  Each of the two identical sessions cover pressure flaking, and there is a maximum of 15 participants per night.  Pressure flaking is the final piece of the knapping puzzle and this is where you will get to knap and notch a finished arrowhead. This is the second pair of workshops and follows up on the percussion knapping that we all tried in February.  You can check out some photos from our percussion workshops here and here.

Pressure Flakers

Priority is given to MUN archaeology students and MUNArch members, but there may be additional spaces available for members of the public.  If you are 16 years of age or older, you can contact MUNArch at munarch@gmail.com to book a space.  Tools will be provided and you'll get to keep what you make.

 MUNArch Flintknapping Part II: Pressure Flaking

Queen's College, Memorial University, St. John's

 March 13 and 15, 2012 

5:30 - 7:30 PM (we'll probably hang out for an extra hour or so)

Contact MUNArch to register: munarch@gmail.com

Student price is $25.

Photo Credits:
1: Mike Burzynski
2: Tim Rast

Alberta Knapping Part 2

First point, first arrow - wow!

On the second day of knapping, there were 15 of us at the University of Calgary making arrows, hanging out and chatting.  We saw a few different fluting and indirect percussion techniques.  We made spokeshaves and used flakes to strip the bark from the willow shafts for the arrows.  There were also a few dowels and hardwood arrow shafts thrown into the mix.  A couple guys had their own hafting projects, including a scraper and knife pair hafted in rib handles and a big spear shaft for the Clovis point.  Thanks again to the Archaeological Society of Alberta for putting on a great weekend!

Straightening a willow arrow shaft over heat.

A lot of wood and stone working

Scraper and knife drying in rib handles.

Looking down the end of a drying arrow.

We used pitch and sinew for hafting the points.

Jackie's first point and first arrow - great work!

Jackie's obsidian arrowhead on a hardwood shaft.

I like the pattern in this willow arrow.

Mike made the shaft for Rick's Clovis spear point.  One of the coolest projects that I've seen come out of these workshops.

This is going to look great with a rawhide binding.  I'll try to get an update when the spear is done and ready to be raffled.

 Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Alberta Knapping Part 1

Knapping in Calgary

This knapping vacation is drawing to a close, but I've enjoyed every minute of it.  The Archaeological Society of Alberta really knows how to put on a good show.  The Medicine Hat club had a full turn out and lots of new faces at the demonstration and talk last Thursday, and we had the biggest, longest Calgary flintknapping workshop ever over the weekend.

Explaining a harpoon in Medicine Hat

In Medicine Hat, I demonstrated making a Dorset Palaeoeskimo stone knife for more than 40 people at the Police Point Park Nature Centre.  It was a great venue, and my host and the event organizer, Janice Andreas, did a fantastic job of pulling everything together.  There were lots of great questions and enthusiasm during the demonstration and some interesting chats with folks afterwards.  If you're interested in archaeology and live in southeastern Alberta, I certainly recommend becoming a member of the Archaeological Society in Medicine Hat.

Knapping demonstration at Police Point Park Nature Centre, Medicine Hat, Alberta

Jason explaining a technique

In Calgary, Jason Roe and I led a weekend knapping workshop at the University of Calgary.  The event was also sponsored by the Archaeological Society of Alberta and Mike Turney was handling all the registration and organizing on behalf of the Calgary centre.  I'm really envious of the level of enthusiasm and organization amongst the Archaeological Society of Alberta across the Province.

A full house. A very full house.

Allan's set points from Alberta

On Saturday, we had 27 knappers of all levels of experience working in one big group around the tarp.  I think everyone got a lot out of it. In the past the new and experienced knappers had worked in separate rooms and even though this is my 3rd year leading these workshops with Jason, this was our first opportunity to sit down and knap together.  On Saturday, everyone learned the basics of hard hammer and soft hammer percussion and pressure flaking.  We went through lots of rock and I think most everyone produced something by the end of the day.

The workshop gets bigger and better every year.

Rick working on his big Clovis

With such a big group, it was great having two instructors and lots of experienced knappers spread around the room.  There were some real talented and generous knappers in the room.   I made some new friends and got to see lots of old ones, and, of course, I learned a lot again.  I really appreciate the Society's invitation to take part again this year.  Later this week, I'll put up a few photos from Sunday's session, when we got into making arrows and hafting some of the points produced over the weekend.

Rick Rowell treated us to a big beautiful Clovis point that he made on an obsidian biface that Jason had begun.   I have a few more shots of this point to share next time.  Rick donated it to the Archaeological Society of Alberta and Mike Turney is hafting it.  The plan is to raffle the finished spear as a fundraiser for the society.

Photo Credits: 
1,4-9: Tim Rast
2,3: Janice Andreas

Looking for Arrowwood

Not exactly...

I'm in Alberta now and I took my dad out for a drive on Wednesday to see the country.  When I was a kid and he told me that, it usually meant we were going to the middle of nowhere to talk to some guy about a bull or a tractor he was thinking about buying.  In this case, my loosely hidden agenda was to cut some sticks that would work as arrow shafts for this weekend’s workshop. 

Had my eye on these bushes for a while

I get my ochre from a pit near a cove in Ochre Pit Cove in Newfoundland, so why not try looking for Arrow wood in Arrowwood, Alberta?  According to the town website, the town got its name from the arrowwood shrub (viburnum), which may or may not have grown locally.  Its a pretty little town, but not the trove of arrow shafts that I was hoping for.  I didn't see any growing wild and I didn't want to cut up people's hedges, so we kept moving.  Eventually we wound our way back to a little copse of willow shoots that I'd been eyeing for several years just outside the Bow River Valley.  

Lots of nice straight shoots, with a little deer trail running through the snow.

I think we have some good straight shafts to work with.  If not, I brought some dowels to use as back ups.  

The reddish shoots were a little too slender for arrow shafts, but the shoots that were a year or two older seemed pretty good.  If they were too old, the bark started to split and wounds appeared on the shoots.  I found a dozen or so shafts, that I think will work for us.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast