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Hi Wado, Staffs and canes are some of my favourite projects, and I like the elegance of the gentle sweep to the handle section of this one. I’m curious about the “Cherokee design”. Do you have any background info on it please?

-- John, British Columbia, Canada

Elegant pattern…

-- Dreaming patterns

John:

Wado means thank you in Tsalagi (Cherokee).
The pattern was taught to me by my grandfather. He live among the Eastern Band Cherokee in North Carolina in the earthy years of the Twentieth Century. He married my grandmother who was part Cherokee, Paint Klan.

This pattern appears in various native crafts including pottery and baskets. The stars are usually crosses, without the extra slashes. The burning technique is a dot-and-line style. First, the pattern is laid out by measuring with fingers and knuckles, then burning a series of dots with a pointed tool. Lines are then burnt using a flat tool to connect the dots. I use a professional woodburning tool (made in Canada, eh). Grandpa used long nails that were hammered to the desired shape and heated them in a fire.

The brass pins were my idea.

Here’s a picture of a traditional Cherokee skull-cracker made from a dogwood root. The burn pattern is slightly different but it represents the dot-and-line technique.

-- 温故知新

a great stick – and thanks for the back ground on the pattern- keep them coming.

-- Everyday above ground is a good day.

great job BUD … enjoyed it

-- keeping myself entertained

Hi, and thank you for the Tsalagi lesson. The background on the design is also very interesting, and thanks for taking the time to explain both the history and the traditional methods. The additional photo shows another well made piece. I enjoy hearing about how hand crafts were done before power tools came along. Excellent, keep at it.

-- John, British Columbia, Canada

Very nice canes indeed. What is the function of Potasium Dichromate in the weathering process? What exatly you mean by root head? The hanging loop is so cute.

Sharad

-- “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they have never tried a new thing in their life”.-Albert Einstein

The Potassium Dichromate (aka Bichromate) is a powerful oxidizing agent the reacts with natural chemicals in the wood. The Boxelder (aka Ashleaf Maple) is very white until I treat it with the Dichromate. It darkens the wood and brings out the natural and random colors that would occur with weathering.

The root head is the root of the plant. I dig up the saplings and use the root end for the handles.

-- 温故知新

Thank you so much for your answers.

Sharad

-- “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they have never tried a new thing in their life”.-Albert Einstein