T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E C O N T E M P O R A R Y L O N G R I F L E A S S O C I A T I O N VOLUME 3, NO. 2
JULY 2012
T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E C O N T E M P O R A R Y L O N G R I F L E A S S O C I A T I O N
CONTENTS
Volume 3, No. 2 • July 2012 EDITOR Mel Hankla
2. EDITOR’S NOTE
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Art DeCamp Frank House William Russell Young
4. PORCUPINE QUILLWORK: A UNIQUELY NORTH AMERICAN ART FORM Mark Sage
ART DIRECTOR H. David Wright
22. LONGRIFLES IN THE FAR WEST Steve Garbe
PRODUCTION MANAGER William Scurlock
38. A KNIFE LIKE BOWIE’S T.C. Albert and Joseph Musso
COPY EDITOR Sharon Cunningham PHOTOGRAPHERS Ric Lambert Jan Riser
54. THE CONTEMPORARY LONGRIFLE ASSOCIATION 2012 FUND RAISING AUCTION H. David Wright
ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Rachel Nolen
63. Book Reviews
RESEARCH DEPARTMENT Henry Bishop James Blake Dan Brawner Kyle Carroll
64. SOURCES & RESOURCES Russell Young
AMERICAN TRADITION is the official publication of the Contemporary Longrifle Association and is published twice a year for the membership. Annual membership dues are $50.00. To join the CLA or for more information, contact: The Contemporary Longrifle Association, P.O. Box 2247, Staunton, VA 24402. Phone: 540 886-6189. Email: cla@longrifle.ws. Website: www.longrifle.com
Front Cover: Centering the page and creating a background is a Huron styled pouch by Lally House. It features both porcupine quillwork and moose hair embroidery colored with natural dyes. The knife sheath to the left, by James Blake, is decorated with a full length panel of loom woven quillwork, highlighted with quill embroidery and edged with white seed beads. The small pouch, bottom right is by Shawn Webster and is tastefully quilled with a floral motif, using the running line and zigzag techniques. To learn more about porcupine quillwork see the article by Mark Sage on page 4.
Copyright 2012 by the not-for-profit Contemporary Longrifle Association, all rights reserved. CONTACTING THE EDITOR: For editorial inquiries, contact Mel Hankla at <melhankla@amhiss.com>, phone 270566-3370. Mail written material to: Mel Hankla, PO Box 156, Jamestown, KY 42629 American Tradition
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Pennsylvania “Horns of the Trade” ~ Screw-tip Powder Horns and Their Architecture Reviewed by Henry I. Bishop
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Editor’s Note Ric Lambert
American Longrifle by Bill Shipman
pon picking up this issue you’ll realize that it’s a little thicker—sixty-four pages plus covers! The additional eight pages have been added to give you a preview of the 2012 Contemporary Longrifle Association Fund Raising Auction, which pays tribute to the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812. Auction Chairman T. C. Albert credits the thirtytwo talented CLA artists who have created very special works and then donated them to the auction; David Wright details this event and illustrates these items in his article beginning on page 54. The first article in this issue is a passionate commentary by Mark Sage on the art and history of porcupine quillwork. A seasoned writer, Mark has contributed articles to Muzzle Blasts, Muzzleloader, Journal of the Early Americas and American Tradition. Ric Lambert’s beautiful front cover photograph exhibits quillwork by three CLA artists and demonstrates the talent of our members with this unique art form. Another primary topic for our members is the many styles of knives and blades; T.C. Albert, author of Recreating the 18th Century Hunting Pouch, and Bowie aficionado, Joe Musso, have broached perhaps the most famous of these with, “A Knife Like Bowie’s?” Written in his clever down to earth style T.C. has heavily illustrated the article with both original and contemporary examples. From the beginning of this journal, one of our goals has been to present rare and seldom seen traditional items that provide inspiration for the artist and fascination to the collector. Author Steve Garbe, publisher of Black Powder Cartridge News writes “Longrifles in the Far West,” which features interesting firearms that were carried west. Many famous gunmaking names from the east are found on the rifles used in the westward movement of early America. To round out this issue, Russ Young’s popular column “Sources & Resources,” features “Blue Guns” found in the Williamsburg Armory in 1775, and Henry I. Bishop reviews the hot-off-the-press Pennsylvania “Horns of the Trade” ~ Screw-tip Powder Horns and their Architecture by Arthur J. DeCamp, published by the Kentucky Rifle Foundation. I have mentioned in each editorial that articles 2
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in American Tradition strive to feature firearms and accoutrements from all facets of the art of the CLA membership and from as many different artists as possible. We believe that articles about the art will promote numerous peoples’ work and more fairly serve our membership as a whole. The CLA is the heart of the arts of the Longrifle Culture. Our organization facilitates interaction between artists, collectors, shooters and builders; in short, all whose actions, interests, or ways of life are influenced in some respect by the American Long Rifle. Our continued goal is to educate, disseminate information, promote the association, its members and their art, historical arms and related crafts. The experience of being Editor of American Tradition: The Journal of the Contemporary Longrifle Association has provided intimate association with many talented artists, devoted students and astute writers from whom I have learned a great deal. When the commitment was made three years ago to develop this publication, our goal was to produce not only a stunning visual experience but an educational tool that would become a hallmark for the CLA and a valid credential for the Longrifle Culture. I hope you agree that it has been a success. I now present Volume 3, Issue Number 2. Enjoy!
Mel Hankla
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W. E . R A Y L I N C . Box 91 Gassaway, West Virginia 26624 • 304.364.8269
Rif les by A lla n Sa ndy (top) and Geor ge Suit er (left) Shotgun by Fred Michel and Fowler by Ken Net t ing Bar rels by Ed R ayl American Tradition
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PORCUPINE
Q uillwork
A uniquely North American art form
Mark Sage
enturies ago, in North America’s pre-European contact period, a Native American woman stared at a common porcupine and exclaimed, “Wow, I bet I can I make something really beautiful out of that!” I am speaking glibly here, because it boggles the mind how anyone could conjure up any concept of adornment from this prickly-spined, short-legged, reclusive herbivore. The porcupine’s main mission in life is to consume vegetation and to give any animal that dares to attack it a mouthful of painful memories. Yet the needlelike spines from this normally timid and retiring animal form the medium for an expressive, colorful, innovative and distinctively Native American form of decoration and art — Quillwork. The North American porcupine, a rodent, is second only in size to the beaver. Its name is derived from the Middle French phrase porc epic—or “spined pig.” Porcupines (there are around two dozen 4
species worldwide) are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia and Africa. All porcupines are covered with quills or spines that are nothing more than modified hairs, coated with thick plates of keratin, (a sulfur containing protein that makes up hair and horny tissue.) Our North American porcupine has thousands of quills on its body in a variety of sizes, shapes and lengths that the quillworker will diligently sort into useable groups, depending on the project. Exactly when did porcupine quillwork appear and how widespread was its usage? Quillworker Michael Galban comments: Quillwork was produced over a wide geographic area in North America from Alaska to Virginia, from New Mexico to Nova Scotia, including the Eastern Woodland areas and of course, the Great Lakes. When it comes to understanding quillwork, we have two sources— archeological discoveries and items
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collected during the time period they were made then preserved intact. These are in a number of different museums. For instance, in Canterbury and Oxford, England, there are specimens collected in the seventeenth century from the Hudson’s Bay area. William C. Orchard wrote: In the records of the early explorers of North America occasional though somewhat indefinite references are made to the decorative art of the aborigines. Among the materials used as a means of decoration, porcupine quills are frequently mentioned. Daniel W. Harmon, in his Journal of Voyages and Travels in the Interior of North America, wrote: The women manifest much ingenuity and taste in the work which they execute with porcupine quills. The color of these quills is various, beautiful and durable and the art of dyeing them is practiced only by the females.
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Porcupine quillwork is one of the oldest forms of Native American craft work
From the work bench of Lally House, this original birch-bark basket holds an array of natural-dyed porcupine quills and moose hair. Natural sinew and tufts of dyed deer hair for decorative dangling cones lay alongside. The turned horn needle case was made by Roland Cadle and Lally’s husband, Frank House, forged the iron quill flattener.
RIC LAMBERT
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In Manners and Customs of Several Indian Tribes, John D. Hunter mentions men’s headdresses as being: ...neatly ornamented with feathers, porcupine quills and horsehair stained of various colors, their waist cloths, leggings and moccasins, omitting the feathers, are decorated in the same manner as their caps. In addition, a pair of moccasins with quillwork was discovered at the Promontory Point site in Utah, dated to the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Most quillwork does not survive over time because of its fragile nature. One can see that quillwork as a form of art and decoration was widespread between those living within the natural range of our barbed-but-docile, four-footed friend. Porcupine quills can be twisted, folded, plaited, wrapped and sewn using a wide range of techniques to embellish articles of clothing, bags, knife sheaths, baskets, wooden handles and pipe stems. Using dyes extracted from various plants or other natural resources, Native American women infused color into their decorations creating wonderful hues of red, yellow, blue, brown, purple, green and even black. Francis Densmore conducted a study of Chippewa (Ojibway) Indians starting in 1905 that culminated in her book, Chippewa Customs. She wrote:
Pouch, Ottawa, Cross Village, Michigan, circa 1800. Height is 7 inches, and width is 6-7/8 inches. Blackened buckskin, porcupine quills and glass beads. Pouch, Huron, Lorette, Quebec, 1800-1830. Height is 7-3/8 inches and width is 8 inches. Blackened buckskin, moose hair and dyed deer hair.
…porcupine quills are dyed red, yellow and sometimes purple. They are said to be easier to color than any other substance and to retain their color longer. Quills were dyed a brilliant scarlet under the writer’s observation, leaving no doubt as to the process. A bright yellow was also obtained on quills with native dye, the work being done while the present study was in progress. Some prefer the term porcupine quill embroidery when we speak of this expression of decoration and art. Whatever terminology we employ, porcupine quillwork is to leather or other material to which it might be attached, what raised 6
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United States. Examining original pieces gives insights you will never get from books that will add a special dimension to the finished piece. Much of art is research. What we do is 90 percent research and 10 percent application.
carving, wire inlay and engraving are to an American longrifle. It is a decorative embellishment that adds color, beauty, mystery and artistry to a common working tool or accessory. Further, and perhaps even more important, quillwork is also a wonderfully creative expression of Native American culture and spirituality. James Blake, quillworker, elaborates:
There is also the procurement
and friend are recruited for this task. The animal has to be skinned and the hides dried. More conveniently, however, quills can be purchased from suppliers such as Crazy Crow Trading Post or ordered online. After the hide has been removed from the porcupine’s carcass, it can be stretched, dried and stored for future projects. If the kill is fresh, the prime quills (approximately 2 inches in length) can be pulled right away, soaked in hot soapy water to remove any grease and prepare the quills for dyeing. Finally the spines are rinsed, dried and stored away. If colored quills are to be used, they can be dyed using traditional methods and materials or with commercial dyes. These are easier to use and can create various colors. Some quillworkers use commercial dyes exclusively, others use natural dyes and some a combination of both. Lally House likes to use natural dyes and freely shares her research and methods:
Europeans and modern day people treat art as a separate component of their lives. But with Native Americans, if you look at their cultural and spiritual beliefs, art and whatever wooden or utilitarian objects they made were all incorporated into the circle of their lives, it was not a separate module or something added on. A quillwork project begins with important decisions. Mark Silver’s articles in recent editions of American Tradition identifies three schools of artistic expression; Documentary, Interpretive and New School. The contemporary quillworker’s art could fall under the same “school” Over the years I have definitions. The artist has carefully researched and to determine if the finished documented the dyes I use. piece is going to be an exact After the porcupine quills copy of an original artifact have been cleaned and (Documentary) or perhaps degreased, the dyeing process it is going to be a faithful will involve simmering (not representation of a style of boiling) the ingredients for quillwork made in a certain a specific color. I do not use geographic area during mordants (a color stabilizing COURTESY OF THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS a specific time period agent) the dye itself will Eastern Sioux, Minnesota, 1800–1825. Height is 10-1/3 inches including (Interpretive). Or, it could be Pouch, mordant the quills. The dyes pendants and width is 5 inches. Buckskin, mallard duck scalp, porcupine quills, something entirely new—a tin cones and dyed deer hair. I make are all in primary novel design, utilizing older colors then I blend them techniques (New School). to achieve the desired final process of the raw material for this Whatever school the finished color. For instance, I will overdye art form. In telephone interviews, a piece represents, there is no yellow with blue to get a green color, number of quillworkers stated that substitute for historic research. Blake or to get orange I will overdye red with they utilize different resources. It again comments: yellow. Out of the indigos, one can get seems that the most common source many variations of color, depending on for quills comes from animals killed I have handled a number of original how long you leave your quills in the on roads. Often, family members pieces of quillwork from all over the dye bath. The six basic ingredients I American Tradition
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like to use are; cochineal bugs, staghorn sumac, indigo, goldenseal, wild grapes and walnuts. Quillwork is often applied to various utilitarian items made from brain-tanned moose, buffalo and deer hide. Features include a great range of colors, patterns, interesting designs and images of powerful, mythic beings like thunderbirds, underwater panthers and great horned snakes. Quillwork also decorates birch bark containers, knife handles, ceremonial pipes, articles of clothing and more. The techniques used by
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Moccasins, Huron type, circa 1780. Front seam and ankle flaps are covered with loom-woven quillwork and edged with quills in zigzag band technique. Collected by Sir John Caldwell, a British officer who served in the 8th Regiment of Foot at Niagara and Detroit from 1774 to 1780.
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