Certifiably Native -- CLA Show and Auction

THE AUCTION

The central theme of this year’s upcoming live auction held at the 14th Annual Contemporary Longrifle Show is “made by, used by”, or specifically made “for” Native Americans. With that in mind our contributing CLA members have crafted and donated an assortment of the finest contemporary Native American “trade” items available today. There will be quill work, leather work, decorated powder horns, firearms, trade silver, cutlery, finger woven bags, museum documented re-creations, researched copies, and inspired artist interpretations. All this and more will be found among the items up for bid, and it took the talent and generosity of many of the nation’s top artists to make this world class assemblage available to you.

Some of these items were made by the combined talents of several artisans working together, each making the part that they are best known for and capable of, while other items were made by dedicated individual artists who spent patient hours at their solitary work benches . Many of these artists will be well known to you already, and have a well earned international reputation, while some of this year’s artists are craftsmen on the rise, working hard and being inspired as word of their talent and accomplishment grows. Whether it’s made by a team, an individual, a veteran craftsman, or a talented and emerging artist, every item donated this year conveys the Contemporary Longrifle Association’s continuing standard of excellence and exemplifies this year’s theme of being “Certifiably Native”.

THE GUNS

As soon as they could, Native Americans established trade with the Europeans for the primary purpose of getting firearms, and club butt fowlers were among the first they were able to obtain. Such fowlers remained popular and were produced in one form or another well into the mid 18th century. Taking up the challenge to recreate one of these distinctive guns Todd Bitler has been inspired to craft one circa 1710. In his own words this gun is “like no other fowler”. This is Todd’s third gun, and he drew many of the design details from the unique club butt shown on page 32~33 of James B Whisker and David Hartzler's book “Early American Flintlocks” .Todd explains that his fowler “features a European walnut stock, all hand made parts and a reshaped lock, double set triggers, rifle style guard and a rear sight as did the original. All hardware is sheet brass including a pierced dragon side plate. Dutch style carving and engraving featuring tulips, stylized bird, and shell tang carving adorn the fowler as well.” Todd also states that his artistic goal is to “achieve the form, function, and thin light balance as well as the character and patina of an original”. To accomplish that, Todd also hand made the traditionally long “50 inch” custom barrel, and Dunlap Woodcraft has donated the special stock blank to fit it.

Rich Dillon of “Dillon’s Flintlocks” decided to make and donate an iron mounted, 1749 French St. Etienne type “D” fusil made in the style of French gunsmith Girard. Rich won several ribbons last year at Dixon’s Gun Fair, including “Best of Class, Traditional” for Journeymen. Taking his inspiration from the books of T.M. Hamilton, Rich made this traditional fusil in a style that was commonly used about the time of the Natchez War, when Rich speculated many similar firearms got into native hands. This gun features a 44” octagon to round barrel in 16 gauge donated by the Getz Barrel Company, a fine period correct lock donated by Larry Zornes of The Mould and Gun Shop, and stock wood donated by Dunlap WoodCraft. All of the other parts were either made or purchased by Rich himself. “Dillon’s Flintlocks” is operated by Rich and his father Ed who are both full time gun builders. It’s a matter of family pride that the all of the various parts are hand inlet the time honored old fashioned way for every gun they make. After that each gun receives a special five step finishing process, and upon completion is presented as “new”, having the look and feel of the original it was crafted after on the day it was first made.

The influence and appeal of the CLA is truly far reaching and international, and Canadian member Cam Pitkethly weighs in from north of the border to prove it. Belonging to the NMLRA, the KRA, and the CLA, Cam has crafted and donated a Northwest gun closely copied from an original Barnett gun dated 1812 in his own collection. Cam also took details from another and even earlier Barnett dated 1805. With the old “Northwest Company” original right there to study from, Cam was able to incorporate many subtle authentic details into this gun that might otherwise have been over looked, definitely making this North West gun about the closest thing to an early original as you are likely to ever find. The octagon to round, 48”, 24 gauge barrel is slightly swamped and was custom made by Getz, the trigger guard and butt plate were hand made by Cam to copy those found on the original, while the remaining parts were used only after they had been carefully selected from parts makers who offered hardware that closely matched those used on his original. Cam has built muzzle loading guns since 1978, but only builds them to suit his mood, and doesn’t take custom orders. The North West gun was a staple item in the Indian trade, and our “Certifiably Native” auction wouldn’t be complete with out this one.

THE TEAMS

The famous husband and wife team of Frank and Lally House are recognized as two of today’s premier makers, and are well known for employing a conceptual approach to plan and create their projects that adds an unmatched element of feeling to each creation. Among the items up for bid will be a beautiful porcupine quill and moose hair embroidered knife case and American dagger set circa 1760~1780, made using that special way of theirs that gives this set the depth of life and sense of history that their collaborative efforts are renowned for. Their artistry is recognized far and wide and the items they make enjoy the reputation of being among some of the very finest made. They use only the most traditional and painstakingly researched techniques in their work, like cochineal bug, indigo, staghorn sumac and goldenseal dyes for the quills, and old time blacksmith forging methods for the iron and steel work. Writer, collector, and noted historian Mel Hankla put it this way and said it best when he wrote, “ Both artists produce individual pieces, but their collaborative creations showcase in a powerful way that moves their work beyond traditional boundaries of what is accepted as art.” Rightfully believing that by “pulling out all of the stops” and donating such a beautiful set to the auction will help the CLA preserve our rich heritage of traditional art making, Lally created the intricately embroidered sheath, and Frank the hand forged American dagger, but together they have created another trade mark example of what can truly be called “art in unison”.

After making the dagger and while the forge was still hot, Frank House teamed up with two more well known artisans, Joe Seabolt and Ian Pratt, and together the three have collectively reproduced a tomahawk copied from the work of frontier blacksmith Jacob Fraiser, circa mid 18th century. It is well documented that Fraiser was a blacksmith of record to the Indians, and the hawk that inspired our team is shown “Indian Tomahawks and Beltaxes” by Hartzler and Knowles. On the frontier, blacksmiths were an integral part of the relationships that quickly developed between the natives and the settlers, and the level of craftsmanship exhibited on this tomahawk reflects the quality of the work that was offered to, and even demanded by Native Americans in the goods that were willing to purchase or trade for.

This pipe ax is totally hand forged from true wrought iron, and has been fitted with a bowl forged from a piece of gun barrel. It has been inlaid with coin silver, and shows the individual touch marks of all three smiths. Frank is well known for his work at the forge, making everything from guns to cutlery like this pipe ax, rifles, and the American dagger mentioned above, while Joe and Ian are each quickly becoming famous in their own right as well. Joe is very well known for his authentic, historical selection of hand forged knives, and Ian has developed a fine reputation as a truly inspired maker of beautiful hand forged long guns. It really sets a fine example that these three talented and capable makers would combine forces to recreate such a historically significant tomahawk and then donate it to this year’s auction. It demonstrates the spirit of sharing, giving and fellowship that makes the CLA the world class organization that it is today.

The next offerings are crafted by the team of Dave and Diane Chambers. They have crafted and donated a copy of a fine Delaware knife sheath, circa 1820 from the Derby collection, and an equally fine copy of a Shawnee neck bag circa 1740 that is currently housed in a museum collection in Manchester England. Dave and Diane have painstakingly researched these two pieces, and are well qualified for such work. They have in fact been called upon to make similar reproductions and do restorations across the country. Diane is often requested to teach seminars on beading, and has done so for many years. She also wrote a chapter on the subject in “The Book of Buckskinning III”. Diane stresses that except for the glass beads, all of their work is hand made and hand sewn by her and her husband. During the 18th century items similar to these recreated here by Dave and Diane were not only worn by the Native Americans that created and used them, but were collected and sought after by some of the finest museums in America and Europe as art. Dave and Diane ask that if you have any questions for them, please see them at the show they would be happy to talk to you.

Naturally complimenting both each others work and the theme of this year’s auction, the next pair of artists have made and are offering a beautiful powder horn and finger-woven strap. Mike Small is well known for his powder horn work and needs little introduction here. Drawing upon a famous original horn shown in Gransky’s “American Powder Horns” he has made a classic Micmac styled horn. Adding to the iron clad provenance of this horn, it is further documented in the prints of Rufus Grider, and has been executed in the fine manner Mike is known for. To complete the set, Tom Conde has teamed up with Mike and made a fine traditionally finger woven strap for this special horn. Tom is a noted traditional finger weaver, and this strap is based on an original found in the Detroit Institute of Arts collection. Carefully woven just like the original, the integral decorative bead pattern changes through out the length of the strap, as does the number of beaded rows, further setting this horn and strap set off as one of a kind. A pairing like this won’t come along again for a long time, and this horn and strap set are sure to be eagerly sought after.

Well known artists Shawn Webster and James Blake took a similarly balanced and complimentary team approach for their piece this year as well. James is well known for his museum quality reproductions, and the finger woven bag and strap that he has created for the auction is based on an old late 18th century original piece, displayed by the Canadian Museum of Civilization. James has woven documentary pieces like this for both historic sites and museums. Using only the same finger weaving techniques as those found on the original along with similar yarns, this bag and strap, like all of his work, is as authentic as can be had today. After he was done, James then delivered the pouch to Shawn who proceeded to decorate with his own trade mark skill. Well known as an author, expert on The Rocky Mountain trappers, and the subject of several articles himself, Shawn is also well known for his mastery of the art of quill working, Displaying that mastery here, Shawn has quilled the bags two panels in the most traditional manner. Then, to create a truly presentation grade piece, he finished by fully lining the bag and edging it with traditional metal cones and deer hair. When two artists like Shawn and James team up to craft a special piece like this, the result will be a highly collectable work of art that could easily be housed in the same museum as the originals that inspired it.

A gifted quill worker herself, Shawn’s wife Amanda has teamed up with horn smith Steve Lodding to create another piece that looks like it came straight out of the 18th century. Based on the surviving work of the “Kahnawake Mohawk”, Amanda has copied an original strap, made of black dyed deer skin and natural linen backing, and like the original, the strap has been edged with black silk, and decorated with naturally dyed quills. The colors were derived from cochineal, yellow root, wild grape and walnuts, and yielded the rich oranges and blacks for the quills, and the beautiful yellows used to dye the deer hair used to fill the brass cones. Noted horn smith Steve Lodding has made a typical 18th century trade horn that totally compliments Amanda’s work. Though simple in its construction like so many of the original trade horns were, this piece is perfectly aged to replicate the well used look and patina found on surviving originals, giving this horn the truly authentic look and feel that Steve’s work has long been known for. The “Keepers of the Eastern Door” or Kahnawake are famous for their relations with early Europeans, and the pairing of this traditionally native decorated strap paired with a traditionally European made trade horn embodies the cultural blending that took place in the old “Gahna’wa:ge” territory.

Penny Wayne of “Kentucky Leather and Hide” and Tom Gifford teamed up to hand craft an indispensable and nearly iconic item for the auction, one recognized instantly as belonging to the early American frontier. Brain tanned deer hide leggings were universally worn on the frontiers. Some men wore them for the needed protection they offered, and some for the fashion and status they implied, but every one knew that the men wearing them carved out a living on the edges of the wilderness. Penny hand made the leggings and matching ties from brain tanned deer hide, and using only a traditional antler awl to punch each hole as she hand sewed up the sides one stitch at a time. She has been making such clothing items for fifteen years, and has crafted over some 6oo pieces. You can rest assured that of the sewing work has been done in a neat and authentic manner. Next she delivered the leggings to Tom Gifford for the addition of traditional decorating. To give the leggings an aged mellow color, Tom first dyed them with ash. Continuing on and keeping with that old time look, he then edged them in silk ribbon, bead work and dyed porcupine quills. Together Penny and Tom have crafted a beautiful pair of genuine old time leggings in both their appearance and in their construction. When you think about natives or long hunters, imagining them pushing through the rugged wilderness, its hard to picture them not wearing a good pair of leggings. Leggings were a universal garment, shared alike by both cultures and this pair is a perfect addition to our “Certifiably Native” auction.

THE INDIVIDUALS

Images of trade silver come to mind when you think of trade between Native and European cultures, and long time gun maker, black powder shooter, NMLRA and CLA member Joseph Valentine has fittingly crafted a fine trade silver brooch just for us and the auction. Joe has copied largely from an original documented in the Frank T. Siebert collection. Pointing out that trade silver played a very big of a part in the fur trade system, Joe notes that such silver was desired and valued as highly as powder and lead. The piece he has copied dates circa late 18th or early 19th century and bears much resemblance to the trade silver work coming out of Montreal at the time. Montreal is often considered to be the epicenter of such trade silver, and while not marked, the original Joe copied is very similar to the work of Robert Cruickshank who is one of the most recognized makers of trade silver from both that area, and that era. Like all of his trade silver, this piece is hand sawn from pure sterling silver. Joe has made all of his trade pieces this way since 1967. Afraid that it would be too easy to think one of his pieces was an antique, he carefully stamps each item that he makes with his own special touch-mark on the reverse side.

A “Double Thunderbird” porcupine quilled pouch based upon themes found on two separate original bags has been made and donated by Michael Taylor. The first bag is found in the British Museum and documented in the book “Thunderbird and Lightening” by JCH King; while the second is now housed in the Speyer collection. Dyed red, black, or left natural to closely copy the documented bags, Michael has carefully dyed the quills to match the color scheme found on the two originals. The Shawnee style strap is inspired by yet a third original example, an early 19th century piece housed in the Linden Museum in Germany. The brain tanned leather used to construct the bag was smoked and dyed by Michael himself, as were the rolled brass cones, and all of the hand collected, plucked, sorted and dyed quills he used to decorate it with. Michael points out that this pouch is like the work being done by the Ottawa and Ojibwa in the late 18th or early 19th century, and reflects the techniques, appearance and stylistic decorations often used by Native Americans to create the bags and pouches they crafted during this era.

“The Honest Brothers” team of Ken Gahagan, David Hughes, and Fred Threfall are well known, you may remember the beautiful writing desk lined with hand drawn replica 18th century maps they created for the 2006 auction. This year Ken and David have returned and donated two more of high quality eighteenth century style “re-production” items that they are famous for. Patterned after an original discovered in Alabama, David has made a “round shell” type silver gorget. It’s engraved on the convex surface with opposing triangles, diamonds, and a cross representing the thunderbird of the upper world, the rattler of the underworld, and the four directions just like the original. The scripted words “South Carolina” are also hand engraved in old time lettering just like they were on the original as well. One of today’s top makers, David has crafted a fine copy of a rare and unique piece of trade silver executed in the best traditional manner.

Following suit, fellow Honest Brother Ken Gahagan has made a traditional fancy brass, horn filled filigree handled, “Cartouche” knife. Ken has made and patterned this copy directly on an original knife in his own private collection. To get every detail correct, Ken hand forged the blade from tool steel to match the profile and blade thickness required to replicate the original, and then carefully pressed and molded the horn sheets into the filigree cut outs in the brass handle. Through out the east and mid-west from late 18th to the mid 19th century, cartouche knives made in this manner were very highly prized trade items and to tell the truth, Ken’s replicas are no less prized by reenactors and collectors today.

A horn pictured on pages 2 and 3 of Jim Dresslar’s book “The Engraved Powder Horn” is regarded as one of the earliest engraved American horns, and John Proud has copied it for this year’s auction. Back in 1725, after the battle of “Lovewell’s Pond” Maine, the original horn was taken from the chief’s body. Making a close copy of the original, John hand selected his horn to match it both in shape and size. He then faithfully built and carved it as much like the Chief Paugus horn as possible in every detail. The original horn is engraved over most of its surface, but as John points out, the actual carving seems to be done by as many as three different hands, so John altered his own carving style as he patiently matched them. Another challenge was determining how to carve the portions of the original horn not illustrated, but John also handled this very well. The Paugus horn is rarely copied, especially by such a gifted horn maker as John, but he thought it a noteworthy project for our auction because it illustrates just how early the cultures were exchanging both ideas and materials.

Art DeCamp, another noted horn smith, has crafted an authentic replica of an upper Lehigh / Allentown Pennsylvania screw tip powder horn dating from the 1760 to the 1770 period. Well known for his high level of craftsmanship, and for the authentic detail used in his work, Art made this horn in a truly traditional manner. From the precise profiling of the lathe turned black horn tip and maple butt, right down to the proper 9/16” x 9 per inch threads, this horn exhibits all of the construction characteristics of the old and much sought after originals made in this region. For final decoration, Art used a traditional lead oxide based pigment he mixed from an old time recipe and embellished the front of the horn with the image of “Chief Tammany”, also known as the “Liberty Cap” figure. This figure is often seen on similar items made in the upper Lehigh area during the 1760s. The back panel is decorated with two “Tree of Life” figures, a diamond border and traditionally random polka dots. Powder horns were made by the Moravian craftsmen of this region to supply the local trade, which as it grew increasingly included the Native Americans. The horn donated by Art is a beautiful representation of this famous and eagerly sought after style.

Glen McClain has made a knife that will make Bowie knife collectors want to take note, with his donation of a beautiful coffin handled, clip pointed early Bowie and matching sheath. If you are familiar with Glenn’s knife making skills, then you know what to expect, and if you are not then you are in for a treat, because this piece is based on the famous “Tahchee” original painted by Charles Bird King in 1837. Models of form, fit and function echoing the look and feel of the blades created by yesterday’s masters, Glen’s work is recognized and collected by many. If you are just getting started, or if you are a long time Bowie knife aficionado, or even if you just want to own and use an authentic copy of a legendary blade made by a top notch maker, you will defiantely want to be at this year’s auction for a chance to bid on this item.

THE ORGANIZERS

Thanks must be given to Roland Cadle for taking on the overwhelming job of chairing and organizing this year’s event, and to Mike Galban for authenticating the items donated to this year’s auction as “Certifiably Native”. On top of that Roland, who is also well known as one of the nations leading horn smiths, has crafted and donated a traditionally hand crafted Philadelphia style screw tip horn. Roland has copied this horn directly from one that was collected and taken back to England in the 18th century. Today horn is fully shown and documented in the book “Warriors”, and along with his horn Roland has provided a copy of that book as well as a letter of correspondence further detailing the horn’s provenance specially obtained from the original horns current owner back in the U.K.

Special thanks to our auctioneer Joe Mills, of Kurtz Realty & Auction Co, Owensboro, KY - it wouldn’t be an auction without him.

THE VENUE

As in the past years, The 14th Annual Contemporary Longrifle Show will once again be held at the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington Kentucky. The show dates for this year are August 20th and 21st, with the live auction being held on Friday the 20th at 4:00 pm. You can contact the CLA for more information about the auction, the artists, or bidding by telephone at: 1-540-886-6189 or write:

CLA PO Box 2247 Staunton, VA 24402

On line at:http://www.longrifle.ws/

Or e-mail your question to: cla@longrifle.ws

THE ARTISTS

Todd Bitler 6333 Ewen Circle Grove City, OH 43123 Phone: 614-305-3773 Web page:http://www.nativeworkshop.com/

James Blake 143 Chambersburg St. Gettysburg, PA 17325 717-334-9444 Web page:http://www.whitesavagetrading.com/

Roland Cadle PO Box 560 Claysburg, PA 16625 Phone: 814-312-1825 or 814-696-1379 Web page:http://www.villagerestorations.com/

Dave and Diane Chambers (please see in person at the CLA show in August)

Tom Conde P.O. Box 155 Mouth of Wilson, VA. 24363 Phone: 276-579-6718 Web page:http://www.condetrading.com/aboutus.html

Art DeCamp 2210 Acorn Circle Huntingdon, PA. 16652 Phone: 814-643-6343 or 814-386-1889 Web page:http://www.artspowderhorns.com/

Rich Dillon 703 Saturn Dr. Effort, PA 18330 Phone: 484-357-2874 Web page:http://www.dillonsflintlocks.com/contactus.shtml

Ken Gahagan, 9401 Woodcrest Rd. Pittsburgh, PA 15237 Phone: 724-713-1936 Email:kgahagan4@gmail.com

Mike Galban PO box 94 Victor NY 14564 Phone number: 585-398-2276

Tom Gifford 2060 Ogle Rd. Gatlinburg, Tenn. 37738 Phone: 513-504-6693

David Hughes 3803 Shepard Rd. Gibsonia, PA 15044 Phone: 412-302-9590 Email:dhughes@consolidated.net

Frank and Lally House PO Box 257 Paris, KY 40361 Phone: 859-707-5429 or 859-707-9677

Steve Lodding 6510 West Elcampo Grande Las Vegas, NV 89190 Phone: 702-656-6085 Email: patentbreech1@embarqmail.com

Glenn McClain 7896 N. Bear Creek Rd. Morgantown IN 46160-9064 Phone number: 812-597-5885

Joe Mills 2202 Sheffield Court, Owensboro, KY 42301 1-800-264-1204

Cameron Pitkethley 72 Roxborough Dr., Sudbury, ON. Canada, P3E1J7 Phone: 705-674-9588

Ian Pratt 17775 Warwick Rd., Marshallville, OH 44645 Phone: 330-658-4049

John Proud 686 Sterling Park, Courtland, NY 13045 Phone: 607-756-2207 Email:JProud1@twcny.rr.com

Joe Seabolt 6794 Gaynor Rd. Goshen, OH 45122 Phone: 513-722-4321

Mike Small 41 Lodge Rd. Hedgesville, WV 25427 Phone: 304-754-8053 Web page:http://www.mspowderhorns.com/

Calvin Tanner 218 U.S. Rt. 50 Bainbridge, OH 45612 phone number: 740-634-3579

Michael J. Taylor 222 Twain Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45233 Web page:http://www.michaeljtaylor.com/index.htm

Joe Valentin 6732 W. Marlette St. Marlette, MI 48453 Phone: 989-635-4177

Penny Wayne, 9210 Sonora Rd. Sonora, KY 42776 Phone: 270-369-8474 Web page:http://www.kyleatherandhide.com/

Shawn and Amanda Webster 172 Wind Song Way Adolphus, KY 42120 Phone: 270- 618-3451 Email: websterquillwork@yahoo.com

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