Pick-up sticks (Haida)
Encyclopedia
Haida pick-up sticks exist in two sorts. There were non-decorated thin playing sticks (not collected) and the other decorated containing three sets of sticks. These were named after animals or birds only known by the owner or his family according to Charles F. Newcombe
.
The decoration consists of rings and spiral markings for distinction. Most elaborated sets may contain a Haida art gallery of more than fifty drawings. Made of maple wood they are decorated with pyro-engravings or carvings. Many pyro-engravings are inlaid with copper or abalone shell. The drawings are complex and an artistic challenge as they are wrapped around a cylinder. Their form is unlocked through slow rotation and are sometimes animated cartoon-like with themes of moving shamans, birds, whales, war scenes, hunting, fishing etc. The compositions are small and not more than 2 cm in length. The sticks were a field where the Haida became truly documentary. Franz Boas
, Swanton
and others published drawings of many art sets. George T. Emmons
recorded many details about a full set owned by a Tlingit Indian.
It's possibly related to the pick-up sticks
game played today, most notably the Jackstraws variation.
Charles F. Newcombe
Charles Frederick Newcombe was a British botanist and ethnographic researcher.-Biography:Newcome was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, as the eighth of fourteen children...
.
The decoration consists of rings and spiral markings for distinction. Most elaborated sets may contain a Haida art gallery of more than fifty drawings. Made of maple wood they are decorated with pyro-engravings or carvings. Many pyro-engravings are inlaid with copper or abalone shell. The drawings are complex and an artistic challenge as they are wrapped around a cylinder. Their form is unlocked through slow rotation and are sometimes animated cartoon-like with themes of moving shamans, birds, whales, war scenes, hunting, fishing etc. The compositions are small and not more than 2 cm in length. The sticks were a field where the Haida became truly documentary. Franz Boas
Franz Boas
Franz Boas was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology" and "the Father of Modern Anthropology." Like many such pioneers, he trained in other disciplines; he received his doctorate in physics, and did...
, Swanton
John R. Swanton
John Reed Swanton was an American anthropologist and linguist who worked with Native American peoples throughout the United States. Swanton achieved recognition in the fields of ethnology and ethnohistory...
and others published drawings of many art sets. George T. Emmons
George T. Emmons
George Thornton Emmons was an ethnographic photographer and a U.S. Navy Lieutenant.He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His father was George Foster Emmons....
recorded many details about a full set owned by a Tlingit Indian.
It's possibly related to the pick-up sticks
Pick-up sticks
Pick-up sticks is a game of physical and mental skill. A bundle of 'sticks,' approximately 6-8 inches long, are held in a loose bunch and released on a table top, falling in random disarray. Each player, in turn, must remove a stick from the pile without disturbing the remaining ones...
game played today, most notably the Jackstraws variation.