Gearing up for the Next Phase of the Walking Stick

I've had a busy week.  I had hoped to start wood burning pictures on the walking stick, but I did not get beyond sifting through my research to figure out what images I wanted to use.  At least I have formed a plan.  That is still progress.  We had rain yesterday, and it is still very wet outside, so I probably won't begin wood burning again until tomorrow.

I researched traditional designs from many early cultures for this project.  I looked at pictographs (pictures painted on rock)  and petragraphs  (pictures carved on rock)  There were recurring design themes among the various cultures.  Many traditional designs included celestial objects, local flora and fauna, (especially those used as food sources), geometric shapes, and weaving patterns.  Some patterns may also have been animals considered dangerous, such as sharks, jaguars, and whales.  I want to incorporate many of these designs into the walking stick. 

In an earlier blog post I mentioned that the folk tales of many cultures had a magician/healer/adviser that carried a staff that had unusual markings on it.  I speculated that in an early tribal culture that the markings on a staff might have been information about food sources, medicinal plants, and methods for constructing various objects needed by the society such as fishing nets, fabric, baskets, and shelter.  It would make sense for a culture without a written language to have some type of pictorial record to help preserve knowledge in the event that the members of the tribe that knew the information were lost.  These themes will be incorporated into the designs I burn onto the walking stick.

Not only do I want the walking stick to contain the items mentioned above, I also want the objects to reflect  the poetic creation story  that is already burned onto the stick.  Celestial designs will be in the area talking about the creation of the universe.  Other glyphs will represent time, etc.  I'm still working out which pictographs will ultimately end up on the stick.  Once those decisions are complete, I have to start drawing a pattern that will be the right size for the walking stick.  Then it will be on to transferring the patterns a few at a time and wood burning them.  

It sounds like a lot of work.  It is, but things are actually moving very quickly on this project.  I expect to have photos of first the drawings I have burn onto the stick ready for Wednesday's blog post.