Bent-pole Structures!

Sunday, October 15, 2017

One of the things I did this summer was work down at the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, as I mentioned before. It was a blast on so many levels, and I just realized that I did help craft something amazingly huge! Two things, actually: bent-pole structures!

Bent-pole structures were often used by native peoples (and still used by some people around the world, let us not forget), so you might be thinking this goes more in line with my anthropology blog, and it does, but you’d be wrong to ignore such craftsmanship!

Behold, a domed structure. After a day of cutting and collecting saplings, it was put together in a single day by an average of maybe 4 people. It’s roomy and spacious, and I hope to one day build one in my garden, planted with some woody vines (next year perhaps, if I can find enough trees!). Super cool, amiright? The cattail matts were added to it during the event, as it was part of the cattail demonstration. But this thing is strong enough for 4+ adults to be standing on it during construction, without fear at all of damaging it.

bent-pole structures

We also built this rectangular bent-pole structure, also in a day, despite only having an average of 3 people. Though shaped differently, they have roughly the same floor space and height. We only put on a small sample of roof thatching just to give a sense of what it might look like once complete. I think the dome one would be stronger over time (and looks cooler), but it is a little more challenging to create. Should I ever make one, you can bet on finding out about it here!

bent-pole structures

These were part of two demonstration booths at an event called Living Archaeology Weekend. If you are ever in the area during Kentucky’s archaeology month of September, be sure to check it out! I had an absolutely tremendous time there.

 

See more posts related to:

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Looking for more cases of the Crafties?
Stitch Club: Kaur

Stitch Club: Kaur

Saima Kaur led a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club designed to make us smile by stitching brightly bold and whimsical figures, and I was inspired by ancient South African rock art.

read more
Stitch Club: Edwards

Stitch Club: Edwards

Priscilla Edwards led a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club where we learned to make a wire frame and use batik wax to form a sculpture. For whatever reason, I decided I’d make a sailboat!

read more
Hexie Dreams + Template

Hexie Dreams + Template

My Hexie Dreams quilt, which was carefully fussy cut and hand pieced by me, then hand quilted by my gramma, is finally finished after three+ years of work (and avoidance). The proof is in the stitching – persistence pays off!

read more
Stitch Club: Dias

Stitch Club: Dias

Cassandra Dias lead a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club workshop on embroidered landscapes, and I was inspired to recreate a honeymoon photo of France’s Pont Du Gard.

read more
Hello 2024!

Hello 2024!

For the start of 2024, I’ve been playing with drawing, paint, and watercolor pencils to get a feel for the media.

read more
Ida Andersen Lang’s Tutorial

Ida Andersen Lang’s Tutorial

I followed a water color pencil tutorial by Ida Andersen Lang to work through some techniques to set me up for a successful Mixed Media 2024 journey.

read more
Stitch Club: Boschert

Stitch Club: Boschert

Deborah Boschert lead a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club on creating a mixed media art quilt. I based mine upon a visit to a new town and restaurant.

read more
Finds and Things

Finds and Things

A random post about some art supplies, vintage finds, and an AI-generated experiment for future crafts.

read more
Stitch Club: Stone 3

Stitch Club: Stone 3

Sue Stone’s third workshop with TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club prompted us to use text in our piece, so I recorded a trip to Shawnee National Forest.

read more
Stitch Club: Stone 2

Stitch Club: Stone 2

Sue Stone led a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club in her well-known portrait style, and I was inspired to capture a man in a hat in four variations.

read more
Hexie Dreams 19

Hexie Dreams 19

My hand sewn fussy-cut EPP Hexie Dreams quilt is all ready to go to my gramma for hand quilting. Check out a few of my embellished hexies, and come back in the future for the finished product!

read more
My Village Quilt

My Village Quilt

I present to you My Village Quilt, based on the Urban Village Green quilt: a four-year-long project that tipped the love-hate scale finally over to love.

read more