What a Journey It's Been. For those that missed the first 6, they can be found through these links 1 2 3 4 5 6
In the history of Alaska, there is likely no more storied, complex, important, tragic, beautiful, and amazing story than that of the Alaska Native people. From crossing the land bridge tens of thousand of years ago, to the vibrant and proud culture that remains today, they have been through quite a bit. Living off the land in some of the world's harshest, yet also most bountiful country for millenia, Russian occupation and oppression, American manifest destiny and it's associated benefits and detriments to their culture, the controversial development of Alaska Native Corporations, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, and much much more. Despite all this, they remain steadfast in their proud culture and lifestyle, although it has changed dramatically for good or ill. Regardless, they deserve to be honored and recognized as an essential part of this great state we all share, perhaps more than anything else.
Similar to the story of the Alaska Native culture, this pipe has a long, storied, and complex history of it's own. It began hundreds of years ago with one Walrus, who was kind enough to shed an ivory tooth in a place where it could be found by Natives on St. Lawrence island. That is where our fellow pipe smoker and Native of St. Lawrence Charles Lane came to posses it, and provided me with it in it's raw, whole fossilized form. At this point, I sent the raw ivory tooth to the pipe maker in order to turn it into a shank mount. But for what shape? Eskimo was not an option, as not only is the shape ugly as hell, the very word is sometimes found offensive to Alaska Natives who we better know as Yupik, C'upik, Inupiat, Athabascan, Tlingit, Aleut, Gwichin, Haida, and more.
Well, I figured, if this pipe was to incorporate Walrus, a staple of Alaska Native culture, it best be chubby! So a chubby apple it shall be. After the pipe maker turned the walrus tooth into a mount, it had to be sent back to Alaska for a long standing form of art that has been the lifeblood of many Alaska Native artists, Scrimshaw. Unfortunately, the two artists I desired to do the work, fell off the map! So the pipe maker constructed a special acrylic rod to protect the ivory and make it easier for the artist to work with, and sent it back across the country to Scrimshaw artist Pete Lange. In choosing what to have put on it, my thoughts returned to it's origins in the Bering Sea. Coastal dwelling Alaska Natives have relied on whaling for thousands of years, and still do it today. Although tiny canoe like Umiaks have been replaced by skiffs with an outboard motor, the harpoons used to harvest whales are not much different today than they were 1,000 years ago. And I don't care who you are, harvesting a gigantic whale in a tiny boat takes balls and skill.
So with that settled, Pete adorned the ivory with a Native Whaling scene of an Umiak with a striker in the bow, ready to strike his prey, a whale, on the bottom of the mount, and sent the tooth back on over to the pipe maker. I decided for a very natural pipe, a natural finish of Danish oil was the best course. All he had to do was mount the tooth, and the pipe was done. WRONG. The pipe maker had an unfortunate accident while the tooth pipe was in transit, clean snapping his finger on his lathe. So the pipe's journey continued, as it was sent to his good buddy and prominent pipe maker himself Micah Cryder with Yeti pipes to do the finishing touches to avoid a 9 week delay. And now, finally, the long and complex history of this Alaska Native themed pipe, is complete.
With that, I'd like to thank Josh Ronish, Ryan Alden, Scottie Piersel, David S. Huber, Abe Herbaugh, Pete Lange, and finally a small shout out to Micah Cryder for helping his buddy out, for making this dream a reality for me. Without their immense and extraordinary skill, this pipe set would have been nothing but a dream.
With that, Ladies and Gents, The Walrus Apple, by Abe Herbaugh (Scrimshaw by Pete Lange):
In the history of Alaska, there is likely no more storied, complex, important, tragic, beautiful, and amazing story than that of the Alaska Native people. From crossing the land bridge tens of thousand of years ago, to the vibrant and proud culture that remains today, they have been through quite a bit. Living off the land in some of the world's harshest, yet also most bountiful country for millenia, Russian occupation and oppression, American manifest destiny and it's associated benefits and detriments to their culture, the controversial development of Alaska Native Corporations, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, and much much more. Despite all this, they remain steadfast in their proud culture and lifestyle, although it has changed dramatically for good or ill. Regardless, they deserve to be honored and recognized as an essential part of this great state we all share, perhaps more than anything else.
Similar to the story of the Alaska Native culture, this pipe has a long, storied, and complex history of it's own. It began hundreds of years ago with one Walrus, who was kind enough to shed an ivory tooth in a place where it could be found by Natives on St. Lawrence island. That is where our fellow pipe smoker and Native of St. Lawrence Charles Lane came to posses it, and provided me with it in it's raw, whole fossilized form. At this point, I sent the raw ivory tooth to the pipe maker in order to turn it into a shank mount. But for what shape? Eskimo was not an option, as not only is the shape ugly as hell, the very word is sometimes found offensive to Alaska Natives who we better know as Yupik, C'upik, Inupiat, Athabascan, Tlingit, Aleut, Gwichin, Haida, and more.
Well, I figured, if this pipe was to incorporate Walrus, a staple of Alaska Native culture, it best be chubby! So a chubby apple it shall be. After the pipe maker turned the walrus tooth into a mount, it had to be sent back to Alaska for a long standing form of art that has been the lifeblood of many Alaska Native artists, Scrimshaw. Unfortunately, the two artists I desired to do the work, fell off the map! So the pipe maker constructed a special acrylic rod to protect the ivory and make it easier for the artist to work with, and sent it back across the country to Scrimshaw artist Pete Lange. In choosing what to have put on it, my thoughts returned to it's origins in the Bering Sea. Coastal dwelling Alaska Natives have relied on whaling for thousands of years, and still do it today. Although tiny canoe like Umiaks have been replaced by skiffs with an outboard motor, the harpoons used to harvest whales are not much different today than they were 1,000 years ago. And I don't care who you are, harvesting a gigantic whale in a tiny boat takes balls and skill.
So with that settled, Pete adorned the ivory with a Native Whaling scene of an Umiak with a striker in the bow, ready to strike his prey, a whale, on the bottom of the mount, and sent the tooth back on over to the pipe maker. I decided for a very natural pipe, a natural finish of Danish oil was the best course. All he had to do was mount the tooth, and the pipe was done. WRONG. The pipe maker had an unfortunate accident while the tooth pipe was in transit, clean snapping his finger on his lathe. So the pipe's journey continued, as it was sent to his good buddy and prominent pipe maker himself Micah Cryder with Yeti pipes to do the finishing touches to avoid a 9 week delay. And now, finally, the long and complex history of this Alaska Native themed pipe, is complete.
With that, I'd like to thank Josh Ronish, Ryan Alden, Scottie Piersel, David S. Huber, Abe Herbaugh, Pete Lange, and finally a small shout out to Micah Cryder for helping his buddy out, for making this dream a reality for me. Without their immense and extraordinary skill, this pipe set would have been nothing but a dream.
With that, Ladies and Gents, The Walrus Apple, by Abe Herbaugh (Scrimshaw by Pete Lange):
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