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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2007)
Smoke Signals 5 JUNE 1,2007 Bring The Native American Culture And Art Back To Life By Kristen Ravia The Mechanical Rockfish, owned and operated by Grand Ronde Tribal member Alicia Finney, is bringing Native American culture back to life. Finney and her husband, Joseph Cox, opened their Lincoln City store to sell their art as well as to help other Native American artists sell their crafts. Finney has had several years experience making native art. She has helped make regalia for Tribal Royalty and has sold her items at Grand Ronde's Annual Pow-wow for many years. Finney's store features many different local artists such as Keith Jackson, and Dale Middleton. Her store specializes in necklaces, custom t-shirts, jewelry, dancing sticks, and any traditional regalia items. Cox's mother Cheryl Strope displays custom hand blown glass in Finney's store. She offers consignment for other local artists. Finney is also hoping to inspire local spiritual speakers and craft makers to come teach at her store. Finney and Cox have many different talents that showcase in their store. They both had busy lives before opening the store. Finney was a full-time student and homemaker, Cox, full-time student and an audio engineer. Cox and Finney also opened up a Bio-Diesel business located in Newport. Finney is the great niece of Tribal elder Bob Haller and sister to Tribal Education Manager April Campbell. She has participated in selling Native American art since she was 14 years old, inspired by her ancestors. Finney's and Cox's store is located 945 Highway 101 in Lincoln City. Their hours are Monday thru Thursday 1 1 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays 1 1 a.m.to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. mam nwflSo Pes i JA, ft' I J Tribal member Alicia Finney holds son and Tribal youth Jonah Cox with husband Josheph Cox at their Lincoln City store "The Mechanical Rockfish.' Pictured here are a few of the many items that can be found at Tribal member Alicia Finney's Native American art store. Wood Carving Diary By Ron Karten Cultural Education Coordi nator Tony Johnson (Chinook) told me to let the wood teach me what directions to carve in. When you've got it right, the wood shavings go like frosting off a cake, but when you have it wrong, the wood chunks off. The gouges in the wood look bad and they also make the next cuts more difficult. You also have to work with the wood to figure out how to hold it, said Social Services Manager Dave Fullerton not only so you're cutting with the grain, but also so the wood or the knife won't slip and so that your body does not become the backstop for a runaway knife or adze. Everybody has a story about the tools cutting more than just wood. I've provided an ex ample in each of my first two classes, though I'll spare you the details. "I've done it so many times," said class leader and carver Adam Mclsaac, that there are places on my hand that don't even bleed anymore if the knife hits them." All of which, I realize, is not the best way of enticing folks to this wonderful class. In using the rela tively inexperienced muscles in your forearms to make controlled cuts, i; . . - nmmm .... . -wjm j X " Jb 1 " - Adam Mclsaac S ? V : i.Lt' o2 I you'll feel the pain that the Grand Ronde ancestors felt as they learned the craft. It is one thing to look at the remark able carvings that came from the Columbia River people, and to read about their efforts and ways of work, but there is nothing like feeling the same wood and developing the same muscles as the ancestors did. I missed two Friday wood carving classes and was able to pick up right whfirfl T left member Gary Oberg, who hadn't missed a class, was just fin ishing his spoon that was carved in the Co lumbia Riv er Indian style, and was ready to start another project as I sat down with the adze for some final cuts, and having survived that, moved on to the knife work that smoothed down my spoon not just to size, but to a finished look. At class end, it looked to me as if I had done most of the outside shaping and was ready for the next session, during which I will be hollowing out the top side of the spoon. For control, you hold the knife sticking out of the bottom of your hand and move your wrist either forward or back, depending on your inclination and the place in the wood you are working. It does not come naturally that way. You want to hold the knife sticking out of the top of your hand and slice down through a branch, letting the blade fly off at the end of the cut. There's still plenty of room in the class, and plenty of tech niques to learn, to help bring back this nearly lost tradition. Classes are held Friday nights starting at approximately 6 or 6:30 p.m. behind the Youth Education Building, or inside if weather is bad. No need to sign up. No cost. Mclsaac provides the tools and the wood for every project. Just show up and get to know a piece of wood.
