Amohkali Creek Recreations Blog

Thoughts on red ochre sources

2011-03-13T21:56:00.000-04:00

Responding to a post on Frontier Folk asking where to find red paint, I realized I'd answered this question quite a few times. I put some work into the response, so am replicating it pretty much verbatim here.

First: OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER. This is my opinion. I am not a chemist, nor do I work for the FDA or any of the companies I mention here. I've tried a bunch of different stuff, and talked to doctors, geologists, and chemists. This is the opinion I've formed from those conversations, but I'm not an expert, so I recommend you ask the advice of one, test a small amount of whatever product for allergies. In general, I'm trying to warn you to use common sense. Whether you do or not, you can't sue me if you turn permanently red or develop a persistent cough...

If you want the real "indian red" paint, or red ochre, an earth pigment. Real earth pigment is pretty much all the same, whether for concrete colorant or what's sold as "Bare Minerals" makeup. It's Iron Oxide (in most cases, Fe2O3) whether it's sold for makeup, milk paint, artist pigment, concrete colorant, asphalt shingle color, or whatever.

For some reason, the red ochre from hematic clays stain worse (or better, depending on your opinion) than those that aren't. I asked a chemist about this, and he can't explain why. Neither can the guys at New Riverside Ochre (listed below). It's true either way - the GA ochre (from New Riverside) isn't as staining as the stuff I got from the Tuscaloosa (AL) clays and surely not as staining as the brighter red, heat treated product I got 50# of from Virginia ten years ago (don't ask me to sell you any, I'm down to about 1/2 pound). I actually prefer something that will come out within a day or so, rather than stay pink for three or four days, as does my wife, since I invariably spill it or get it on clothing.

No matter where you get it - in this case, buy American (or French). South American or even worse Asian products for colorant (non-food/makeup) can have a good bit of other stuff in them without making a big deal about it on the package. In the states and France, the packages will be labeled to help you make sure they are what they say they are. Be sure to ask for an MSDS if you look at industrial products like concrete colorants.

The risk you use buying non-food/cosmetic grade is that it will contain enough silica (SiO2) to be considered a risk for silicosis with long term exposure. They have to disclose this. Read your MSDS and/or labels, and make your own, informed choice.

Now, on to where to look for the stuff:

Absolutely cheapest per pound are commercial concrete colorants.
--The only one that I called and asked a price from, and that was 8 years ago: New Riverside Ochre in Cartersville, GA. 50# bags, 200# minimum, you pick it up in Cartersville or pay truck shipping. http://www.nroonline.com/index.html.
--The best deep red in my opinion is from from Alabama Pigments http://www.alabamapigments.com/ - call them to find a vendor and the minimum charge. You want what they used to call "Tuscaloosa Red".
--Davis Colors http://www.daviscolors.com/#concrete supply a lot of concrete mixing companies, and have a search feature to find a local one that uses their powdered pigments.

No, I'm not kidding. Products like this are the cheapest per pound you'll find, and you'll have enough to last you forever...literally. It's not practical for most people, but if you call your local concrete company, they might just have some on hand, and might give you a pound or two. Look this gift horse in the mouth, and read the label on the bag, and the MSDS if they will let you.

Next best price, but not that much less (if any) than our sutlers charge are soapmaking shops, art supplies, and small volume consumer or "art" concrete colorant. The bonus here is you can buy more at a time, and probably a wider range of colors (greens, blues, etc)
--I used to be able to buy small (1-2 pound bags) of dry pigment for concrete colorant at Lowe's and Home Depot. Our Lowe's now only carries a liquid colorant that I don't think I'd put on my skin, and I haven't looked at Home Depot in awhile (not one in town).
--Real Milk Paint's pigments: http://www.realmilkpaint.com/powder.html $16/lb/$1/oz.
--Googling concrete colorants in small volume: http://www.gardenmolds.com/PROD/5-ALL/IO-BRICK.html and similar - $15 for 1/2 pound (that is a lot of powder). BTW: That's twice as much as Real Milk Paint's product.
--The Earth Pigments Company http://www.earthpigments.com/index.cfm - supply mostly art-grade pigments. I never bought from them, can't remember who told me they had. I know some art students who like their stuff, but they bought yellows and blues, not red. Careful with art supply powders, and make sure they're pure iron oxide, not cadmium or other oxides...they'll make you sick.
--There used to be a company in Jacksonville FL called "earth products of provence" that had good prices for small amounts, and had stuff imported from France. I bought samples from them, and it was quality stuff. Their site's parked now, so I don't know how to get in touch with them. If you are a visitor from the EU, and want a recommendation, try Ocres de France (http://www.ocres-de-france.com/boutique.php)
--My favorite for bulk these days: Ponte Vedra soap shop http://www.pvsoap.com/pigments.asp decent prices, their stuff is considered makeup grade. The red they have is deeper colored than AL/VA hematic. These don't stain the skin (that would be a negative for your soap). This is who I'll order from next time I need to order a relatively large quantity. They also have a useful black pigment.

If you want to pay more for the same stuff:
--http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/indextool.mvc?prodid=LB-0290.XX at $11/ 100ml. Meant to color wood, not people.
--Also more expensive are the 'sho nuff' cosmetic suppliers, ranging up to $40/oz for cheap stuff, lots more for the real "bare mineral' product.

So, to boil it down: Buy from people like Brandon Scott or Jim Jacobs http://www.blueheronmercantile.com/
- at $2/2oz, it's roughly the same price as the better sources above. Jim has 'vermilion', but not red ochre. If you need a bunch, or specifically red ochre, buy a pound from Ponte Vedra. You won't use it up any time soon. If you absolutely must go for the cheapest you can find, ask a concrete place or look around for the small bags of concrete colorant (and read the package three times).

If you know a sutler who carries red ochre (or you are a sutler who carries red ochre) and you would like me to link and list your price, please email me at the link in the bottom banner.

Reading lists

2011-02-25T14:18:00.000-05:00

If you are into research, and want to figure out where to find a book, a great resource is WorldCat.org (http://worldcat.org). If you create an account, you can create exportable lists of books, find out what local libraries have them in their collections, and even find places to buy them. If you dig, you can often find electronic versions of the docs as well.

I have created a bunch of different lists, and irregularly export them and load them to the Bibliography page on my site (http://southeasterntrading.com/amohkali/18thcbiblio.htm).

Here are a few lists I've created that might be of interest to readers of this website:

Southeastern Native People in general:
http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/stickbow/lists/69187

Southern Indian Department History:
http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/stickbow/lists/70159

Foodways, herbology and ethnobotany (not necessarily SE):
http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/stickbow/lists/187706

Native Dogs:
http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/stickbow/lists/70089

Most of these are books I've read; I have another, private list of "need to reads", but I'm open to suggestions. Please comment or send email if you have suggestions for any of these topics

A lesson learned from a mother hog

2010-07-24T22:25:00.002-04:00

The harvest this year has been slow and laborious because of the hot, dry weather. The cool weather over the past few days had me yearning for the woods, so I set out to see how the hogs have fared this summer. I saddled the horse and ventured to the swamp along the Thronateeska, at the foot of the limestone bluffs. Some of you may know the place I speak of; it’s sometimes called Montezuma Bluffs.

The trails are narrow and steep, so the horse couldn’t make it down the bluffs. I tethered her at the top where others have done the same in the past and left her to graze. Because the day started off cool, but was to become warm, I carried very little with me beyond my gun, shooting bag, knife and axe.

It was truly beautiful. The leaves have started falling in earnest. I wandered slowly along the path, following the contours of the ridge. There is evidence of hogs along the trail, mud on the trees and some rooting on the hillsides. I saw several young deer and many squirrels. The nut crop this year is extraordinary; the oaks are burdened with nuts and the squirrels are fat because of it.

I left the path and made my way across the little limestone falls, which are completely dry this year, over the arm of the bluffs and down to a spot where a large limestone rock sits. This made a nice vantage point to look out over a large stand of black gum and tupelo, with hickories and river cane along the edges. The hogs like to feed on the gum berries and root in the mud here.

After a while enjoying the weather and the small birds flitting about, I began to hear pigs moving through the leaves across the way from me. Knowing that they had no reason to come across the slough to me, especially if they were going to water, I climbed off my perch and began a long stalk. The creek that normally runs through it was completely gone because of the drought, so it was simple to walk across to the other side. However, I had to choose my steps carefully because of the dry leaves. Occasional gusts of wind made enough cover sound for them not to hear me.

As I got to the point where the creek usually flows, I saw three of this year’s pigs feeding nearby. I crept a little closer and crouched down beside a large black gum. They came closer, to within 35 paces or so, and began rooting for black gum berries. I took aim and shot at the nearest, a solid black one. He squalled, turned and began to run. His brothers – or sisters – ran away as well. I thought nothing of this at the time.

I cleared the smoke from my gun, thought of reloading, but decided not to; I didn’t expect to take another shot, and would have to drag my gun and the pig out of the swamp. After the pig ran about 20 paces or so, he collapsed, squalled for a moment, and then got quiet and very still. I forced myself to wait a little longer, and then went to inspect my prize. He was small, but plump. My .62 round ball had gone in a little low, just behind the shoulder; it had torn up the opposite shoulder on the way out. Still, he had a lot of useable meat for such a young pig.

As I was inspecting my prize, I heard something crashing through the river cane from the direction the pig’s siblings had gone. Mother pig was coming to her young one’s defense.

A nearby tree leaned at a bit of an angle, and had a branch hanging out about six or seven feet above the ground. At that moment, it seemed the prudent thing to do was to climb. I scrambled up and hugged the tree trunk. My unloaded gun, which would have been little more than a club any way, was still leaning across the pig.
Mother scuffed around the bottom of the tree for a few minutes, inspected baby, and decided that he no longer needed her attentions. After a while, she left to find his brothers and sisters. I climbed down from the tree, reminding myself why you should reload after a shot.
I did so, then gutted the pig. I found a couple of small hickory poles, lashed them together, loaded him up and drug him back to the wagon for the trip home. Climbing the bluffs dragging even this small load reminded me of my years. I don’t run up hills like I once did.

Last night, I roasted the tenderloin over the fire. As young as he was, his meat was still pink and tender, like a penned hog. The acorns and black gum berries are making them fat and tender this year. I'll haul the rest back home in the morning.

I must get out and look for a deer soon. My youngest boy is begging for some woods time himself; school is wearing on him, I believe.

Bare Minimum kit

2010-07-24T22:24:00.000-04:00

If you're just starting your portrayal, how much stuff do you need to show up at an event? If you have visited an event or participated in one with a different, non-native persona, you have probably seen folks loading up a whole bunch of stuff from the native camp. How will you ever get all that stuff before you can participate?

I admit, I am the world's slowest at loading and unloading. I used to haul a bunch of stuff, and that was why it took so long. Some people work up quite a sweat while putting all the canvas, acoutrement, and furniture in the vehicle. Why do we have so much stuff?

Thus the thought here. If you're coming to an event as a native, how much stuff should you bring? One thing we've been working on in the Southern Indian Department is helping people cut back on what they have to bring, providing meals, shelter, and such.

For battle, trade visits to European towns, etc, the people we portray didn't carry a bunch of stuff. It doesn't fit on your back or on a horse, and you don't have a wagon. We all bring a lot of stuff beyond what it takes to do the "reenactment". This is one of the reasons that people new to living history over buy, or underspend on the essentials - they think they need all that stuff.

A good rule of thumb is "If I can't tote it from a parking lot to the camp, I don't need it". If you are doing a demonstration or presentation that involves a wide range of material goods, that may not be true. If you have to bring a "lodge", or have kids, it can be a couple of trips. Think about it though: how many "newbies" should be forced to have all the knowledge, much less the "stuff" to do presentations like that?

Let's take a look at what you need to have to show up at your first event:

For men:

Trade shirt (white or checked linen) - $35 and up
Leggings (wool or leather, wool is cheapest) $15-20 if you make them yourself.
Mocassins - $30 to get deer/moose/elk hide to make multiple pairs.
Breechclout - included in cost of leggings, or buy a saved list stroud one for $20-30
Wool "ferreting" or "gartering" for leg ties - less than $5 (you'll pay more in shipping than the item, so order it when you get wool for your leggings and 'clout.)
Paint and oil - cheap or free - a couple of dollars from a sutler
Basic blanket - plain white military to start - $30
Tumpline - with help, make it yourself for $10 worth of materials. Buy one for $150/up.
Knife - inexpensive scalper or trade knife - as cheap as $15.
Belt sheath - from leather you bought for mocs
Eating bowl, spoon - cheap or free. Wood or gourd bowl, wooden or period metal spoon.
Basic tomahawk - $25 or a little more. Make a wrap type head cover (not "PC", but needed)
Gun - fully dependant on what you buy. It is possible to get a "good enough" that you can sell when you're ready to upgrade for around $600 - 700. A really good Carolina/Type G trade gun will cost $1500 at least. This is probably the last item you should buy.
Simple leather bag and strap - using the same leather as your mocs.
Cheap mostly white powder horn - $35 and up. Add a leather strip for the strap.

For Women:

Trade shirt (white or checked linen) - $35 and up
Wrap skirt (yard and a half of navy wool can yeild two) - $25 or cheaper if you find it on sale
Mocassins - about $30 to get deer/moose/elk hide to make multiple pairs.
Basic wool blanket - plain white military to start - >$30
Tumpline (may be optional)- with help, make it yourself for $10 worth of materials. Buy one for $150/up.
Knife - inexpensive scalper or trade knife - as cheap as $15. Need a sheath to store it in, use leftover leather from your mocs - it doesn't go on your belt anyhow.
Eating bowl, spoon - cheap or free. Wood or gourd bowl, wooden or period metal spoon.

With these basics, you can sleep, eat, interpret to the public, and join the battle. What more do you expect to do? Our group has been working on having shelters at sites, and members will gladly share their shelter when you need. People will have stuff for you to do - help cook, set up camp, cut / gather wood, help with projects they have going, so you will never lack for activities that interpret lifeways.

If it's cold, you might want to add a 2 yard long piece of heavy wool stroud/broadcloth in either navy or scarlet. Splurge, get the nicest you can afford, with plans to dress it up with ribbon in the future - $40 will cover it probably. That serves as a spare blanket too.

That's a couple of hundred dollars at most, discounting buying a gun. Not so painful, huh? You'll dress it up some with purchases that can be inexpensive - silk ribbon to tie your hair, proper glass beads, brass wire bracelets, etc.

For further thoughts on this topic: I talked about getting started as a Native reenactor here: http://southeasterntrading.com/amohkali/gettingstarted.htm. We have a lot of instructions for these clothing items and such available on our Southern Indian Department site: Portrayal Guidelines. Mario Doreste has a similar post on his blog also - Why Carry So Much?

Before you head to the woods for a trek...

2010-06-07T13:27:00.001-04:00

You should make sure someone knows where you're going, when you'll be back, and when to worry about you. I know that sounds obvious, but there are constant articles about rescues that either didn't need to happen or started too late, and this type planning can help with that.

Folks who go out on the ocean seem to understand this; a boat/kayak trip plan is called a "Float Plan". The US Coast Guard and Sea Kayaker both have online versions of a float plan available. I like Sea Kayaker Magazine's version: http://www.seakayakermag.com/PDFs/float_plan.pdf.

Using that float plan, I hacked together one for people to use: http://yallerdog.com/amohkali/fileshare/trekitinerary.pdf. It's meant to be filled out and left with a person responsible for making sure you get back. That could easily be a family member or friend, especially if you're travelling locally, but could also be someone who is officially responsible, say the staff at a State or National park. If you're traveling in the backcountry and hand the site manager/Ranger a plan such as this, they'll recognize two things: you care about their time and are probably a competent, experienced traveler. That can go a long way towards opening up conversation - they may tell you about a hard to get to spot that is well worth the effort.

Gathering and refining pitch

2010-02-23T11:39:00.000-05:00

I have a quick description of how to gather and refine pitch (pine, yew, cedar, etc) on my Glues and Finishes page in the Archery section of my site.

I figured a pictorial and some further explanation might be worthwhile.

To start with, you're simply looking for pitch bearing trees. Conifers are the most common source, especially the various pines. If you wander around in a stand of pine trees very long, you'll notice scars on trees due to bug damage, lightning strikes, or even scrubs from tractors. These also occur on the other conifers - yews, hemlocks, and juniper/cedar. The image below is a yew tree in my yard.

If you grab an old spoon and either a tin can or a plastic bag, you can gather chunks of the pitch very easily - enough to make a cupful in a few minutes, usually. This image shows just a couple of minutes' work.

With pine trees, you may find very large chunks of hard rosin. These are great, but may need a solid knife or even small axe to get chunks from.

When you get home, pick any dirt, bark, leaves or other impurities out as much as possible, but don't sweat it too much; you'll strain it later.

Outside of your house, heat your pitch slowly in a small soup can in a pot of water (double boiler) or over direct heat until melted completely. Continue to heat it for quite some time, taking care to avoid letting the turpentine that is cooking off catch fire -- it can be a huge fireball. This is relatively easily avoided with a double boiler, but direct heat can be a problem. If it catches fire, cover it to put it out (having a larger diameter can as a "lid" is helpful here).

Once it's bubbled away for 10-20 minutes, you need to remove any foreign stuff like bark and needles. You can pour it through a strainer that you don't plan on using again, or poke holes in the bottom of another small can. You'll need pliers or gloves to handle this -- don't get it on your skin, it will stick and burn you badly.

Once it's cooked off and strained, you are ready to use it to mix for hafting material or straight up for glue.

One note: Yew trees contain some toxins, so if you are using this for anything you'd eat with, avoid any yew pitch in your concoction.

DIY grease for my flintlock, chapped hands, or whatever.

2010-02-22T21:32:00.005-05:00

A lot of people suggest that you can use straight oils - lard, tallow, coon or bear oil to lubricate your period firearm. I wholeheartedly agree.

One concern people have is with the fat going rancid. That can be the case, especially with tallow or the oils. Lard seems to be okay, in spite of what many 'render your own' sites suggest (see previous post on rendering here: http://amohkali.blogspot.com/2010/01/rendering-bear-or-any-other-fat-for-use.html

First off, the sites that say you have to refrigerate it must be talking about homemade. The box I have in my fridge says "Does not require refrigeration", and it sits out on the shelf in the store. Commercial lard has some additives usually -- BHA, citric acid, and propyl gallate are in the stuff I have (but no salt). Salt is also added both as a preservative and flavor enhancement, so finding salt free lard can be a problem. I use it to cook with occasionally, so am picky about brands. I won't buy any that has hydrogenated Lard in it too. Luckily, lard packaged for the Latin customer ("manteca de cerdo") is sometimes salt free, and seems to be the widest selection/best quality around here.

Because I want to carry it around with me and not get it everywhere, I rarely use straight lard or bear oil like I once did. I mix roughly half and half beeswax and lard to make my "gun grease". If it sets up too thick, I add a little olive oil. All this is done either in the oven or a double boiler, using a tin that started life as a 35mm film spool can as both heating and storage container. You can heat it in the oven too, but start at a really low temp and put a pan under it to catch any splashing. (the oven is actually easiest and doesn't get water splashed in).

You mess with proportions until you have something stiffer than the little tins of lip balm you get at the store (Bert's Bees brand sort of stuff). Mine is completely solid at room temp (60-75 degrees), but a little can be rubbed up with a cloth to wipe your gun (or axe handle). I actually douse a roll of patch material in it, then cut off pieces when ready to load -- voila, a pre-lubed patch (no, it's probably not "PC").

I have kept the same tin in the house, unrefrigerated for going on 10 years, adding a little wax, lard or oil as it needed it. It smells kinda like beeswax right now, and I've never noticed any smell (that would be a bad thing, since I hunt with my BP guns). It WILL get liquid if you keep the tin in your car during the summer. (So does lip balm/ChapStick), so put the container in a plastic bag and keep it upright if you transport it by car in the summer and don't have a really tight fitting lid. Speaking of lip balm, I use this same stuff for chapped hands, lip balm, even hair grease at events.

If you're really worried about smell, get some pine or cedar essential oil, or even a little rosemary leaf and add a couple of drops to your gun grease (filter it if you use rosemary). That means it won't work for lip balm though. I guess you could use any scent (Lavender gun grease?).

The one time I had an issue was when I made a smaller container to travel with and mixed some old bear oil that had either started or gone "off" into that small container. That didn't make my gun smell, but the tin did. That bear oil was too funky to use for paint, so I shoulda known.

You can obviously start with a smaller tin, just make sure it is big enough to handle while melting/mixing, and has a nicely fitting lid. If you're making it for home, a small wide mouthed jar would even work. Melt your wax and lard in a can -- a tomato paste can would be fine.

Other variants: Paraffin replaces the beeswax, use olive oil and beeswax (I don't like this one; melts too easily), use plain lard/tallow/etc (melts too easily too).

There are commercial versions of the beeswax/oil mixture - feel free to experiment and test if you're using it as patch lube.

Rendering bear -- or any other fat -- for use

2010-01-25T13:09:00.003-05:00

(in part from a post I made on Frontier Folk):

Fat is an essential ingredient in the human diet. No matter our modern prejudices, it is an efficient source of energy, it includes compounds necessary to bodily function, and just tastes good. Native people did not have as many sources of fat as we do today, since cold and hot pressing things like safflower, olives, and such was not generally practiced.

Though hickory and other nut oils were rendered by boiling, the primary sources for oils used in cooking and lubrication were animal fats. Most wild game has little fat, so the most commonly available source documented by 18th century writers was bear oil.

Rendering bear or any other animal based fat is a simple process. Chunks of the fat are heated slowly in a container, skimming any non-fat out as it heats, then straining through a basket or cloth.

Reenactors may not have a source for bear fat to use, but you can render any animal fat I can think of the same way. With things other than pork, you want to remove as much 'non fat' as possible before heating, and keep the temperature very low in the process. It's especially important to get any chunks of meat off very early in the process. It makes the tallow/suet/grease less meaty tasting (I'd call it "sweeter").

Deer, beef, even rabbit fats can be rendered for cooking; duck fat for using in confits...the list goes on. There are non-food uses as well -- sheep fat for skin lubrication (lanolin), for example.

If you want to use the rendered fat for non-food use, such as tallow candles, the cleanliness and freshness is less important, but you'll want to do the rendering outside if it's not super fresh or has skin and meat in it.

More detailed instructions, usually specifically addressing lard rendering are available on several sites:

http://countrylife.lehmans.com/2007/10/18/rendering-lard-a-first-timers-guide/
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/04/how-to-render-lard.html
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Food/1231LEDE-Lard

(I make no claims for the info on these external sites)

An Account of some of the principal Dies employed by the North-American Indians

2009-11-13T14:01:00.000-05:00

An Account of some of the principal Dies employed by the North-American Indians. Extracted from a paper, by the late Mr. Hugh Martin.

Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Held at Philadelphia, for Promoting Useful Knowledge. Volume III.
Philadelphia. Printed and sold by Robert Aitken & Son, No. 22: Market Street
M.DCC.XCIII. No. XXVI.

Read Oct. 4th, 1782.

The Indians die their red with a slender root, which is called in the language of the Shawanoes Hau ta the caugh. Upon my showing a specimen of this root to the diers in Philadelphia, they informed me that it was madder, and that by transplanting and cultivating it, for a few years, it would become exactly similar to the imported madder of the shops. In its natural state, it grows in low swampy grounds, and spreads along the ground, near the surface. The roots are of various lengths, some of them being not more than an inch or two, whilst others are two feet, long: their thickness seldom exceeds that of a straw.
These roots, when fresh, for the most part, put on an orange appearance, though some of them are yellow; but after they are dried, which they must be, before they can be used with success, the outside appears of a dark brown: when broken, however, the inside appears red. From every root arises one limber stalk, which is commonly from six to eighteen inches high: at the distance of about half an inch there are four small leaves, and on the top is the seed-vessel, which comes to maturity in September, and is of a conic form. In some swampy situations, I have found, this vegetable growing so plentifully, that several hand-fulls of it might have been gathered within the compass of a yard or two.
The Indians pound the roots of the Hau ta the caugh in a mortar, with the addition of the acid juice obtained from the crab-apple. They, then, throw the whole into a kettle of water along with the substance to be died, and place the vessel over a gentle fire, until the colour is properly fixed.
It is by this process that the Indians die the white hair of deer-tails and the porcupine-quills, with which they ornament themselves, of a red colour. I have also seen a specimen of wool which one of them had died of a beautiful red in the same manner. I made experiments with this red and the vegetable-acid, and succeeded. I also employed the vitriolic-acid in alum, &c. which made it of a darker colour.

The orange colour employed by the Indians, is obtained from the root of the Poccon, the outside being pared of, and also from the plant called Touch-me-not. The vegetable-acid, before mentioned, is likewise used as a fixer to the colour of these two plants. I found that by mixing the red colour of the Hau ta the caugh with the yellow colour of the plant of which I am next to speak, I made an orange.
The Indians die their bright yellow with the root of a plant which grows spontaneously in the western woods, and which might, very properly, be called radix flava Americana. This root is generally from one to three inches long, and about one half of an inch in diameter, and sends out a great number of small filaments in every direction except upwards: these filaments are as yellow as the body of the root itself. From the root there grows up a stalk about a foot from the ground, and at the top is one broad leaf. A red berry, in shape and size resembling a raspberry, but of a deeper red, grows on the top of the leaf: this berry is ripe in July.
I made some experiments with this root and the vegetable-acid, on silk, linnen, and woolen, and succeeded. I tried it again with the vitriolic-acid and, likewise succeeded. I also tried it with the vegetable-alkali, and without any of these substances, and was successful in obtaining a good yellow in its simple state. I presented a specimen of this root to the diers, who found it to be a valuable article in making a yellow, and with the addition of Indigo in making a green.

Their green is made by boiling various blue substances in the liquor of Smooth-Hickery bark, which dies a yellow. In this manner, I have seen blue cloth, and yarn changed to a green; but the goodness of the green depended on that of the blue. There are other substances which die a yellow colour, and with which the Indigo will form a green; but as they are found to be inferior to the radix flava, or Yellow-Root, in making a yellow, and with the Indigo a green, nothing need be said of them.

In making their green the Indians discover great oeconomy. They carefully unravel small pieces of green cloth, and pieces of old green garments. These they throw into a kettle with a sufficient quantity of water, and the cloth to be died. The whole is then set over a gentle fire, until the colour is made. They informed me that by this process they die their Porcupine-quills green.
The blues are so well known to be made by the Indigo of our own continent that nothing need be said concerning them here. Under this head, however, I beg leave to observe, that the Woad is the natural produce of our western soil, and that without it no deep or lasting blue can be made.

The Indians die their black with the Sumach of this country. They, likewise, make a beautiful black with the bark of the White-Walnut, and the vegetable-acid; for they have no knowledge of the mineral acids. With this bark I have seen them die their woolen cloths, and the intestiries of various species of animals, as bears, &c.

Here's the full MLA citation: Martin, Hugh. “An Account of some of the principal dies employed by the North American Indians. In: Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 3 (1793), article no. 26, p. 222-225. Philadelphia, American Philosophical Society, 1793. (Available online at http://memory.loc.gov/ -- you'll need to do a search for the title; American Memory won't give a pasteable URL)

Where can I find out about making tumplines?

2009-11-05T22:28:00.002-05:00

I have had several people ask me how to find more info about making tumplines lately.

If you want to weave a native tumpline there are two or three techniques you need to learn: twining the brow band, fingerweaving the straps, and possibly braiding the ties (you can fingerweave them too). The problem is there's not a single set of instructions for all of this.

I would start with this page I wrote for prisoner ties (in many ways a tumpline of sorts). Then learn to twine straps and fingerweave the ties (oblique weave is the correct weave here). One online source for both is on the NativeTech Site.

There is a good page on fingerweaving simple stuff by Rebecca Jordan Cubbison here: http://www.concentric.net/~rowenna/WIRpages/oblique.html. practice it with the chunkiest string you can find first, maybe even several different colors.

Then learn to twine straps. Two sources of info on this: (Thanks to Chuck Hudson's suggestion for the SPT article) One is a relatively new book on twining available via this website (http://twinedbags.com/index.htm) or from Susan Wallace at Silver Shuttle (maybe other places; I'm not sure). The other is "Tumplines, carrying nets and belts" by Alice Tulloch in Bulletin of the Society of Primitive Technology, Fall 1991: Vol 1, No. 2 and reprinted in Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills: The best from the pages of the Bulletin of Primitive Technology. 1999. 248 Pages. Cost $25.http://www.primitive.org/sptbook.htm

As far as materials, jute works okay, but isn't very comfortable on your skin. Hemp twine would be more comfortable and is a little stronger. Use a quality twine, since you'll put hours into this project, and your time is worth what might be a little more cost. Tom Conde and others have hemp twine available, or try http://hemptraders.com/. Don't use the Wally World and craft store varieties - they are uneven quality and have slubs that are weaker. They may even cost more per foot than the higher quality options. You don't want to have to patch in a new piece half way through.

Speaking of patching in, one hint -- start with your strings really, really long -- 10 or 15 feet longer than you think; the twine is cheap and having to add length really is problematic.

Someday soon I'll post more on the "how to" side.

If a native style tumpline isn't correct for your portrayal, because you are a long hunter or a military type, start with these two drawings we did for the Georgia Rangers: http://georgiarangers.org/equipmentdrawings.htm.

Parching hominy for "Parched corn"

2009-09-29T00:47:00.002-04:00

As mentioned in several period citations, Southeastern people used 'nixtamalized' corn for flour and used it as a direct foodsource.

A common travel food was parched corn (see Adair, for example). To parch hominy, I use the following method. I'll start with commercially available chemically treated hominy. This is available in various brands, the type I use is sold as "Juanita's Mexican Style White Hominy".

I rinse it under cold water to get as much starch and loose corn bits off as possible.

Then dry it on a kitchen towel for about 20-30 minutes, patting dry occassionally. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.

Once dry, put it in a heavy pan (I used a cast iron skillet for this batch) with about a tablespoon of oil (corn, olive, canola, it doesn't matter unless you are concerned about long term storage). In this case, I used corn oil.

Place the pan in the center rack of the oven and cook, removing the pan and shaking it about every 5-10 minutes. Make sure none of the kernels stick. After about 15 minutes of cooking it will take on a little color:

And after 35 it will be nearly done:

When it looks and smells done, about 45-60 minutes, remove it from the oven and pour it out on your dish towel to dry further. Now is the time to salt it if you want it salted, as the salt will stick to it while it has a little oil on it. Notice this has salt on the kernels:

Let it cool thoroughly and enjoy. It is great while still a little warm, but is fine for months after preparation as long as you keep it in a dark place and reduce the amount of moisture that can get to it. It will get harder if exposed to air.

I don't suggest using oils that go rancid easily, as that will reduce the shelf life of your parched corn. I have had brain-tan bags of corn with no liner still edible after more than 6 months, though it was very hard, heavy and tough to chew, rather than light and crunchy

Making hominy

2009-09-29T00:29:00.004-04:00

Here are the steps I take in making hominy from dried corn on the cob:

Step one. Get your corn. I had about 10 ears of a Cherokee "bloody butcher" and mixed field corn that hybridized itself. This was thoroughly dry corn.

Step two. Remove it from the cob. Rubbing it against another ear over a bowl or bucket works great for this.

Step three. Pick through the corn and remove any chunks of cob, loose husks, etc. to get a clean bowl of corn.

Step four. Place corn in a large non-reactive pot and cover with water. Add 1 tsp of lime, lye or baking soda (more baking soda makes the process work faster, but don't increase amounts of lime or lye).

Step five. Either cook for four hours, or soak for two hours to overnight, then cook for two hours until the husks begin to release from the corn (no picture here, I forgot).

Step six. Cool until you can handle, then work the corn gently with your hands to remove the rest of the husks. The husks float, the corn does not. Skim the husks off the top as you work.

Step seven. Cook until tender (about another hour or two, depending on the variety of corn and how long you soaked it, how much lime/lye/baking soda you used, etc.

(Picture to come after I cook the hominy the rest of the way later this week)

You now have hominy, and may use it in Sofkee (Muscogee corn soup), grind it to make masa harina (Latino tortilla & tamale meal), etc.

Two good recipes:

Simple sofkee: Brown venison or pork chunks in a large, heavy pot with some chopped onion. Add hominy and venison/beef broth to cover and cook until the meat is tender. You may add various spices such as cumin or chile, but salt and pepper to taste are the minimum. This can remain on the fire as long as you like, getting more 'soupy' as time goes by.

Breakfast hominy: Cook bacon in a heavy skillet and remove, reserving the bacon drippings. Add chopped onions and cooked hominy and cook until onions are clear, then crumble bacon over top. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and cayenne if you like it spicy. Serve as - is.

Groups supporting Native portrayals at 18th century events

2009-09-09T11:22:00.004-04:00

I see questions about who to contact for information or participation in groups that support Native portrayals pretty regularly, so figured I'd start a list of those I know, and add to it as I could.

To start with, 'cause this is my site/blog, I will put in a plug for our organization: His Majesty's Southern IndianDepartment http://southernindiandept.org/.

We specifically cover the lifespan of His Majesty's Southern Indian Department, but participate in events that span a little before through the Rev. War officially, and our members cover a much wider range of time than that.

Here in the south, there are a few other groups. Forts Loudon and Toulouse have informal native groups that are part of their garrisons. Contact them via:

Fort Loudon: http://fortloudoun.com/
Fort Toulouse: http://www.fttoulousejackson.org/

There are a couple of mixed native/military groups that have tried to start up here in the south, usually associated with ranger groups - the East Florida Rangers (defunct as far as I know) and the West Florida Rangers come to mind. I do not have contact info for either.

Farther north, I know of four formal groups that are native-centric:

The Woodland Confederacy: http://www.concentric.net/~rowenna/woodland/
Colonel Campbell's Indian Department: http://www.csmid.com/indiandepartment.html
Allies of Oquaga Yahoo! Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlliesofOquaga/

Eastern Woodland Alliance Yahoo! Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EWA-2/

If you would like to have your group listed here, please contact me at this email address: amohkali AT gmail.com.

Shavin' down

2009-08-31T01:29:00.005-04:00

One of the hardest parts of being a native reenactor is shavin' parts you're not used to...

An accurate native portrayal requires you to lose a lot of hair, and I don't just mean your beard or head hair. Any exposed body part should be slick -- there are many, many references that substantiate this. Paint looks terrible on hairy skin too.

As such, shaving down is a subject that comes up pretty regularly, and some folks aren't comfortable asking for shaving advice.

I posted most of this on a message board a long time ago. I realized that I should stick it on a blog post and link from my site - not that it's well written, but I think it gets the point across - so found it and did some minor editing.

Shaving down for events:

First off - the primary tool you'll need: A Gillette Fusion Razor (four blades) or equivalent is the best solution, though some of the new women's razors might be better - I haven't tried them. See below for why I like the Fusion. Get spare blades, 'cause the first shave down will kill one set.

You can use a chemical hair remover ("Nair"/"Neet"/etc) first, but some people react to them, and you still have to shave afterwards, so after my first couple of experiences with it, I quit using them. They stink. A lot.

If you have coarse hair and a pair of clippers, use them first, either with the shortest guard you have or none at all. The only reason to use a guard is if your blades get hot. Don't be terribly picky, just get it hacked off to make shaving easier.

Assuming those of you reading this are guys, and used to shaving creams and gels. For this purpose, a shaving gel works best as a lubricant and to get the hair to stand up (and it helps you see where you've shaved). However, cheap hair conditioner is better from a skin lubrication point of view and I get closer shaves with it (on my face too).

It's going to take awhile, so get the bathroom warm, get comfortable, and don't run out of hot water, 'cause you get razorburn from goose bumps. Scrub down what you're going to shave (legs, chest, arms, whatever) and leave it wet. Apply the gel or conditioner just like you do on your face. Give it a few seconds to soften up the hair.

Shave against the grain slowly, take long strokes, and use a back and forth motion rather than just going in a single direction. This clears the long hairs out of the razor and off your leg/chest/arms/whatever. This is like using a farrier's rasp on wood - it clears the teeth to go backwards. Rinse the razor often, and wipe/rinse the hair you've cut off to keep it from getting in the way. The back and forth motion doesn't work on razors without the rubber strip that the Fusion has - the strip works like a squeegee to push the hair.

Don't let the razor slide sidways -- you can cut yourself, but you probably know that if you are a male over 15.

Get your wife or girlfriend (or mom, but don't tell us about it) to take care of your back if you're going to go shirtless.

After you finish the majority of the hair, rinse it off well, soap up and rinse again. That should get all the loose hairs off. You will probably find stuff you missed. Use more shaving gel/conditioner and spot-shave.

When you finish, put some kind of lotion on. Bear oil has a good manly smell, but if you're at home with the wife/girlfriend (if both, that's your own problem), something less manly might be called for.

Remember what's going to be visible -- what your attire will cover. Your leggings will get the lower part of your legs, and if you keep a shirt on, you could be less diligent on your back/chest. The hardest part is what your breechclout and leggings don't cover.

However, it will grow back, so a little itching is worth authenticity, right?

If you have other suggestions, please feel free to post them.

A feather for your cap

2009-08-28T22:00:00.007-04:00

As much as we'd like to have eagle feathers in our hair or hanging on our pipestems, it's not legal in most cases. You can pick up repro eagle feathers from various places, but here are some legal feathers to use in your native 'kit':

Wild Turkey
Royal Palm Turkey
Domestic parrot/parakeet (think Carolina Parakeet)
Ostritch
Duck
Goose
Swan (if legal where you live)
Wild Quail, pigeon or Dove
Crow (check your state regulations, they may be controlled in your state)
For ear fluff, white chicken, goose or duck feathers work.

Places to find them include city parks (duck and goose feathers), friends who hunt, or your state Farmers' Market Bulletin (call some of the exotic bird raising folks -- they might give you some for free). There are also online vendors and the ever-popular eBay. A couple that I've had good experiences with are Claw Antler & Hide Co (http://www.clawantlerhide.com/) and Moscow Hide and Fur (http://www.hideandfur.com/). Both have pretty good prices. "Fluffs" for use as 'down in ears is available from craft stores, but you'll pick through a lot of more mature feathers to get the light, downy ones you want.

1001 things to use instead of charcloth

2008-09-18T14:43:00.007-04:00

Well, not really.

This is from a post on Frontier Folk (http://frontierfolk.net/phpBB/index.php) by Michael Galban asking about charcloth alternatives (not necessarily documentable, just alternatives).

My response:

I've tried about anything that doesn't run away. Sometimes using a relatively scientific method to test . I was keeping up with it pretty well, but I lost the excel spreadsheet storing all the data to stupidity -- don't keep your only copy of something on "removable media". It can get removed when you aren't around.

Not sure if you mean "not charred" or "not cloth". I'm assuming the latter for this reply, though commenting on the former. I have found that a lot of things that won't catch and hold a spark will work after being "charred" like charcloth or after just burning a lot of the volatile gasses and probably just plain water out of them.

Here's a random list: Yellow dried yucca fiber (vs. the still green scraped), basswood, thistle and dogbane fiber that are prepped for twine making, makes great char. They don't work so great before charring, though dogbane comes closest. Thistle fluff makes a good spark catcher whether charred or not, but has to be really dry if not charred. I need to try cattail charred -- didn't have much luck with it. The light fluffy stuff on top of phragmites reeds works like thistle down when charred.

Finely shredded river cane leaves work if you char them. (This learned after a stringmaking experiment went bad). Have thought of trying corn silk, leaves, or shucks the same way.

Cypress bark does not catch a spark, whether charred or not. Cedar isn't great to catch a spark with, but is my favorite tinder.

Various fungi (not good at IDing them) with the thick pithy centers seem to work well once sorta charred -- basically dried to a deep chocolate brown. We don't have many real birch trees, so it's not the genus that Amadou is, but it still works. The original color ranges from cream to light brown to nearly black with a chocolate center. Puffballs added to tinder make tinder catch better, but don't catch sparks.

To teach people (especially kids), I've been using charred "fluff" -- shredded string, cotton or linen thread pulled from fabric, castoffs from twine making, etc., put in a "charcloth tin" and cooked off. If I were in a survival situation, I think this is what I'd want around, as it catches on the first or second swipe with my steel, and you can't make it go out.

Link to cartridge rolling instructions

2008-09-18T14:43:00.004-04:00

Great instructions for rolling cartridges here at this link:

http://3rdalabama.org/roll_cart.htm

Use a reproduction newspaper or a faux "parchment" paper, or just use plain white newsprint that you can often get for free if there's a small newspaper in your town, or get as "art paper" from places like Michaels', Hobby Lobby, or even Wally World.

Finding your hat size

2008-08-18T10:49:00.018-04:00

Buying a new cocked hat for your impression is relatively easy -- many vendors sell finished hats or blanks if you're a do-it-yourselfer. However, you often have to know your hat size. To find this, take a flexible tape measure like the kind used for sewing and measure your head about 1" above your eyebrows around the back on the occipital bun (the bump on the back of your head where the spine enters the skull). Pull snug, but not too tight, as this is how tight your hat will be.

Convert your measurement using the following chart:

Head Measurement (in inches)	Hat size
19 3/8"	6 1/8
19 3/4"	6 1/4
20 1/4"	6 3/8
20 3/4"	6 1/2
21 1/4"	6 5/8
21 1/2"	6 3/4
21 3/4"	6 7/8
22 1/4"	7
22 1/2"	7 1/8
23"	7 1/4
23 3/8" - 23 1/2"	7 3/8
23 3/4"	7 1/2
24"	7 5/8
24 1/2"	7 3/4
25"	7 7/8
25 1/4"	8

Tips on constructing prisoner ties/halters

2008-07-22T15:28:00.011-04:00

A prisoner halter is very similar in construction to a tumpline, using box braiding on the ties rather than fingerweaving and flat braiding. I already have a tumpline page up describing the use and history here.

However, I don’t discuss making one on that page, and have been asked about them and prisoner ties or halters quite a few times, either online or at events where I'm using one of those I've made (see the photo below). There are people much more skilled than I working on books right now, so I'm not going to give full instructions, but would like to offer some hints that might get you going or improve your experience once you get full instructions. When David Wells' book is published, I'll add a link to the appropriate place to buy it to this post.

First of all, I should define the differences between the two. A prisoner tie or rope is exactly that, a strong rope used for the specific purpose of tying up a prisoner. It is usually >20 feet long and decorated, at least somewhat. A prisoner halter or collar is a rope with a twined center neck band. The ends slip through buttonholes to make a collar much like a dog's martingale collar.

The technique required for making a prisoner rope is the box braid, which is also an "8-strand sennit" (see Ashley's book of knots or various online sources for that term and instructions). It's also called a "basic 8 strand round or square braid" on Phiala's Stringpage, where she gives instructions. It's square if you do it right. Her instructions consist of: "Construction: over 5, under 2". Honestly, that really *is* it. Look at the image on Phiala's page to really understand it though: Hopefully she won't move it again or rearrange the site.

For a prisoner halter, you need to add the ability to twine a strap and do some basic fingerweaving or braiding for the "buttonholes". Twining is covered in part on the NativeTech site here,

This is a prisoner halter that I made:

It's the first one I ever did, and some of the suggestions are from flaws I could point out in that photo.

When making Prisoner Halters, you twine the center section, putting a "button hole" in one end to put the rope through to make the halter/neck part of the collar. with 8' ties on each end are a little short, from trying to use them at events. I think 10 or even 12' would be useful, with a full 21 or 22 inch halter to keep from choking people with a 17 or 18" neck. Yes, originally it should have choked the prisoner. We don't want to choke our "prisoners" today. On a prisoner halter, Use jute for the long pieces, hemp yarn for the twining weavers. The hemp is softer against the neck. You could always get into the bondage market with velvet covered or silk prisoner ropes, I guess :0)

Construction suggestions:

Do a two or three foot piece with relatively large cord to start with. Plain old jute gardening twine is good to practice with, and I personally think it looks more like hand-laid cord than almost anything else. Plus, it's .99 a spool at "Big Lots", a couple dollars at Lowe's, Home Depot, Wally World, etc. It dyes with strong, dark colors such as logwood, and RIT works on it too. (No, I don't know of any dyed prisoner ties/halters. I did one just for the heck of it, mixing jute and two different types of hemp).
Cut about three times as much as you think you'll need. It rarely works to splice line in unless you are really good at it, and if you're using jute or hemp "yarn" (Susan Wallace has hemp "yarn"), it's not particularly expensive to start with.
Start in the middle if you're doing a long piece. That way you can leave dangles on the end to put tinkling cones or whatever on. Tie a basic overhand knot (that you can untie later), spread your string out so you have them laid out across your hand/leg in 1,2,3, -- 8 order, then follow her directions.
Start to braid rather tightly, but not so tight it tries to wander in one direction or the other.
Keep the same tension on each weave/braid/knot/whatever you want to call it.
If you realize you've "dropped a stitch", it's probably best to go back and fix it. If it's really far back, run your hand up and down the piece to see if it creates a thinner spot. If so, back up. If not, you can probably leave it.
End with a simple overhand knot or by whipping it with a thinner string, leaving some distance on your ends to decorate and make purty.
If you're making a prisoner rope, 20' isn't too long. They are incredibly strong, and useful for all kind of things beyond prisoners.
If I were making any of these for sale, I'm not 100% sure I'd use jute; I'd have to think about it awhile. Quality hemp seems stronger than the jute I can get, and rarely has bad spots that you have to work around/with.
When I finish an item, I use a torch and burn the fuzzies off, rub it down with a damp cloth, and flame it again. Then I either wash it to soften it some or oil it or both (wash first, then oil). You don't have to do this step, and I don't necessarily on hemp, but have every time I can remember on jute. It makes a much smoother looking piece.
You can tighten the twist on your string or put two of the smaller diameter jute strings together using standard string-making techniques. (z-twist or whatever, if you are a knitter). This makes a stronger rope, probably, and looks a bit nicer, but is very time consuming. I've done it exactly twice -- once re-rolling the string, once using thinner stuff and cording it. I don't do it any more (hard enough to do any braiding with arthritis :-). The dangly pieces of string on the open twined bag here are two strands tightly corded.

Gauge-Caliber and ball weight chart

2008-07-22T15:04:00.009-04:00

The following is a chart showing Gauge, Caliber, and the weight of a pure lead ball for some of the more common 18^th century muzzleloaders.

Gauge (Bore)	Approx. Caliber (in)	Weight of Pure lead Ball (oz)	Weight of Pure lead Ball (gr)
11	0.75
14	0.693	1.143	500
20	0.615	0.8	350
24	0.579	0.667	292
28	0.55	0.571	250
32	0.526	0.5	219
67½	0.41	0.237	104

How I'll use this blog

2008-07-22T14:29:00.002-04:00

I have not been a fan of blogging, but have come to the conclusion that it's probably the easiest way to publish content in a quick-and-dirty format.

That way, after a rousing evening of surfing and reading various posts on various subjects, I can publish a list of links and notes rather than dump it into a word document just to lose later.