Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Birthday Jan Zender !

Carved cedar flute, burl effigy bowl, and burl effigy ladle

Miscellaneous silver pieces

During the 1700s and early 1800s, both French and English traders brought silver ornaments to trade with Indians. They brought brooches, earrings, earwheels, gorgets, bracelets and arm bands. And the Jesuits brought brass and silver trade rings to pass out to their hoped for converts. Jan and his daughter Kalil reproduce an array of these Eastern Woodland and Great Lakes silver trade items. Most pieces can be made from sterling, German silver, or brass. Many of these items are available, but if not, orders are welcome and should not take more than four weeks. A complete trade silver catalog is available in paper form at this time, while we work to make it accessible on line or by disc.

Handmade maple paddle canoe with carved handle, 6 inch wide by 34 inch wampum belt, and trade hatchet

Hair ornament

Our birch bark canoes are made with strict attention to details. Typically, the bottoms are one piece of bark, thus eliminating the need for seams on the bottom. Side panels are then added as necessary. Ribs, planking, inner and outer gunwales and gunwale caps are hand split from high quality cedar logs. All lashing is done with spruce roots, including the decorative stitching on the ends. Our hardwood thwarts are delicately carved, morticed, pegged, and lashed in place. Man boards are carved from cedar and painted with natural earth paints.

Our canoes can be seen at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis , Indiana, the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania and the Fort Miami Museum in St. Joseph, Michigan. Our twenty- six foot canoe now at the Heinz History Center also traveled to the National Museum of War in Ontario, Canada and then to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.

Copy and photos from Zender Dale Arts. Jan and his daughter, Kalil, will be at the 2011 CLA Show in August.

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