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News

So much to experience and learn…Great Lakes Traditional Arts Gathering July 2014

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Thunderbird Atlatl will be returning to the Great Lakes Traditional Art Gathering on Drummond Island, Michigan July 9 to 13.

Bob Berg will be teaching about natural resin adhesives and atlatl dart making. Cheryll Berg will be on hand to help out. The atlatl courses will also include an Atlatls on Water target course. On the adhesives side, Bob will focus on birch tar, traditional resins and dop hafting.

Bob’s classes are only a few of the amazing schedule of classes offered during the program. Other topics include historic technology and crafts, textiles and fiber arts; metal arts; language, oral traditions, music and dance; hunting and fishing; maritime traditions; natural history and sustainability; foods and cooking; shelter arts; bushcraft; symposiums and programs for children.

Instructors include Erik Vosteen, Dave Shananquet, Daisy Kostus, George Martin, Jennie Brown, Peter McCreedy, Barry Keegan, Mike Miller, Craig Perdue, Sam Thayer, Waaseyaa’sin Christine Sy, Roger LaBine, Rachel Mifsud, Ben Piersma, Larry Horrigan, Ferdy Goode, Amy Schmidt, Tim Carr, Carly Shananaquet, Bob Love, Chris Hornby, Hugh Covert, George Hedgepeth, Georgia Donovan, Keith Knecht, Jan Zender, Rochelle Dale and others.

Click on the link above to find out more details out about the event and information about registering. It’s definitely worth a trip to Drummond Island in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula to spend a few days learning about the traditions that have brought us all forward to today.

These photos show Thunderbird Atlatl’s atlatl fishing excursion (after a full day of preparation!) last year at the Great Lakes Traditional Arts Gathering.

Night Fishing at Drummond Island with birch bark torches at the Great Lakes Traditional Arts Gathering.
Night Fishing at Drummond Island with birch bark torches at the Great Lakes Traditional Arts Gathering.
Fishing with harpoons in Lake Huron, Michigan, just off of Drummond Island. No fish were harmed in the production of this photo.
Fishing with harpoons in Lake Huron, Michigan, just off of Drummond Island. No fish were harmed in the production of this photo.

Our Products, Video

Atlatl Kit Making Tutorial Videos

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Making your own atlatl or spear thrower and darts is a satisfying experience plus it saves you money! We make great atlatl and dart kits here at Thunderbird Atlatl. Our kits have been featured in Make Magazine.

Now, thanks to the efforts of our webmaster and videographer Peter Berg, we have posted our atlatl kit instructions to our website. We are also uploading instructional videos on each of the kits to You Tube and posting them on our website. The first video on making your own dart kit is now available.

Below is an example of a dart and a Wyalusing atlatl made by one of our customers. The second picture shows participants in one of our workshops making their own darts. This workshop takes place every year at the Chimney Point Historic Site in Vergennes, VT.

Wyalusing Atlatl and dart made by William Moss.
Wyalusing Atlatl and dart made by William Moss.
Workshop at Chimney Point
Workshop at Chimney Point
News, Tributes

Remembering John Morris

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We are sad to report that our dear atlatl friend and supporter John Morris passed away this past Friday, January 24.

John of Grand Isle, Vermont, fell in love with the atlatl on a visit to the annual atlatl event at Chimney Point Historic Site in Addison, Vermont several years ago. John, a man of many interests, immediately started practicing with the atlatl at his beautiful homestead on Grand Isle. He and his late wife, Bette, often would show and demonstrate the atlatl to local school groups, scouts and many others.

John Morris demonstrating his atlatl skills at the Chimney Point Historic Site in Addison, Vt. (Photo Courtesy of Chimney Point)
John Morris demonstrating his atlatl skills at the Chimney Point Historic site in Addison, Vt. (Photo Courtesy of Chimney Point)

John participated in many atlatl contests and devoted many hours sharing his love for the sport with countless people. John was instrumental in extending the atlatl program at Chimney Point by adding a Sunday master class/coaching class for young people and anyone interested in learning about the atlatl.

John Morris (far right) with fellow atlatlists competing in an ISAC contest at Chimney Point Historic Site. (Photo Courtesy of Chimney Point)
John Morris (far right) with fellow atlatlists competing in an ISAC contest at Chimney Point Historic Site. (Photo Courtesy of Chimney Point)

When ill health over the last couple of years prevented him from competing, John still made the effort to come to the Chimney Point program and support his fellow atlatlists. We all were fortunate to know both John and his amazing kindness and generosity. John and Bette were both members of the Secret Ear of Corn Oooga Booga Society

We will miss you John. Farewell dear friend.

John’s obituary can be viewed in The Burlington Free Press Services will be Friday in St. Albans, Vermont at the Heald Funeral Home

Hunting & Fishing, Tributes

Thunderbird Atlatl’s Memorial to Friends who Rediscovererd the Arts of Hunting and Fishing with the Atlatl

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Wendel Adams, my good friend who passed away several years ago was a fellow atlatlist who helped in the Great Atlatl Hunting Experiment where we relearned how to use atlatls for hunting big game. Wendel was from Kentucky. He was an amazing machinist and an avid outdoorsman.

The art of atlatl hunting had been lost and after about a decade of experimentation we figured out how to do it again. We also shared atlatl fishing trips in Florida and Kentucky.

Wendel helped me build my first dart tapering machine when he and his wife Bobbi came to visit us in New York. I think it was 2001 or 2002. Not to forget, the many times Bobbi and Wendel helped make my life and my family’s life much more comfortable on the road through their gracious hospitality.

Our dear friend and fellow atlatlist the late Wendel Adams.
Our dear friend and fellow atlatlist the late Wendel Adams.

I also remember the late Lou Becker, an atlatlist and boyer from Michigan who was an inspiration for me also in the effort to discover how the atlatl may have been used for hunting. I met Lou in the early 1990s when he was experimenting and making atlatls. Lou was a kind and gentle friend who shared his enthusiasm for hunting and learning with me. Along with his many other responsibilities, Lou served as President of the Michigan Atlatl Association.

Good friend and fellow atlatlist and boyer the late Lou Becker.
Good friend and fellow atlatlist and boyer the late Lou Becker.