Adaka Festival: Beading

The first day of Adaka was so excellent, it set the bar very high. I wasn't sure that any of the other classes could match the experience. I was wrong!

My card holder, in progress

Beading a card holder with Lena Sanford 

My second class was on beading. I've done some beading, but the only experience I had with the traditional technique was with Fran in Dawson City, where I did that little fireweed keychain holder (which I do love, and which I carry with me all the time).

It was interesting that the teaching styles were so different. Lena was very laid back. While the leather for the holders was pre-cut in various styles from home-tanned and smoked moosehide (her husband had shot the moose), she let us choose pretty much everything else, from the beading pattern to the colors.

It was a little overwhelming.

She had patterns of birds and flowers and animals, none of which really "spoke" to me. I finally decided on forget-me-not, as it's a traditional pattern and I like the colors, but I wanted to do something bigger than the patterns she had. Thus, all the scratchings on my lovely piece of leather.

Also, unfortunately, there wasn't really a forget-me-not blue, but I saw the turquoise and liked it. I remembered what someone had said about having the colors contrast well with each other. It seems like there is a balance between the crystal and matte beads that I liked.

So the one thing that was different about Lena's technique is that you use TWO needles. One needle and thread is for the beads, and the other is for tacking it down. I can see why one might want to do this, but it does make for some complicated needle management.

The hide was really thick and tough to get through, so I was grateful for the deerskin thimble I'd made the day before. We broke SO many needles during this class — I think at the end of the day we had broken 20, as a class.

This is after a WEEK. 

So, the bottom line on this is that I love doing this, too. One does get faster. Unfortunately, for this project, I took the wrong beads home. I didn't get the right yellow ones, and I didn't get the right matte blue beads either — the ones I brought home were too small.

So I'm having to get creative with some of the beads that I have in my stash, and the project is not exactly turning out like I expected.

Again, for a first project, it's all good. I am learning a lot.

Purse, beading by Delores Scheffen.
Delores is one of the master beaders, and is very well known. 

I also valued the laid-back manner in which Lena taught the class. While she was always ready with tips and tricks, and one would do well to listen, it was like learning from a grandma who let you make your own mistakes, because that's the way that you learn best. I really liked that she wasn't all in your face about how to do things.

In fact, not knowing anything about much at all, I didn't know what the difference was between the types of thread she had available. One of them was really soft and frayed a lot; the other was nylon and seemed more sturdy. I ended up trying them on different needles, and it was easy to keep the needles separate with the different colors/types of thread. "Hmmm," said Lena. "That might be a good way to tell the difference between the two needles! I like it!"

Moccasins by Delores Scheffen

So we learn from ignorance and from each other.

The other thing that has been wonderful about these classes is the sharing and repartee that goes on among people who are mostly strangers.

In the beading class there were two women who were friends, and they kept up a running conversation, plus there was Bernie who kept disappearing to attend a boat lecture or other activity. But the rest of us chimed in or shared things with each other as we liked. I have missed this aspect of working together, and it fed my soul, even with people who I will probably never meet again.

One of the dugout canoes, other boats in the background

Adaka: other activities

Oh my, there were so many things to do.

Birchbark canoe at Adaka.

Outside, they were making traditional boats: a birchbark canoe, a moosehide boat, two dugouts (one by visiting Maori), and a quiyak. These boats were all made traditionally over the course of the 10 days or so, and it was fascinating to see them come to life.

On my lunch break I was able to attend part of one of the discussions on the birchbark canoe, and I was so impressed that he said it took about 4-5 days for collecting the materials, and another 4-5 days to make the boat. He said it would have gone much quicker if there hadn't been so many questions to answer!

I was just so impressed that that these lightweight and sturdy craft could be assembled so quickly, from materials that the forest provided. A good canoe can last 10 years.

They were going to launch all the craft on the last day of Adaka. Wouldn't that be a thing to see!

There are also dancers and drummers and storytellers. There's a performance every night. Plus just seeing the artists working and sharing their craft is pretty amazing.

There are carvers, weavers, copper toolers, knife-makers, moosehair tufters, beaders, metal workers, and more.

Sheer heaven.

I want to do everything.

Cynthia, my Quebeçois friend, made a porcupine quilled medicine bag. She was very humble about it.

We got back to the hostel and pretty much collapsed, but not after talking with John from Winnepeg.
More fascinating conversations, and I got NO writing done!