beaver stick – Astrolabe Arts

Natural Beaver Wood Native American Hiking Staff

This is a shorter staff measuring only 49.5″ and is also another customized gift. It is a piece of beaver wood found in the Ammonoosuc river in New Hampshire. Both the top and bottom have been pointed by beavers and teeth marks are visible along the length of the staff. There are numerous Native American symbols depicted with wood burning, metallic pens, and paint pens. I hope it’s not a grievous case of cultural appropriation, I simply enjoy working with these symbols. Three turquoise beds are tied near the top of the staff. I used acrylic sealer and boiled linseed oil to protect the ink and wood respectively.

Many of the symbols have different stylizations and meanings depending on which tribe they’re from. I did my best to match each one with their respective tribes but couldn’t always find their specific origin. The dragonfly and butterfly depictions I used are not the same stylizations specific to any particular tribe, but the insects themselves are symbolic to many. And since meanings and styles differ greatly from tribe to tribe and clan to clan if I’ve written anything inaccurate I would like to know the accurate information.

Symbols and meanings present on staff:

Sun symbol, unspecified tribe: happiness

Dragonfly, Zuni: messengers of the spirit world, swiftness, activity

Turtle, Hopi, Navajo: persistence, longevity, mother Earth and in some myths saved their tribes from the Great Flood

Cut circle with eight projecting lines, unspecified tribe: Earth forces, permanent home

Kokopelli, Hopi, Zuni, fertility, spiritual and physical healing, love, and music

Thunderbird, found across North American tribes: most commonly associated with divine dominion, unlimited happiness, strength, protection, and indomitable spirit

Serpent Mound, Adena, Fort Ancient, or possibly earlier tribes, believed to mark solstices and special astronomical dates, spiritual power, and rebirth. It’s also similar to the Hopi Tokchi’i symbol which may represent the Serpent Mound, the guardian of the East which they believe was constructed by their ancestors

Crescent moon, unspecified tribe: guardian of Earth associated with femininity and grandmothers

Four pointed star, or Kachina, Pueblo Tribes: morning star, courage, and purity of spirit

Spiral, Pueblo Tribes: most commonly associated with a journey

Bear with arrow, Zuni: the arrow is called a heartline and traces the path of breath to the place of the spirit, represents and encourages strength and good health

Bear prints, unspecified tribe: good omen

Turquoise, Zuni: sky stone

Turquoise, modern generalized (likely from a distillation of ancient sources): wisdom, tranquility, protection, good fortune, and hope

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February 28, 2021November 19, 2020 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: Adena, American Southwest, beaver chew, beaver stick, beaver wood, hiking cane, hiking staff, hiking stick, Hopi, native american, natural, Pueblo, Southwest, walking cane, walking staff, walking stick, Zuni Leave a comment

Natural Beaver Chew Elemental Staff

This is a shorter staff, perhaps more accurately a cane, and is made from a piece of beaver chew wood that’s 47.5” long, or just a half inch under 4 feet. The tips were shaped by beavers and their tooth marks can still be seen along its length. The top features a compass star above an astrolabe to symbolize guidance and direction. Below those are two turquoise beads threaded with rawhide and accented by vibrant strands of colored yarn symbolizing the intertwining of the four elemental forces: blue for water; green for earth; orange for fire, and light purple for air. Further down are a leaf, gusts of wind, a rain drop, and a flame, which are also meant to be representations of the four elemental forces. Opposite the compass star and astrolabe are a sun and crescent moon. Underneath those are a circle containing a river and pyramid and below that a star, the four symbolize the Sun, Moon, Earth and stars. The images are all wood burned then colored with paint pens. Acrylic sealer was used to keep the paint from smudging and to protect the wood from weathering as well as boiled linseed oil for the same purpose.

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September 30, 2020August 19, 2020 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: beaver chew, beaver stick, beaver wood, elemental, natural, painted, pyrography, river wood Leave a comment

Natural Wand

The wood of this wand is most likely birch, but was difficult to be certain because it’s also a “beaver chew,” also called a “beaver stick,” and has had the bark chewed off. But this process has left clear tooth marks on parts of the wand’s blade. The point of the wand was also created naturally by beavers.

Continuing with the strong natural theme of this wand I attached a quartz crystal to the bottom of the haft and used vines to help keep it secure. I also attached feathers I found, one from a blue jay, a cardinal, and a small yellow bird -probably some kind of finch. There’s a little detailing done with a wood-burner and bands of yellow, blue, and red hemp to match the colors of each feather.

It’s about 13.5” long and polished with boiled linseed oil.

Artist: J.R. Goslant

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August 12, 2017July 22, 2017 by jrgoslant Categories: WandsTags: beaver chew, beaver stick, beaver wood, bird feathers, blue jay, blue jay feather, cardinal, cardinal feather, crystal, feather, magic wand, natural, nature, pyrography, quartz, quartz crystal, vine, vines, wand, wood burning, yellow bird, yellow feather Leave a comment

Small Ægishjálmur and Elder Futhark Hiking Stick

This staff is about 53” tall and made from a piece of river wood, more specifically a “beaver chew,” or “beaver stick.” Beavers removed the bark from the wood by chewing it off and although the light sanding and polyurethane coats have obscured many of the toothmarks, some still remain visible.

I wood-burned the Nordic rune “Ægishjálmur” twice at the top and was meant to protect the wearer in battle. Originally I wanted to do a Nordic compass, it looks similar, but it’s a little more detailed and would have been much more difficult to do given the size of my wood-burner. Going down the staff on each side is the Elder Futhark rune set with each one representing a letter, a number, and would be used in divination.