Firefox Kuksa

[Wayland]

Following on from the kolrosing I did on my "Saivo Bowl" recently I decided to make it a pair with a kuksa I bought a while back.

I bought it because I particularly liked the reflective rays in the grain of the wood, an effect which I am told is referred to as "Chatoyancy". They reminded me of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) which I have been lucky enough to see a few times now.

Having researched many of the Sámi drum symbols for the bowl I thought I could use some of them to depict the Great Elk Hunt that is recorded for the Sámi in the constellations of the Northern sky.

I'm calling it my "Firefox Kuksa" after another story that the Aurora is caused by the tail of an Arctic fox brushing snow up into the air.

 

[Tony]

Nice. I've got to say that you do inspire me mate!

 

[Wayland]

You, and this site that you created have been a huge inspiration to me as well mate.

 

[Mark Baigent]

Love it, wonderful work.

 

[Wayland]

Thank you Mark.

 

[Muddypaws]

Absolutely stunning!

 

[Wayland]

Thank you MP

 

[Wayland]

For anyone interested in the stories involved.

 

[Tengu]

You can tell its an elk rather than anything else.

The big shoulders and spreading rather than upright antlers.

 

[Coldfeet]

That is absolutely gorgeous. Well done indeed.

 

[Wayland]

You can tell its an elk rather than anything else.

The big shoulders and spreading rather than upright antlers.

It is remarkable how they have clearly represented different creatures and individually with such a bare minimum of lines.

What it illustrates is how efficiently they can distil their essential characteristics.

 

[DocG]

Very nice job - thanks for sharing. I feel the need to have another go at carving a kuksa after these inspiring pictures.

 

[Wayland]

In case it is not clear. I do need to repeat that I did not make either the kuksa or the bowl, I just did the Kolrosing.

 

[Robson Valley]

Your kolrosing is certainly a refreshing design.
Do you happen to know the tree species of these woods?
They appear to be different.

 

[Wayland]

I confess that I am terrible at identifying wood from it's grain. I nearly always get it wrong. If it's not labelled I'm lost.

My guesses, based only upon their resistance to cutting, would be something hard and beech like for the bowl and something much softer like birch for the kuksa.

I wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be totally wrong but those would be the traditional materials for both of those artefacts.

 

[Wayland]

In response to an enquiry elsewhere, I've put together a quick guide to the drum symbols I've used.

 

[welshwoodsman]

Beautiful work again mate.

 

[Robson Valley]

Everything you draw, I would label as moose. Alces alces. Elk, to us, is a very different ungulate altogether.
In any event, they are animals of the Taiga = Boreal Forest. On my table, both are a treat.
Your kolrosing uses a remarkable economy of line.

 

[Wayland]

Two Nations separated by a common language.

It's only you colonials that call an Elk a Moose... What you call an Elk is more or less what we call a Red Deer...

I find that economy of line one of the very distinctive features of the drum art. In some ways it distils things to their absolute essence.

 

[Robson Valley]

Name the species, Wayland. I have a complete distrust of common names.
English is particularly bad for that. Moose is Alces alces. You got them?