Walkingsticks, canes, and staffs have been a part of human society since the beginning of civilization. Throughout the ages, we have shaped the simple piece of wood into many religious, military, and governmental symbols. Ancient Christian and Buddhist texts refer to the staff, and Eygptian tombs and Assyrian reliefs are adorned with pictures of Pharaohs and priest-kings with staves denoting their power and rank. Moses parted the Red Sea with his staff, and the Popes of Rome carry the shepard's crook, fixed with gold and jewels. Robin Hood befriended Little John after a battle with staves. Even Peter Rabbit has been seen with a cane.
The Seventeeth and Eighteenth centuries saw a rise in fashionable canes for men and women, and today the staff, cane, and walkingstick still play an important role in the lives of outdoor enthusiasts, kings, the elderly, the mighty, and the interested.I have been making and collecting walkingstick, canes, and staves for fifteen years now. People have seen them mostly here in the States but as far away as South America and Europe. They started out as gifts but interest grew outside the circumference of my friends and family, and since that time I have been making them for others: husbands, wives, lovers, grandparents, friends, preachers, Sunday school teachers, and children.
Each piece is different, no two alike, though they have some similiarities in the design and the fact that each contains a quotation. Bible verses, prayers, songs, children's stories, family geneologies, poems, selections from classical and modern literature, all have found their way onto a walkingstick, cane, or staff at one time or another. The client chooses the type of stick and what they want the quotation to be. Sometimes a secret message is incorporated into the design for a more personal feel.Each piece is named and the season and year of completion are found at the top of the stick. Handpicked poplar or birch saplings are used. The designs are woodburned on the stick, painted, and then three coats of finish are added to keep the gift from scratching and paint from chipping.
It would be my honor to make one for you or work with you to design a walkingstick for a loved one.
