Flat Stones

I wrote a little about sling stones in my blog about trying to replicate them using modern tools. The Chamorro name for sling stone is acho' atupat (or atupak) and were produced in the Latte Period/Phase (1000-250 BP). History books describe them as egg or acorn-shaped stones fashioned with “jasper-like” stone, or with sun or fire-hardened clay. People now use the words biconical or football-shaped to describe them. The ancient people wielded them with deadly accuracy. The biconical shape of the Chamorro sling stone is supposed to be state of the art as compared to sling stone designs from other parts of the world.

Pictured below are views of two different examples that were found in Wing Beach or what was known by the ancients as the Chamorro village of Luyo.

I noticed that these are more like flattened or deflated footballs. The views on the left are the top and bottom views typical of what a Chamorro sling stone should look like. I composited the different views of the two "flattened" acho' atupat into the picture above for your study and enjoyment. These are clearly flatter stones.

Maybe the flattened shape was a sign of design development? Was this shape specific to a certain purpose? One day, I hope someone studies what the different shapes were good for. The ancient people were truly amazing craftsmen.

Ti napu.

The Beachcomber

I missed the show!

I was thinking of selling some Spondylus, hima (giant clam), and bone pendants this weekend at the Christmas Artists Bazaar at the Multipurpose Center, Susupe, Saipan. I missed the boat though and they ran out of space while I contemplated if I had enough pieces to sell. We all should go though in support of the very few handful of artisans that we have in the CNMI. I believe it is on both Saturday and Sunday from 09:00 till 19:00. Bring some cash for some good art. I hope to see you there!

Here is a classical style Spondylus salape' pendant that I made for my good friend Tina S. The shell fragment that I cut this from had a gorgeous red orange color and I really did not want to waste any of the shell. The best way I thought to do so was in the style that you see now. Even the toggle that closes the necklace is from the same shell fragment.

Now, I usually think about the significance of the characteristics of a piece quite extensively. But this design really just made me think of an exclamation point and the Exclamation perfume bottle that was marketed a few years back. From a graphics arts perspective, the design was genius in my mind.

But what significance does this have in terms of my friend Tina? Well, she has surprised me in many occasions in the many things that she is involved with in our community. But if anything, I wish that this little piece of Spondylus is a reminder of how precious the community that both she and I serve is. In our work together a few years ago, she was the one who quoted to me, "Community first, above all." Courage, strength, truth, honor, equity, compassion and so on and so forth is what I wish for you to have and is really who you already are to me, Tina. Good luck on your new role.

Hafa adai, everyone!

Hafa adai! Welcome to my blog and my first post. Being an avid beachcomber and general nature lover, I thought it would be nice to be able to share some of the things I see and discover in the wonderful islands of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.

I have lived on Saipan for 5 years now and there are still many things to do, see, experience and learn even though the island is just 20 km (12.5 mi) long and 9 km (5.5 mi) wide. Saipan is all about the things that enjoy so I hope I am able to share with you some interesting anecdotes on my interest in nature, history, health, or really just about anything and everything.

Blogging has become a favorite past time here on Saipan. I will mostly keep my blogging anonymous since I like my privacy very much. Please do the same for me and respect my privacy. I hope that this is something that I will find fun to do and fun for you to share in as well since I feel like there are somethings that I see or do that others may appreciate too.

So, Here we go. I'll try to make this entertaining. Thank you for allowing me to share!

One of my hobbies:

The ancient people of the Mariana Islands had an affinity for the Spondylus, or spiny oyster. The Chamorros made coin like beads with a hole (mainly in the middle) that they bound together and used as ornamentation. Some people believe they were also used for monetary purpose as salape' (money).

After seeing only a few artisans here on Saipan fashioning pendants and other ornaments made out of Spondylus and other natural materials, I decided to give it a try myself. Future posts will showcase the learning process that I go through in developing my new hobby, but ultimately, I hope that this inspires others to reclaim the lost arts of the past and so that knowledge of the ancient Chamorros is appreciated and not forgotten. I invite other artisans to share ideas and techniques within these blogs as well so that interest in the ancient arts grow and continue to be refined.

This is a picture of the first three Spondylus salape' pendants that I cut, polished and bound. Although you cannot see it in this picture, the necklaces are bound by a simple loop and small salape' toggles. I used hemp-like beading cord that are made of cotton. Finishing the first three gave me a lot of satisfaction since it was accomplished all through trial and error. I hope you like them too.