Hafted Adz

[Narrow Way Knapper]

My dad gave this to me and I believe it came from Papua New Guinea. Thought you all might enjoy it.

[willjo]

Nice collector piece

[Hal Gorges]

Very well made piece, not all that different from N/A stuff.

[Narrow Way Knapper]

Thanks willjo. It's crazy to think that folks still live in the stone age.

[redrocks]

Cool piece that stone looks long

[Cecilia]

Very cool! What material was used to haft you think? Looks kinda reedy in pic, but prob’ly leather, yes?

[Narrow Way Knapper]

I should also mention, that leather is not used very often in tropical climates. It mildews and rots. Cotton, certain kinds of tree bark and palm fiber are used instead.

[Narrow Way Knapper]

I think it's the cane used in wicker work. Not exactly sure though.

The handle is pretty unique, because it is a tree branch and the part where the hafting occurs is trunk wood/branch collar zone. It's all one piece of wood.

[Cecilia]

I knew it! I have big, funky black piece furniture dad sent me from some island somewhere, looks just like hafting. That sucker weighs a gazillion tons even tho it’s one-tenth size of huge solid cherry wardrobe! Humans are industrious and clever, and know how to make do with what they’ve got!

[paohrocks]

Very cool piece, appreciate the share.

[CMD]

Thanks willjo. It's crazy to think that folks still live in the stone age.

If some cataclysm ever caused the collapse of modern civilization, those are the people most likely to survive to carry on our species. I hope such tribes always survive. In the Amazon, we see the conflict begun by Columbus and colonization never really ended, it is still ongoing. That in itself is amazing.

Very nice tool! My father-in-Law was gifted some items from a Polynesian chieftain during WWII. Among them, a black wood cane inset with mother of pearl.

[Cecilia]

Maybe it’s matching piece to what Dad sent me (w/o mother of Pearl, unfortunately...)

[painshill]

Cool item. And a perfect illustration that 'Stone Age' really has no meaning in a temporal sense unless also considered in relation to a particular region of the world.

[Quartzite Keith]

A series of old, long, not in English documentaries on how these adzes were made and used:

https://www.canal-u.tv/video/cerimes/la ... lisee.8582

https://www.canal-u.tv/video/cerimes/la ... aille.8716

https://www.canal-u.tv/video/cerimes/ye ... uinee.8535

https://www.canal-u.tv/video/cerimes/la ... uinee.8557

[oldrocks2]

Thanks for the postings. Amazing work but the proximity of spalls being driven off and his privates makes me cringe.