Scrimshaw

by Elly Kendall
American scrimshaw dates back to at least 100-200 AD in North America, practiced for centuries by native groups along the Northwest Coast. Not wanting to simply discard the teeth and bones of animals hunted for food, native cultures invented a new style of art that would later be known as Scrimshaw, one of only a few indigenous American crafts.
While other cultures around the world, such as the Orient artists, certainly worked in ivory and bone, the style of North American cultures and that of the Yankee sailors who followed were uniquely their own, making scrimshaw a traditionally American art form. It was adopted by the Yankee whale men of the early 1800's. Two- to five-year voyages quickly became monotonous, so the whale men turned to working with baleen, whale teeth, and jawbones, all of which were in abundant supply. In fact, on many ships, whale teeth were part of the pay and were often traded in port for goods or services. The origin of the word is obscure; one interesting etymology is a Dutch phrase meaning "to waste one's time!" The term "scrimshaw" also applies to carved or pierced bone or ivory, since much of the whale men’s work was carved rather than etched.
Scrimshaw art is a slow and tedious process where one mistake can ruin an entire piece. Creating ivory sculpture or carving is equally unforgiving work. Scrimshaw is not an art form for the impatient. Each piece can take from 30 to over 900 hours to complete. Scrimshaw is usually defined as carving or embellishment of ivory or bone. Today's definition would more likely be thought of as the intricate incising of ivory to produce images of unbelievable detail. Incising and engraving could both describe the scrimshaw method. Extremely sharp scribes scratch the surface of the ivory, and then paint or ink is rubbed into the incisions. Stippling is a technique of employing thousands of tiny holes that are then carefully filled with pigment to reveal a beautiful work of art and to create the fine shading.
Today, Scrimshaw is still practiced by master scrimshanders (the scrimshaw artist) and their work is highly sought after and collected. Perhaps the most noted collector was President John F. Kennedy, who even displayed many of his most cherished pieces of ivory scrimshaw in the Oval Office of the White House. The greatest masters of the craft to have ever picked up a scribe are working today. Their techniques and the modern-day masterpieces they create have contributed greatly to the increasing collector’s value of this significant and historical American art form. This is the era of the finest masterpieces ever produced in scrimshaw.
No animals are harmed as the result of work by responsible scrimshanders. Most srimshaw is done on shed antler, bone, horn, legal elephant, antique piano keys and fossil ivories. The fossil ivory is from the ice age giant, the Wooly Mammoth, or ancient fossil mastodon or walrus tusk, making it ecologically ideal for the traditional 14th wedding anniversary gift of ivory. Horn scrimshaw is most often seen on black powder hunting horns. The rare and beautiful woods used by the artist are primarily black Ebony from harvest farms near Makassar on the island of Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia, and equally magnificent Ironwoods from the African continent.
Scrimshaw combines the allure of history, fine art, and heritage making it not only a potentially valuable investment but an investment in our heritage. It links us with cave art to modern pieces and with extinct creatures. Maybe the value scrimshaw collectors see far surpasses the dollar.
Elly Kendall writes articles for Log Cabin Fever Gifts & Decor
For Scrimshaw Gifts & Decor please visit http://cabinfevergifts.com .

Peppermint and Stomach Pain

Mar 08 2011
Katherine Scrimshaw

Peppermint has been promoted as helpful for gastrointestinal problems for centuries. In fact, physician and apothecary Nicholas Culpeper, wrote in 1653 that "mint is very profitable to the stomach." Unfortunately today the benefits are not quite that clear cut. For some conditions mint is indeed helpful but for others it can exacerbate the problem.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A meta-analysis of the existing research data up to 2007 conducted by Dr. Alex Ford of McMaster University showed peppermint oil to be an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Peppermint’s beneficial effects were particularly pronounced in children, who showed the strongest benefits from the treatment. There have been no studies to date however, on children younger than eight.
It is important to note that all of the studies included in this analysis used peppermint oil in enteric coated capsules. Peppermint tea or candies are unlikely to produce the same reduction in symptoms since the peppermint’s antispasmodic properties will work on the stomach rather than targeting the intestinal muscles which are the source of the discomfort.

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Heartburn and Indigestion

Although the menthol in peppermint increases the flow of bile and may in that way aid in digestion it can also cause heartburn. The relaxant properties of peppermint which make it so effective for IBS also act on the sphincter that keeps the food you swallow in your stomach and prevents stomach acids from entering the esophagus. For this reason people who suffer from either gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or a hiatal hernia are advised to avoid peppermint. The menthol content in peppermint tea is much reduced and there is anecdotal evidence that it may help with occasional heartburn, for those without these conditions however, there are as yet no studies to support this.

Gas Pains and Bloating

Anyone suffering frequent gas pains and bloating should consult a physician but for occasional bouts brought on by overeating or greasy food peppermint oil can relax the intestinal muscles and allow gas to pass through and be more easily eliminated. As with treating IBS enteric coated capsules prove to be the most effective since the capsules pass through the stomach intact so that the intestines receive the full benefit.

Nausea

Unfortunately there has not been enough research into peppermint as a treatment for nausea to make any conclusions.

Peppermint can interfere with some drugs, increasing how quickly they are broken down by the liver. If you are taking any other medication, check with your doctor before taking therapeutic doses of peppermint oil.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.

References:

Meyler's Side Effects of Herbal Medicines by Jeffrey K. Aronson (Elsevier Science: 2008)
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, (Wordsworth Editions Ltd.:1995)

Scrimshaw Art in Bequia

By Norma Faria

Scrimshaw is the traditional seaman's art of etching seafaring scenes on whale's teeth, bones and other hard materials like oak wood. A maker of scrimshaw is called a scrimshander.

In its heyday during the 1800s, scrimshaw was a true maritime art. Seamen, especially those working on whale-hunting square riggers, had plenty of time on their hands as they journeyed to and from the whale grounds.

On the whale's teeth they had collected on previous voyages, they etched in with sail needles those scenes with which they were intimately involved: whale hunts, other sailing vessels, the mythical mermaid.

Later, they would give their work away to their loved ones, barter with the local tavern owner for a few drinks, trade to a woman of the night for a few moments of companionship or generally try to sell them.

Now, with the decline of the whaling industry and with modern-day fishermen and merchant mariners passing their free time watching videos, scrimshaw is almost all done ashore. The bucking, cramped musty seamen's quarters in the fo'c'sle (scrimshaw was also sometimes done on deck) have been replaced with well-lit and airy studios.

Some of the modern day practitioners of the art have little connection with the sea. Others, such as Sam McDowell, do.

McDowell, one of the world's top scrimshaw artists, who maintains a winter home and studio at Paget Farm on Bequia's south coast, first came to the Caribbean on board the charter schooner Ramona during the 1960s. He was interested in the maritime tradition of the area. In the early 1970s, he built a house above a pebble beach overlooking Isle a Quatre (pronounced "Oily Cot" by the islanders) and other Grenadine islands to the south. It was to nearby Petit Nevis that the Bequia whalers would tow the whale carcasses to be cut up.

McDowell paints as well; some of his canvasses (the scene of the Port Elizabeth, Bequia, jetty with the then-ferry schoonerFriendship Rose offloading, for example) show his maritime interest.

Scrimshaw is painstaking work. That's why a big magnifying glass and light hang over McDowell's working table. As with the seamen's work of yesterday, most of his scrimshaw is set on or around the seashore.

It's not politically correct now to talk of whale killing, but where does he get his whale teeth? People are going after whale watching now, although the International Whaling Commission allows an annual quota of two whales for Bequia's indigenous whale fishery. McDowell replies: "Micarta". That's an imitation ivory. It's made of a high-tech plastic. It's a good substitute. Camel bone (they seem to be quite plentiful despite the new rigours of camel racing these days) may also be used. India ink is put into the scratches to highlight the etching.

Some of the art is utilitarian. He has a line of knife handles made from micarta which cruising yachtspeople buy.

Prices vary. You pay for the labour and name of the artist. Many pieces end up as displays on the cabin bulkhead or over the fireplace back home. A US$500 to $600 knife is not something you would drop into your pocket as you climb the mast to free a jammed halyard.

Certain original scrimshaw pieces made by seafarers during the last century are now collector's items. "The price from the whalerSusan will go $90,000 per item," says McDowell. "Value increases with the artist's name and that of the ship."

Sam and his Bermuda-born wife Donna also recreate another form of 19th century sailor's art: "Sailor's Valentines". These were gifts made of seashells inlaid in a small box.

Some of the seafarers bought their valentines from handicraft shops on Caribbean islands before they hoisted sail for their homeport. This wasn't done to pull a fast one and pass off the handiwork as their own work, but simply to save time. Some just didn't have the talent or the patience.

McDowell mentioned the example from the B.H. Belgrave store in Barbados whose label identified it as a "Dealer in Marine Specialties and Native Manufacturer in Fancy Work." As with scrimshaw, antique sailor's valentines are now sold for prices hardly imagined by the invariably anonymous sailors and island craftpeople who made them long ago.

An art teacher at Princeton High School in New Jersey at one time, McDowell has formal training as an artist. He's originally from Carmel, California.

He feels the Caribbean needs art from its own people as well. He reasons: "I feel there is a hunger for works by local artists. The example of Canute Caliste of Carriacou shows that people worldwide are interested."

The McDowells would like to expand the sharing of their skills to local aspiring artists. They've taken on apprentices and will continue to do so as circumstances allow.