Hi to the goup,
Here is a new Navajo figure.
Two Arrowheads
1. Place an untwisted loop on 1 and 2.
2. Rotate the palms 180 degrees, first away from the body, and then
outward, so that they face away from each other. Maintaining tension on
the loop point the hands down and rotate them toward the center and up
catching the 1n and 2f strings in the inside of 1 and 2.There should now
be are R1f-L1f and R2n-L2n TV strings over 1n-2f palmar strings.
3. R1 and R2 from above hook up the L palmar string (between the L1f
and L2n strings) and move to the right rotating their loop a half turn
toward the body and up.
4. Repeat on the opposite side.
5. Touch the tips of 1 and 2 together. Rotate 1 and 2 inward and down
through the center of the figure, then away from the body and point them
upward. Separate the tips. 1 removes the two loop from below.
6. Pass 2 through the upper 1 loop from above; pick up the lower 1f
string and raise it up through the upper loop.
7. There are two 1n strings, one is a TV string. 4 enters the 1 loops
and hooks down the non-TV string. 3 then enters the 1 loops and hooks
down the 1n TV string.
8. 4 releases its loop and 1 withdraws from its loops. Extend.
The opening movements of this figure are the same as in the Doko or Horn
figure described in the 1998 ISFA Bulletin (it’s found in many other
places around the world, I saw the Mursi form it Ethiopia last August).
Dave’s latest video shows the same ending fish figures but he forms them
in a more interesting way because the fish (arrowheads) slide from one
side to the other.
Will Wirt
General Annoucement to members of the ISFA:
The 1999 Bulletin was mailed today, along with the December issue of String
Figure Magazine. Inside the Bulletin is a renewal form for year 2000
membership. Inside the magazine is a final list of members for 1999.
Members residing in the US should receive their packages within 3 days
(priority mail). Canadians and overseas members who paid for airmail
service should receive their packages before Christmas (assuming no delay
in clearing Customs). Everyone else should receive their packages in 4-6
weeks (surface mail).
Members who contributed an article to this year's Bulletin were sent one
copy via airmail. Additional copies will arrive via surface mail in 6-8
weeks. The number of free copies you will receive depends on the size of
your article.
Thanks again for your patience, and don't forget to make a string figure on
New Year's Eve!
Mark Sherman
ISFA Press
Thanks Mark and Will for all the work.
I am taking a pole -------------
--------------What figure should we make on New Years Eve?
Maybe the setting sun?
I am open for suggestions.
-----------------------------------------------
I just returned from Alaska and had a great trip. I was able to visit the
village of Eek. It is called Eek because even the Eskimos cannot
pronounce the proper name. Eek is at the mouth of the Kuskokwim river
about 50 miles from Bethel. (Some of the people say that Bethel is the
new name for Mamtrelich while others say that Mamtrelich was across the
river.) Whatever, this is the area where G.B. Gordon collected his
figures published in the new Bulletin that Mark so aptly put together
from my notes and research.
It is a Yupik village and everyone speaks Yupik as their first language.
In the public school Yupik is the language of instruction for K, 1 and 2.
English is taught as a second language. This was the first village that
I have been to that there is not a blond hair or a blue eye anywhere in
the student body. Of course almost all of the children know English by
the time they get to school.
I spent 5 days there and taught string at a young writers conference.
They brought (flew) in 4,5,,6th graders from 5 other villages. There were
about 35 students in all. Many of the children knew some figures. Some
figures they knew were the Fishing Net (Jacobs' Ladder), Broom (from
scissors but none of the intermediate steps or other figures from it.),
the cup, Spear, and bird (man carrying a Kayak).
When I passed out the strings a Kindergarten girl picked it up and made
a perfect net. A first or second grader made the bird, - and it is a
very difficult figure with complicated moves, yet a number of children
could make it.
While there I met an elder who knew many, many figures. He knew
everything from the article on Southwestern Alaska Figures as well as
maybe 25 more figures. I went through the Jenness pictures and he knew
a lot of them.
He allowed me to video him making figures and came back to the school a
second day and he showed a young woman how to make some figures and I
was able to video this also. He would not show me how to make the figures
but he would show another Yupik and let me watch.
I was not able to get the names of the figures or the stories that go
along with them because this elder is deaf and has no spoken language.
He also has very limited sign language. He has no children and has not
had a very high standing in the village until now.
Things are different now. Since I taught the village children a number
of figures, they want to learn more. Now that the school realizes that
these are a valuable part of the heritage, they are talking about
having him come in during cultural heritage time and teaching some of
the figures. They now see him is a "treasure".
I was told that there were a number of people in the region that know
string figures. Many people told about their parents or grandparents
storytelling with string. It looks like I will be returning next year for
this writers conference and will probably get to travel to some of the
other villages on that trip.
(On this trip I traveled to 4 other villages but that was just because
the plane was on the mail run and landed at each one on the long way from
Eek back to Bethel. It would have been better if the weather weren't so
cold and windy. When the snowmobile and sled came to the school to take
me to the air strip at Eek, the temp was 20 below with a wind chill of
-60. Near the coast it was even colder and every time the plane landed
they shut it down and opened the door to get someone off or get the mail
on and off. It doesn't take long for all the heat to go.
David Titus
<*{{><
www.StringFigureStore.com
Dave,
You get the opportunity to travel and do wonderful things with people that
most of us only dream about. Thank you for sharing these experiences, so we
can at least vicariously share them with you. I have many students who are
Hmong, and I know that loss of culture is such a concern among their elders, and
that those of us in the storytelling community need to somehow take advantage of
this rich resource among us. There is a whole body of oral tradition right
here--I'm wondering if any of you know of string figures practiced in the
tradtional Hmong culture? It seems that playing with string just opens up doors
and breaks down barriers.
BTW, there is nothing so enjoyable as watching typical middle school alpha
males--8th grade jocks--playing cat's cradle! I have a couple new storytellers
who have joined my group, both boys, and they received their personal string the
other day. For some reason, none of the girls came that day, and I wish I had
my camera to capture these guys on film! A true Kodak moment!
Gwyn Calvetti--sw Wisconsin
Dave and Gwyn,
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Here is a Navajo version of a star figure that seems appropriate for Christmas.
I learned it from Ben Davis at the Hubbell Trading Post.
Five-Pointed Star
1. Place an untwisted loop around 1 and 2.
2. R1 and R2, from above, pick up* the L dorsal string, move to the right
between L1 and L2, then rotate a half turn toward the body and up.
3. Repeat on the right side with L1 and L2 picking up the lower dorsal string
from above. At this stage you have formed a figure resembling the soldier’s bed
stage of Cat’s Cradle
4. 5 over intermediate strings picks up 1f. Release 1 loops.
5. 1 picks up both 2n strings. Extend with fingers spread and pointing away
from the body.
For a New Years Eve figure, Dave, I think I'll make a Sun Figure that I first
learned from Wei Hong in Llasa (it's in the 1998 Bulletin). Before midnight it
can be a setting sun and after midnight it can be a rising sun.
1. Position 1
2. Pick up the center of 5f with the teeth, lift it over 1 n and continue
holding it in the teeth.
3. R3 picks up L palmar string. L3 through the R3 loop picks up the R palmar
string.
4. R2345 pick up mouth to L5f string on the near side of the figure and extend
to the right.
5. L2345 pick up mouth to R5f string on the near side of the figure and extend
to the left.
6. Release loop from mouth. Release 1 loop.
7. Extend gradually while twisting the wrists in opposite directions, back and
forth. A loop, the sun, will slowly rise to an upright position and be
surrounded by radiating sunbeams (depending on the nature of the string it may
need a little help getting to an upright position).
Although this list is not set up to accept attachments, t's easy to post photos
in the files section. Just go to
http://www.onelist.com/community/string-figures and choose files then click on
the pictures folder then click on new file. After that you can use the browse
button to locate the files on your hard drive and upload them. As an example, I
uploaded a photo of The Sun in the picture file (that is not Mrs. Wei in the
picture). Remember that the old string-figure archives are also available in the
files section.
* Actually you use the sides of 1 and 2 here. If you use the nail side of the
finger it's pick up, if you use the palm side of the finger it's hook up, but
what can you call it if you use the side of a finger?
Will Wirt
Will, that is the setting sun I was thinking of. Kids like that one
because it is fairly easy and has some motion.
Today it dawned on me (no pun intended) that we could do the "Man
climbing up a tree" upside down, for the ball coming down on times
square.
Maybe we should do "Two Mountain Goats" from Jenness - You know --- "Y 2
K (ids)" Forgive me, I get silly by the end of the week.
------------------------------
A couple of notes from the trip to Eek.
The figure that Jayne calls "Fishing Spear" and Jenness called "Duck
Spear" took on new meaning to me. While I was watching Carlie Foster, the
elder making figures, he made that figure. I ask his niece what it was
and he made an underhanded motion at spearing the ground, and she said a
spear. I, of course, asumed a fishing spear.
In talking with one of the other villagers about the incident, before I
could say fishing spear, he said, "Oh a duck spear." I looked perplexed
and he went on to explain that during the summer while the water fowl are
nesting they molt, and cannot fly for a short period. At that time the
native people go out with spears and gather great quanities of this
nutricious food to preserve for winter. ...Sometimes,. you really do have
to be there to understand.
---------------
Carlie, (and I call him Carlie, because no one in the village calls
anyone by last name) made the figure that Jenness calls the "Boiliing
Pot" - the one that you make from scissors to make movement near the
hand. In Nome, Annie called it mouth, and it is listed in one of the
school books as "Mouth what are you eating - Blood...."
Well, Carlie was very expresive, for not having hearing or spoken
language, in showing that at least for him the figure expresses the
opposite end from the mouth........
David Titus
<*{{><
www.Storyteller-Wordsmith.com
Hi again,
Christmas - if you have not seen my video "String Fun with the Parables"
you might not know the following figures that work well for Christmas.
Feel free to share them.
Cup and Saucer - I make the cup with a single string (I don't double it)
and say that "In order to provide the cup, He came in a manger" - if you
untwist the saucer strings - the strings on your indexes and put them on
your middle fingers, you have a nice manger.
"And how did the wise men find the manger?" To make a star, pick up the
transverse string that goes across the center of the figure from the two
"palmer" strings with the mouth and pull. You need to lift your shoulders
and thumbs to get a good star, but practice and it is really a nice one.
I make the "Siberian House" from Jayne or others for the "Stable" and
when I release the incises and say "The Good News went to all the world".
Another figure that works well is the "Doko" from Nepal or the "Horn"
from Tibet in last years bulletin or listed as the "Brush House" in
Jayne. (Also in Jayne is the "Star".) If using the directions form the
Bulletin, after you make the Doko or Horn, have someone use one hand to
take the top transverse string and d the other to take the lower TV
string. Slowly pull the hands apart as you release your mouth........"The
Trumpets shall sound and ...... "God sent a star to lead the wisemen".
David Titus
<*{{><
www.Storyteller-Wordsmith.com
Dave and the group,
In response to your request for a good new year's eve figure:
I put one in the December issue of String Figure Magazine which I think is
just dandy for making at midnight on December 31. It's a Gilbert Islands
figure collected by Honor Maude in the 1930's called "Crescent Moon". It's
fairly easy to make (instructions follow). Here's an excerpt from the
Magazine:
"The people of Kiribati (Gilbert Islands), living just west of the
international date line in the central Pacific, will be among the first
inhabitants of planet earth to welcome the new millennium as the clock
strikes twelve on December 31. Shortly after midnight, a crescent-shaped
moon will rise above their eastern horizon -- the first moon of the
century. "Crescent Moon" is a vivid portrayal of what they will see."
I just wanted to add that everyone on earth will be seeing a crescent moon
shortly after midnight (early morning January 1, 2000), not just the
Gilbertese. But they will be among the first to see it since they live so
close to the date line. After that, the moon will rise in Australia/Japan,
then China, Asia, Europe/Africa, and finally the Americas as Y2K travels
from around the globe.
Mark Sherman
"Crescent Moon"
1. Start with a loop hanging from your mouth. R hand, over R mouth string,
picks up L mouth string on back of R wrist and returns. The hanging strings
now cross.
2. L hand, below the string crossing, picks up R mouth string on back of L
wrist and returns.
3. You now have a large loop surrounding the wrists and a small loop held
in the mouth. 5, from above, removes the mouth loop.
4. Mouth, over all strings, picks up far wrist string and returns.
5. L1, over mouth loop, enters mouth loop from below and returns with R
mouth string.
6. R1, from below, removes mouth loop. Extend.
7. 1 picks up 5n.
8. 2, through upper 1 loop from above, picks up lower 1f and returns.
9. Release loops on fingers 1 and 5 and extend gently.
As you extend, a fragile "Crescent Moon" will form in the center, suspended
in mid-air between cupped hands. Extending more will sharpen the crescent
but shrink the moon!
Gilbertese "Setting Sun" (also good for closing the millennium)
Same as above, but replace step 4 with:
Mouth, under all strings picks up 5f string and returns.
The result is a beautiful double-walled diamond. The Gilbertese would make
this figure on a west-facing beach at sunset while chanting to the sun god.
To make the sun "set" slowly separate the hands until the sun shrinks down
into a knot.
STRING FIGURES, ECLIPSES, MILLENNIUM, ...
Mark & the Group,
A suitable figure would be "The Moon [Mwezi]" and continuation
"The Moon gone Dark", pages 31 & 32 of "Cat's Cradles from
Many Lands" by Kathleen Haddon. It could just as well be the
Sun as the Moon. Indeed, I thought of doing the figure, using
Kathleen Haddon's own string, during the total solar eclipse
on 11 August 1999 -- which was an impressive experience
despite the completely clouded sky over Dartmoor in S.W.
England, where we gathered. I couldn't accomplish it in the
very dim light, so I contented myself with simple figures.
The figure would be very appropriate for the total eclipse of
the Moon on the night of 20/21 January 2000. Totality lasts
from 04.05 to 05.22 Greenwich Time, on the 21st; for you in
California, I reckon that's 20.05 to 21.22 on the evening of
the 20th. We also had a remarkably and unusually large full
moon last night, but the English weather prevented our
enjoying it.
Mark, I told you that our Tessa is working with deaf children
in Bolivia for a few months. Pril & I saw several of the
children enjoying string figures, the Eel is a favourite, also
Porker [especially with a boy called Wilbur who likes the 'W'
that appears while making Porker!]. You said that the region
is not well covered as regards string figures: despite the
communication difficulties, Tessa may try to collect some.
Waiting on the beach on Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca [the
Sun's birthplace according to legend], I ran through my modest
collection of figures, again with Mother's string, while Pril
& Tessa climbed up to the village. It seemed a good setting.
[Perhaps I should make a disclaimer: As a scientist and a
Christian, I experience no supernatural or mystic significance
in eclipses or in places like Isla del Sol. I just enjoy them!]
Very best wishes for Christmas, the Zero decade, the 21st
century and 3rd millennium ...
Henry Rishbeth [22 December 1999]
Henry Rishbeth
Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of Southampton
SOUTHAMPTON S017 1BJ, UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: +44 2380 592048 Fax: +44 2380 593910
Email: hr@...
WWWeb: http://www.phys.soton.ac.uk/atmos/uagrp.htm
[Note changed phone number! The old code (01703) works till Apr 2000]
Many years ago (30?)I learned how to make the Apache Door string figure.
Out of curiosity I took the solution one step further and untwisted the
string twists at the four fingers (thumbs and little fingers). To my
delight the result was just as pleasing to the eye, though a bit smaller.
I am interested in learning if this is a known variation and if it has a name.
I believe that it might appear at the back of Jaynes? (I'm not sure about the
correct book reference)as a final figure, but unknown sequence of steps for
getting to the final pattern (though I may be mistaken about this as well).
Regards,
Dana Scott
Chers tous,
J´ai pensé que ce serait bien de fêter l´an 2000, en réunissant
dans une même histoire des figures européennes et des figures
japonaises.
J´ai pris l´histoire du "Voleur de bougies" raconté dans
le livre de Jayne.
A. Faire les pas 1 à 4
B. Faire le pas 5 mais en passant les boucles sous
la ficelle au dos de l´index et de l´auriculaire
(une boucle derière chaque doigt!)
C. Faire passer la boucle qui est autour du
majeur et de l´annulaire par-dessus ces doigts
et la faire passer sur la paume.
Bien tirer.
D. Avec l´index et le majeur D tirer vers le haut
les boucles du majeur et de l´annulaire D et les
faire passer sur la paume.Bien tirer.
E. Mettre la main G en haut et la main D
en bas. On a "la Porte".
F. Avec l´aide de l´index et du majeur D prendre
par en-bas la ficelle qui passe au-dessus de toutes
les ficelles. Voici les "Ciseaux japonais".
(On peut pour faire de vrai ciseaux japonais
introduire l´index D dans la boucle inférieure
du majeur D et introduire le majeur D
dans la boucle inférieure de l´index D, ce
n´est pas à conseiller si vous désirez continuer).
G. Libérer cette ficelle.
H. Introduire le majeur G dans la boucle
du majeur D par en-haut....
et introduire l´annulaire G dans la
boucle de l´index D par en-haut.
Libérer l´index et le majeur droit.
I. Les ficelles sont derrière la main G.
J. Tirer vers vous la ficelle qui se trouve devant
le majeur et l´annulaire G
(cette ficelle passe par les boucles de l´index
et de l´auriculaire).
Vous avez les bougies.
K. Continuer avec le pas 7 de Jayne.
Bonne Année!
Myriam
P.S.: Sorry I can translate in English now.
Hello,
I think it will be interesting to celebrate New Year´s Day 2000,
bringing together in a same story some European figures and
some Japanese figures.
I´m taking the story "Tallow Dips" telling in the book of Jayne.
A. Do step 1 to 4
B. Do step 5 but pull up the loops under
the string in the back of the index and
the little finger.
(a loop on the back of each finger!)
C. Pass the loop who around of the middle finger
and the ring finger over these fingers.
and pass the loop on the palm.
Pull well.
D. With the help of the index and the middle fingers R
pull up the loops of the middle finger and the
ring fingers L and pass them on the palm.
E. Put the hand L up and the hand R down.
We have "the Door".
F. With the help of the index and the middle fingers R
pick up the string who pass over all the strings.
We have "the Japanese Scissors".
G. Release this loop.
H. Introduce the middle finger L in the loop
of the index finger R from the top......
and introduce the ring finger L
in the loop of the middle R from the top.
Release the index and the middle finger R.
I. The strings should be in the back of
the L hand.
J. Pull toward you the string who in the front
of the middle finger and the ring finger L
(This string pass by the loops of the index
and little finger).
We have "the Candles".
K. Continue with the step 7 in Jayne.
Happy New Year!
Myriam
P.S. :errata in french:
D. Avec l´index et le majeur D tirer vers le haut
les boucles du majeur et de l´annulaire G et les
faire passer sur la paume.Bien tirer.
H. Introduire le majeur G dans la boucle
de l´index D par en-haut....
et introduire l´annulaire G dans la
boucle du majeur D par en-haut.
Hello,
I´m searching the book of Paturi Félix
"Schnurfiguren aus aller Welt".
I know that now it is not in print.
Perhaps do you know where I could buy it?
Thanks,
Myriam
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Hi All,
Just thought you might be interested on how my string figure
performances went for 1999. I basically do a 30-45 minute presentation
telling a story using about 50 figures.
I performed 24 shows at 17 locations last year (mostly schools and
libraries). A total of 1864 people saw me perform (an average of 78 per
show). The largest audience I performed before was 250 people and the
smallest was 9. I drove a total of 1702 miles back and forth to
performances (I try to limit my performances to no more than 1 hour
away).
I have no set fee for performing. All I ask is that my mileage costs be
reimbursed and if the institution has anything extra in the budget to
give me what they think is fair. Of the 17 locations I performed at, 11
gave me something above mileage.
I was featured in an extensive article in 1 area newspaper and minor
articles/pictures occurred in 5 others. I was also featured on a
southern Illinois TV station in an "interview" type of segment.
A grad student out of Harding University came up and video taped me
doing string figures for some research she was doing.
All in all, it was a great year. My only regret is that my busy
schedule does not allow me to do it more often.
- Edd Sterchi
Myriam,
Try amazon.de (German Amazon.com) for Paturi's book. According to their
database they can ship a copy in 2-3 work days.
Hopefully this information is current. There are rumors that the book is
out of print.
Mark Sherman
Dear Myriam,
Try the internet second hand books.
powells.com do english titles but maybe there are others that will do
German titles ?
Just a possibility
happy new year,
Philip
Dear Philip,
Thank for responding.
I tried Powells.com. Nothing.
I think perhaps somebody knows sites of used books
or out of print in German?
Happy New Year,
Myriam
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Myriam,
Perhaps you can try the publisher (Hugendubeil) in Munich. The book was
published in 1988 and contains 144 pages. Good Luck!
Regards,
Dana Scott
myriam namolaru wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I´m searching the book of Paturi Félix
> "Schnurfiguren aus aller Welt".
>
> I know that now it is not in print.
>
> Perhaps do you know where I could buy it?
>
> Thanks,
> Myriam
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
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I believe the correct spelling of the publisher is Hugendubel.
Dana F. Scott wrote:
> Myriam,
> Perhaps you can try the publisher (Hugendubeil) in Munich. The book was
> published in 1988 and contains 144 pages. Good Luck!
>
> Regards,
> Dana Scott
>
> myriam namolaru wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > I´m searching the book of Paturi Félix
> > "Schnurfiguren aus aller Welt".
> >
> > I know that now it is not in print.
> >
> > Perhaps do you know where I could buy it?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Myriam
> >
> > ______________________________________________________
> > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
> >
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hi Dana,
Thank for responding.
Amazon. de tried the publisher. The book is out of print.
Thank
Myriam
______________________________________________________
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Dear Ed,
Keep up the good work. Before you know it you might be doing this full
time. It is a great life. Since my 1999 Miata has 66,000 miles on it and
I have 2 free tickets with frequent flyer miles, I put on lots of miles.
I will be doing some storytelling for the National Young Reader's Day at
the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, OK. Last time there were about 3,000 kids
and teaches in the audience. It takes a great deal of energy to reach an
audience of that size. I am wondering if a large rope will show up and
work for some of the figures. I will be storytelling mostly but I would
like to incorporate some string in the performance.
----------------------------
News of another sort. Morrow, the publisher of Camilla Gryski's books was
sold and they have decided not to handle her books. The Canadian
publisher is now free to sell them in the US. However, Cat's Cradle is
now out of print, Many Stars is now $9.95 and Super String Games is now
only in hardcover at $19.95. You might visit your local book store and
pick up any at the old prices.
It makes the ISFA publication at $5.95 look awfully good.
David Titus
<*{{><
www.Storyteller-Wordsmith.com
Edd and Dave, You two are doing a great job of encouraging more people to
become interested in string figures. I can't imagine what it would be like
to show them to 250 people let alone 3000. Philip Noble, one of ISFA's
founders, has a wonderful string story about a frog and uses a long thick
cord loop that would be good for larger audiences. Udo Engelhardt at family
gatherings uses a long rope loop with 6 family members acting as fingers.
Then a 7th person makes a string figure and gives the six "fingers"
instructions based on what the person is doing with his or her own fingers
(I hope I got that straight, Udo). I don't know how that would work on a
stage.
I've added 10 more figures to http://www.isfa.org/arctic/jenness.htm
numbers 81 to 90. I hope people will try them and let me know of any errors
or problems.
The first 80 figures should be in pretty good shape thanks to Joe D'Antoni
and Michael Pollock.
Will Wirt
Hello to the group
For those who like to tell and see stories in a performance setting, a little
festival I helped to start about 3 1/2 yrs ago that has it's inaugural opening
this weekend. They are clippings from the provincial paper 2 days in a row. I
never saw these when they came out as I do not get the paper, I read it on line
which has no pictures. My webmaster put them up, one date is incorrect on the
"about me" page. It should read Jan 19 not the 16th. A couple of neighbors
brought me some copies. My mom won't give me hers. :-). The museum has told me
that they have been flooded with calls about performance times. I will be doing
3 half hour performances on the Sat of the fest. Would be nice to see a few
string people apply in the future. I will also be doing an Origami routine will
a troublewit for you Origami folks. I'll let you know how it turns out.
http://www.whimsical-workshop.mb.ca/k21.htmlhttp://www.whimsical-workshop.mb.ca/k20.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
Whimsical Wizard
http://www.whimsical-workshop.mb.ca
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
There is a wonderful article in the New York Times today entitled "String
Games: More Than Just Child's Play". It quotes or mentions several of our
ISFA members and discusses the ISFA website and this listserv. Congrats to
Mark Sherman, Richard Ratajczak, Will Wirt, Tom Cutrofello, Edd Sterchi,
Myriam Namolaru, Richard Darsie, James Kelnhofer, Joseph D'Antoni, Stephen
Malloy Desormeaux, Dave Titus, Valerie Baadh, and Peter Suber for your work
with string figures.
You can find the article at
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/02/circuits/articles/03revu.html>.
This site includes two pictures from the Arctic String Figure Project and
links to many string figure pages.
Belinda Holbrook
Davenport, Iowa USA
That's great to get an article in a prominent newspaper like the Times.
I've barely read it, but that Feb. 3, 2000 article looks really neat and
informative. Thanks for posting the web site Bolinda.
Jonathan
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Hello!
I noticed there was some recent action on this mailing list, so, assured
that there are some listeners, I thought I'd post an observation.
Only that if you do opening A, then release the 1-loops, and impart a
360-degree twist away from you to the 2-loops and a 180-degree twist
away from you to the 5-loops, you then have a simple way to make Four
Diamonds with simple crossings, if you now end as in Jacob's Ladder:
1's (thumbs) go over and pick up near 5-strings and return; the section
of the near 2-strings that is touching the 2-fingers is now shared with
the 1's which will now have two loops each. Navaho the thumbs, etc.
The diamonds have simple crossings rather than hooked ones as are two of
them in Jacob's Ladder.
The 360- and 180-degree twisting above can be done with any convenient
method, but one sneaky way of doing it, involving no finger rotation,
is: 1's enter the 2-loops from above and continue beneath all further
strings and then pick up the far 5-strings and return. Release 5's,
which means you have transferred the loops they had to the thumbs. But
now the thumbs give them back, but by first travelling below the 2-loops
and the 5's take their loops again, without twisting, from the thumbs
which return empty-handed.
Since I didn't have my hands tied with anything else over the Christmas
holidays, I happened on this variation. (I realize Four Diamonds with
simple crossings is already known, and perhaps the method above for
contructing it is also known, for all I know.) I'm a newcomer to the
mailing list, and not terribly experienced in the art. I'd enjoy
hearing of other people's inventions or just known favorites, whether
through this mailing list, or directly to <kirtley@...>.
Best wishes,
Mark Kirtley
Dear Belinda and all,
You should have seen Mark, Will and his wife Lilly and I when we got the
word that the article was in the NY Times. You would have thought that we
all won the lottery. The rest of the day, anywhere we went we said,
"......". Everyone in Flagstaff knows about it by now. It was a great
article and Joyce really did her homework to be able to quote everyone so
well.
Well, if you all don't know, we were in Flagstaff on the last day of our
four day sojourn into the Navajo reservation to explore where string
figures are today. We had an awesome time. Our first stop in Holbrook was
at McDonalds and ask the young woman waiting on us if she knew any string
figures. She made "Golden Eagle or Airplane" as many called it. She then
made another figure. When I went back for an ice cream, (Ethnologists on
a collecting trip don't eat at the finest but we don't deprive ourselves
of desert either.) she said her coworker knew a couple figures but
couldn't make them because she was pregnant.
The exciting thing about this trip was that we not only got to see the
figures, learn new ones etc. but that we were able to see them in context
of peoples lives. Pickup drivers at the gas station, kids in school or
waitresses all knew them. Some wouldn't make them because they heard
thunder the day before which meant the end of winter while others weren't
so orthodox.
It was also exciting to ride in a car with two others and share figures.
"Hey Mark, can you show me how to do the Coyote?" or "Will, did you see
how that woman made the Navajo opening?". ---No we aren't foolish, we let
Lilly drive so we could use our hands. We spent time trying to go frame
by frame to capture how a girl made a new figure, we spent time going
over lists trying to remember what we saw that day and just had a grand
time.
Nothing we did was stupendous or earth shattering. No great new
collection of figures or secrets. Just added little bits to the body of
knowledge that was already out there. We talked at length how each of you
reading this is collecting little bits of information as you share with
others You all hear new names for a figure or see one made just a little
bit different or hear that "we always did this one when...". PLEASE share
that with us. Don't think that you have to travel great distances or find
new things. Keep us informed of the way string figures are working in
your life. Something you say may be new to all of us but you thought it
wasn't important.
The list serve is just about communicating. It takes writers and readers
both. Please grasp the opportunity to write even if it is a simple
question or some trivial detail. That detail might be redundant and known
by everyone or it might fill in a gap that has been waiting for just that
bit of information.
Enough sermonizing - but please - communicate. I saw this week just how
exciting it is to be able to talk to others who understand this stuff.
I'm sure to the rest of the world we are just "those string nuts".
David Titus
<*{{><
www.Storyteller-Wordsmith.com
Mark Kirtley (a.k.a. newcomer) and all,
Your four-diamonds construction is great fun. Here's a six-diamond
construction which Dave Titus recently shared with me. He learned it from
an elementary school girl in Oklahoma, who apparently stumbled upon it
while fiddling. The first part is essentially Jacob's Ladder. She then
pauses to manipulate the little finger loops (she wraps them once around
the index loops), then finishes Jacob's Ladder. Here's how she did it:
1. Opening A.
2. Release thumbs and extend.
3. Thumbs under index loops pick up far little finger string.
4. Thumbs over near index string pick up far index finger string.
5. Release little fingers.
6. Little fingers over near index string pick up (lower) far thumb string.
7. Release thumbs.
8. Thumbs over index loops pick up near little finger string. (So far just
like Jacob's Ladder).
9. Release little fingers.
10. Little fingers, under index loops, pick up far thumb string.
11. Release thumbs.
12. Thumbs over index loops pick up near little finger string.
13. Jacob's Ladder Ending (i.e., share index loops with thumbs, Navaho
thumbs, index fingers into triangles, release little fingers, and extend
with palms away).
Like your four-diamond contruct there are no wraps within the design (only
simple crossings). Probably this is not the first time this construction
has been reported (in fact, it's probably in our Bulletin series somewhere
or a former listserv posting!), but it's fresh in my mind and fun to make.
Can anyone come up with eight diamonds using a similar procedure?
Mark Sherman
Mark (Kirtley) and the group,
Your method for forming 4 diamonds with simple crossings is ingenious. At
Brillo Nuevo near the Amazon River they make similar figures. Using n for
near string and f for far string:
1. Drop the 1 loop.
2. 1, under 2n, over 2f, under 5n, picks up 5f.
3. Drop the 5 loop; 5 over 2 loop picks up 1f.
4. Osage(Jacob's Ladder)Ending.
Step 2 can also be:
2. 1, under 2 loop, over 5n picks up 5f.
Last week we found the Navajos using a Peruvian and Guyanan method for
making 6 diamonds.
1. Drop 1 loop.
2. 1 under 2n loop picks up 2f.
3. Hook down (press down with the palm side of the thumb) 2n under the
intervening strings and pick up 5f.
4. Drop 5 loop; 5 over 2 loop picks up 1f.
5. Osage Ending.
Did anyone else watch the Jan 30th final episode of Braumwell 5 (Masterpiece
Theater). In the clinic the girl with the eye injury was making string
figures in the background of one scene. We couldn't identify the figures.
Will Wirt
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