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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 17, 2004 Claude �Frenchy� Paquette uses an atlatl to fire a 5-foot-long dart at a target. The hunting weapon and other replicas of stone-age life are part of the Bending Bow Primitive Skills Gathering and Knap-in near Butte Falls. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Ancient ways Group gathers in the woods to practice primitive skills, pass along a little knowledge By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Frenchy Paquette reared back with his atlatl, took a deep breath and let fly the 5-foot-long dart at the woolly mammoth. "Aw, just under the tusks," he said as the shaft whizzed past the prehistoric pachyderm. The mammoth wasn’t real, just a cut-out used for target practice. But the atlatl (pronounced "at-lattle"), a stone-age throwing tool, and the dart with its obsidian projectile point were as real as nearby Mount McLoughlin. They were the hand-crafted work of Claude "Frenchy" Paquette, 59, of Grants Pass, one of the organizers of the Bending Bow Primitive Skills Gathering and Knap-in, which began Wednesday a few miles east of Butte Falls. The event, which continues through Sunday, is open to anyone interested in the art and science of everything from bow and arrow making to knapping stone projectiles from obsidian. Like the mammoth that roamed this region some 10,000 years ago, the stone-age culture is gone. But Paquette and like-minded folks keep the culture alive through careful study and practice, periodically meeting to share knowledge. Advertisement The atlatl he made is a replica of one found during an archaeological dig in the Roaring Springs in Eastern Oregon. The tip of a deer antler, attached to the end of the atlatl, is fitted into the end of the dart, which is actually a light-weight spear. The atlatl gives the thrower more power by providing additional leverage. "We’re just into sharing primitive technology," said Paquette, a Navy veteran who has done a variety of work, from a millwright to welding. Paquette began shooting with bows and arrows as a teenager in Boston. The interest stuck. He carves his arrow shafts from willow, uses the feathers from turkeys he raised and traps animals to make quivers from their hides. He pulls out one of his latest productions: a bone-handled knife with an obsidian blade. "It’s sharp enough to do the job," he said. In fact, he used one of his obsidian knives to gut a five-point buck last year. He had killed it with a broadleaf maple bow and willow arrow armed with an obsidian point. "They work," he said of the stone-age survival tools he hand-crafted. Grants Pass resident Dan Bowden, 32, who works in human resources for the Bear Creek Corp., brought his wife, Tammy, and three young children, ages 1 to 5, to the gathering. When Bowden was a youngster in Josephine County, he read a book called "Outdoor Survival Skills" by Larry D. Olson. "That got me jazzed on all of this," he said. He and his family erected a wickiup at the camp site, using a willow frame and fir boughs to form a natural tent. "It’s a good summer shelter," he said as his son Joseph, age 5, poked his head through the boughs. "Right now it’s a good place for the kids to play." Medford resident Art Elkins, 61, a retired airline company employee, recently had surgery on his left shoulder, but that couldn’t keep him from the gathering. A native of Medford who joined the Air Force and traveled widely, he returned to the region when he retired because of his love for the outdoors. "The skills of early Native Americans working with natural materials were awesome," said Elkins, who was wearing a pair of buckskin leggings. Paquette and others learned to start a fire with a fire drill Tuesday night, thanks to guidance from John Mein, 49, of Ashland. Mein, who was fashioning a bow out of a Pacific dogwood tree branch on Wednesday, teaches at primitive gatherings around the country. "A lot of what attracts me to this is the feeling of being independent out in the woods," Mein said. "It’s nice to go out there and feel like you can take care of yourself." Participant Kenny Fritz, 15, of Klamath Falls, whose mother is serving as a nearby Forest Service campground host, learned about primitive tool-making through the Internet. "I’m really interested in flint knapping, learning how to make arrow heads and other tools," he said. But he figures he’ll keep his modern tools. "I couldn’t survive without my computer," he said. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] If you go The Bending Bow Primitive Skills Gathering and Knap-In is being held through Sunday. Open to the public and free of charge, the event can be reached by taking Highway 140 east until you’ve almost reached the Fish Lake turnoff, then turn north on Road 821 heading to Butte Falls. About seven miles north of Highway 140, turn east on Forest Service Road 37. The camp is along Road 37 about four miles east of Road 821. Bending Bow signs have been posted along the route. 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