| Woodworking
is still an important aspect of Native culture on the Pacific Northwest
Coast. In the past, dugout canoes, planks and timbers, house posts and
beams, art and cermonial objects like masks, bentwood boxes, as well as
various trade goods made of wood were cut, smoothed, and faceted using
adzes made of stone. On the coast, nephrite was the favourite material
for adzes because of its hardness: it could be honed to a sharp cutting
edge that would withstand the rigours of chopping or smoothing wood. Adze blades were hafted on a variety of types of handles that permitted both rough and fine work to be accomplished. In the hands of an expert, adzes can be used to cut cedar planks almost as smooth as a table top. |
