Flick's collection of hand made canes

I have made dozens of canes over the years. I have given most of them away.  In fact some of the best canes I have made are now being used by close friends.

1. I made this cane from a piece of wood I found at a garage sale.  Some fellow intended to make a cane from the piece but never finished it.  It was a rough piece when I bought it for a quarter. I have no idea what kind of wood it is.

2. My cousin found the rough piece and gave it to me. I think it's Tamarack.

3 I found the wood for this cane in a pile of brush. Don't know what kind of wood it is, but the core is dark and the outer part just under the bark is pure white.

4. My father picked this piece up in Quartzite, Arizona.  He gave it to me and said it would make a good cane. My Cheyenne Indian name is "Blue Eagle." Posted on my daughter's website is the story of how I got my Indian name. I carved an eagle's head on the handle (4a).  

These canes were all made by my Father, John Flick.
1. This cane is made from a cactus stem that Dad found in Arizona.

2. This cane was made from wood that came from my Great-grandfather's Dad has made dozens of these canes. He fives them away to family members as mementos.

3. Dad's canes are all the same. they are lathe-turned wood that came from the old house, which is almost gone now.

This cane was given to me by a now deceased Cheyenne chief by the name of Toby Star. The cane belonged to his grandmother, Woosti Fingernail, who died in 1960 at the age of nearly 90. She was a very short woman, about 5'2" tall. The cane is only 28" long. There is a Cheyenne custom that personal belongings of elders in the tribe must be either buried with the deceased or burned. Keeping possession of personal items is said to bring bad luck.  Toby gave me the cane shortly after his grandmother died. He didn't want to burn it but he didn't want to keep it either.  He told me it would bring me good luck. I have had it for nearly 50 years. It's one of my most prized Cheyenne artifacts.