Master of primitive weapons to speak at Georgia Museum of Agriculture
Jack McKey to give presentation on weapon-making
Staff Reports
TIFTON — Jack McKey, a master of primitive weapon-making, will show his hand-made lances, bows and clubs at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture on Saturday at 1 p.m.
McKey, who now lives in Ocilla, has been called “a renaissance man of the aboriginal world.” Over his lifetime, he has created hundreds of naturalistic artifacts that he uses to demonstrate indigenous technology and ancient cultural life.
The tools and weapons are made by hand from natural elements, including leather, horn and sinew. He has carved bows out of rams’ horns and shaped river stones into ceremonial pipes.
The clubs and lances have the look of Native American artifacts, but McKey says he doesn’t intend to replicate native designs.
“I simply gather, prepare and fashion the best tool for a particular intent,” he said.
His tools are designed for hunting, canoe-building and fighting.
McKey, a native of Valdosta, lived much of his adult life in Alaska, Montana and Idaho before retiring with his wife, Betty, to south Georgia. He has presented his work on indigenous technology at events across the American West, and he provided technical assistance for the Ken Burns documentary “Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery.”
McKey’s two-hour lecture at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture is organized as part of a student documentary project at ABAC on McKey and his work. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Thomas Grant at [email protected].
Related Articles
Dougherty Jail graduates first class of female GED recipients
“It was an escape. I can say this has been challenging. I want to express my gratitude for being able to attend this program.”
From cotton to cloud: In the data center debate, is rural Georgia once again being asked to carry the cost?
Across much of rural Georgia, the abandoned cotton warehouses and shrinking tax bases remain — enduring reminders that industries built to serve distant markets do not necessarily stay rooted in the communities that first sustained them.
Dawson Council approves $400,000 lifeline in emergency meeting as financial accountability remains elusive
Less than a week after city officials publicly acknowledged the City of Dawson cannot continue operating without additional financing, the Dawson City Council convened a hastily called emergency meeting Tuesday evening and unanimously approved authority to borrow up to $400,000 through a tax anticipation note.
