Antler Fire Wicks - How to Find Your Antlers
Finding Your Prop’s Unique Story - How to Find Your Antlers
By: Samantha Mixan
Flowing and dancing with antlers is a powerful experience because you are sharing the dance with something that once was part of a living creature. The energy that flowed through that antler is still present in some form. Once, I was dancing with my antlers very early in the morning, the summer air warm and foggy, the morning sunlight peeking over the mountains, I had the distinct feeling that this was my elk’s preferred time of day. It was a sublime moment, a glorious morning, a special dance. This moment, along with careful observation of my antlers, helped me shape that animal’s story. The story of my tools. The story of my prop.
Finding your antlers can be difficult if you are not located in an area where deer are abundant. Surprisingly, you might have a local population and not know it! Deer are very abundant and have habitation in a significant portion of the world. Some species are unique to Europe, like the European fallow deer, the Scottish red deer, the roe deer, and others. Some deer are abundant in the United States, like the mule deer, the whitetail deer, and the elk. Moose are also deer, and found in the northern areas of North America, Europe, and Asia. If you are searching for antlers, do your research! Find out which deer inhabit your area and what type of antlers you are looking for.
But Samantha, I live in a city! There aren’t deer here! Well friend, you are in luck, because there may not be an abundance of deer, but there is an abundance of stores. I’ve seen antlers available at oddity and taxidermy shops, outdoor recreational stores, and even thrift markets. Sometimes you can stumble upon them without trying. Search for stores, including online vendors, and see what you can find that way. Call ahead and see if they may offer this unique item.
A note on sustainability — antlers can be an extremely sustainable material. Typically there are naturally shed antlers and antlers cut from a skull plate. Antlers that are naturally shed are replenished every year by a living creature. To learn more about antler’s cycles, click here. (Coming soon!) Naturally shed antlers have a nub on them called the pedicle. This is where the antler is attached to the head of the deer and the place where it eventually falls off. Antlers that are cut are sliced from the bottom of the antler, and cut from the skull of a deceased creature. Sometimes you can get the antlers with a skull plate in the middle, and that is also from the skull of the creature. It’s up to you to decide which type of antlers you wish to buy. These are questions to ask to find the story of the antler — is the creature still alive somewhere? I’ve often pondered where the deer that shed my antlers are today.
Finding the story of my antlers took observation and researching of my prop. Where was this antler found, when, and by whom? Is it naturally shed or cut? Looking at the antler I discovered a chipped tip and friction marks. I know antlers can get these marks through itching on trees or sparring with other stags. Is there a pair to this antler or are they separated? These observations allowed a more profound connection to flourish with my antlers rather than simply being a prop that I performed with. I continue to find inspiration in antlers and their wisdom everyday. All of our flow props and fire props have stories — stories about who made them, who had them before us or developed them, the sourcing of the materials, all the way back to the history of the prop, the history of dancing with it. I invite you to look deeper into the props you dance with, discover their stories, and bring that energy to your dance.
