I've never made an atlatl, but I do make spears. Guess that could be my next project.

http://www.primitiveways.com/a...

I've been growing 'Ohe, Hawaiian Bamboo for the purpose of crafts.

The 'ohe hano ihu, is the Hawaiian nose flute. Modernly it is used in accompanying chants and hula. Traditionally it was used between lovers when one may not be in the mood and the other helped to get them in the mood.

Ka'eke'eke, the bamboo percussion instrument, was made by cutting 'Ohe to various lengths & diameters, the tubes were struck on the ground to produce sound. Solid tubes would produce sounds of different pitches. Some tubes were cut part way down into strips to produce rattling sounds.

1st pic is 'Ohe, Hawaiian Bamboo, Schizostachyum glaucifolium. It is a clumper that is thin walled, and lends itself well to produce sounds of Hawai'i's musical traditions. It also makes good eating shoots. It can't hold weight structurally, but can be used as siding for walls. I have seen students at UH Hilo cut the culms and fashion them into cheap shelving; a modern use I guess.

2nd plant is of La'au Lomilomi, Hawaiian Massage Sticks. One of the traditional tools I make with ki'i (human figures) on them.

Metrosideros. I live in west central Alabama which is a poverty area, but formerly quite a wealthy cotton town back in the 1800s.
By the time I got here in the late 1980's it was nearly a ghost town. [we have an abandoned hotel and opera house--now under restoration]. Recently there are efforts to revitalize the town. One of the new industries in town is a bamboo bike shop. They grow the bamboo out at the town park and harvest it for the manufacture of the bikes. People make their own bikes for $175. They make the bike from scratch with lessons at the bike shop.

I cant even imagine the sounds those instruments would make. I read in one article about a bamboo trumpet. As I remember a brass trumpet gets pretty wet inside from playing it. There is a valve on the tubing just to let the condensation water out. I wonder how they accomplished that on a bamboo trumpet?

I've never heard of a Hawaiian bamboo trumpet. Not in any book that I know. I have a number of Hawaiian friends. What Hawaiians use is a conch shell. The sound from a conch shell is an official call to meeting.

Conch shell page at you tube. Playing the conch starts at about 4:00 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Hey Metrosideros,

Here's a couple of resources that might be helpful for you filmed at tropical Costa Rican Permaculture Design Course:

Permaculture Patterns
http://organiclifeguru.com/les...

Invisible Structures in Permaculture
http://organiclifeguru.com/les...

Hey. Thanks, Chris.

Thanks Chris! Mahalo a nui!