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Steve Allely - Flintknapper Hall of Fame


from Flintknapping Hall of Fame

Steve Allely is a knapper who began breaking rocks in 1967 and hasn't slowed down much in the last 40 plus odd years of working stone. He specializes in beautiful high color points of the Western US although he can make many styles of points and knives. He won the 2010 WESTERN LITHICS, WORLD FLINTKNAPPING CHAMPION.

Additionally, he is a bow maker specializing in the subject of Native American archery for over 20 years and has illustrated a number of books and written the periodic chapter on the subject in the well known Bowyers Bible book series with Jim Hamm of Bois d' Arc Press. He also replicates various Native American material culture items for museums and interpretive exhibits.

He is also an accomplished flat work artist in painting and illustration. When he's not breaking rock, scraping on bows or wielding paint brushes, he periodically plays Celtic music and doodles with several kinds of bagpipes.

After Jim Riggs was unable to coordinate the Glass Buttes Knap-in due to health issues, Steve stepped up and took on the responsibility. In 2010, using his own money he arranged for 10 Porta-Potties and purchased several cases of Costco toilet paper – upfront outlay – around $1,200. If that were not enough, Steve spent time every day going around to the Porta-Potties and with a long stick he ‘leveled out the piles’. This is a no-sh*t true story, witnessed by myself and the rest of knappers at Glass Buttes.

After doing this for a couple of years, Steve turned over the responsibility to Rocky Male, a fellow PSK member and resident of Burns, OR (much closer than Steve). The first year that Rocky rented the Porta-Potties was 2011 which just happened to be the year of the worst weather at the ‘Buttes in decades. No more than 75 knappers made it to the knap-in that year. Due to the low turnout we were unable to raise enough donation money to cover Rocky’s out-of-pocket cost – to the tune of $300 short! Steve had made about that much over and above the cost the prior year and rather that keeping it for all the work he’d done, Steve had set up a Glass Buttes account. He gave this money to Rocky to make him whole!

Steve has taught hundreds of knappers without asking anything in return, including Emory Coons (one of the knappers whom nominated Steve).