It takes from one to three hours to shape a decoy, depending upon size, but this doesn't take into account the time it takes to collect and prepare the twigs. Peter usually gathers them in fall or on milder winter days. If the weather is below -10 degrees Celsius, the twigs are too brittle. Summer presents the problems of the mosquito-infested bush and having to strip the needles from the twigs.
Once home from collecting, Peter sorts the twigs of similar lengths into piles on his kitchen table. He scrunches tiny short twigs into a ball for the body core, securing them with heavy thread. Longer twigs are laid parallel across a heavy cord, and the ball is placed in the centre of the bed of twigs. It requires a practised hand to wrap the twigs evenly around the ball, at once securing them with the cord.
To form the tail, Peter uses another heavy cord, pulling the twigs together firmly around one end of the body core. He forms the neck in a similar manner using waxed brown twine to stitch the twigs together and hold the shape. Peter uses a hunter's needle to stitch-a heavy curved needle used for stretching beaver skins on a hoop. The holding cords are removed once the twigs are stitched together. Then, he shapes and trims the tail with a sharp knife. Three heavy tamarack twigs, whittled to a point at one end, are driven into the base of the body to form the legs.
Shaping the neck and head into graceful fines is very difficult and separates those with a sure hand and artistic eye from those who are merely good technicians. "Not everyone can shape a head," says Marjorie Enosse. "Sometimes two family members will work together, with one person doing only the neck and heads. It's hard work and your fingers get raw stripping the little buds off the twigs."
In the past 20 years, John Blueboy's techniques have been shared – father to son, to brother, to sister; friend to friend – until today no one can estimate how many artisans derive part or all of their income from tamarack goose decoys. Each craftsman peddles his own – to the 20,000 tourists, who each summer ride the Polar Bear Express to Moosonee and to boutiques and galleries in southern cities. Without a marketing structure, it's equally difficult to determine the economic impact these decoys have made on the community. But Moosonee residents will say with a laugh, "Whoever says money doesn't grow on trees has never heard about tamaracks."
