Indigenizing the fidget spinner: U.S. company creates wooden turtle island fidget spinner

Fidget spinners are everywhere, and now a Native American woodworking company from Tuscarora Nation in New York is giving the popular toy an Indigenous spin.

The simple toy consists of a flat structure typically made of metal or plastic, which spins thanks to a bearing in the centre. Fidget spinners are marketed as helpful stress relief tools for children who have difficulty focusing and a need to fidget.

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Tuscarora Woodworks owners Robert D'Alimonte and Murisa Printup, who are a couple as well as business partners, saw an opportunity to jump on the spinner craze after spotting how popular the spinner toys are among the kids in their family.

"The other day we were hanging out with our nephews, and they had a whole collection of these fidget spinners," said Robert D'Alimonte.

"We thought we'd try our hand at a wooden one, and the first design we came up with was the turtle, to represent turtle island."

Typically fidget spinners are made out of plastic, aluminum or stainless steel, making D'Alimonte's design different.

After building a prototype, D'Alimonte posted a video of the spinner to the Tuscarora Woodworks Facebook page, and within an hour he had people asking to buy their own wooden fidget spinner.

"We're getting requests for other designs, other clans, for example, a wolf fidget spinner or a beaver fidget spinner."

D'Alimonte said they have plans to design a spinner for each of the nine Haudenosaunee clans: bear, deer, snipe, beaver, wolf, heron, eel, eagleand, of course, turtle.

Using wood in unexpected ways

It isn't the first time Tuscarora Woodworks has designed objects that are not typically made of wood. The company specializes in making wooden trophies and plaques, but also takes on custom projects, such as signs.

Tuscarora Woodworks was first launched eight years ago, and was inspired by D'Alimonte's grandfather, Haudenosaunee bone and antler carver Stan Hill.

"He was a pretty accomplished artist as a sculptor and he travelled all throughout Canada and the United States [with his art]," said D'Alimonte.

"When he passed away it inspired me to pursue something artistic. But rather than get into antler and bone, I thought wood would be a more readily available material."

All the products made by Tuscararo Woodworks are designed and created by D'Alimonte and Murisa Printup,who's in charge of their designs, including the new turtle island fidget spinner.

"Most of the work that we do is on the serious end of the spectrum, so it's kind of cool to do something that whimsical and fun," said D'Alimonte.

And D'Alimonte hopes that their fidget spinners do more than just provide endless fun.

"A big part of our work is educating non-Native people on our culture," said D'Alimonte, who hopes the fidget spinners will teach non-Native people about the story of turtle islandand the Haudenosaunee clan system.

For Canadians itching to get their hands on a wooden fidget spinner,Tuscararo Woodworks "ships all over turtle island," D'Alimonte said.