Tari Grep (Kelp Fork)

The crofting year didn't start in the bright spring sunshine but in the dark windy days of winter. 'Waar' (seaweed) was constantly being thrown ashore by the gale force winds and the crofters knew that when left to rot in 'waar middens' it made a quality fertiliser.

Whole communities would assemble on the beaches to 'lay up waar'. One of the tools they used was called a 'tari grep'. This one, from Unst, shows the iron prongs that were used to drag the seaweed into piles. It dates from the mid 19th century.

'Tari greps' were not only found hard at work by the tideline. They were just as at home in the steading where they were often used for dragging muck from the byre.