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Skill Intensives Fall ‘07—Spring ‘08 |
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· Crafts and Skills Intensives
The ability to make fire without matches borders on the magical. Fire can turn a really bad situation into a success story. This class will build on the material covered in the Winter Survival and Survival 101 classes. We will start by covering at least 7 proven primitive fire making techniques including the bow drill, cord drill, hand drill, camp drill and flint and steel. Students will develop proficiency at fire building, fire maintenance, fire safety, transporting fire, using tinder fungus, identifying premium materials, and cordage making. Additionally, we will cover other applications and crafts that come with this important skill such as heated sleeping beds, rock boiling and fire hardening.
Expeditions to safely test and enhance your skills are offered occasionally during the year. Primitive Pursuits instructors will lead students into a wilderness setting to test the skills set forth in the fundamental Survival 101 class as well as the Winter Survival intensive. Guided by seasoned wilderness survivalists, students will strive to obtain their needs from the wilds. You will leave your vehicles with little more than the clothes on our backs, a knife, and a few precautionary supplies while testing your basic skills. Advanced techniques will also be presented to inspire students while gaining security and confidence. Come join us and you will never again see the natural world in the same way .
This class helps us to fully utilize and honor the gifts that deer and other animals offer to us. Brain tanning is an ancient method of turning a raw animal hide into soft durable buckskin. This hands-on class takes students through every step of the process so that they end up with the knowledge of how to brain tan, as well as a finished hide. Additionally, we will cover rawhide, parfleche and sinew usage.
For many, winter camping is an experience of extremes. Extreme beauty, solitude and survival mark this time when the woods are covered with a blanket of snow and the setting sun seems to be the only perceivable activity. This is the season that leaves little room for mistakes. Let's take the next step, leave some things at home and learn some lessons from our North Country ancestors. In this exciting class, participants can look forward to building a variety of winter snow shelters and sleeping out for a night in a local wilderness area without a blanket or sleeping bag. Additionally we will cover introductory friction fire making, coal burned containers, cordage, winter edibles, and a variety of crafts critical to a winter experience.
Our native ancestors relied on fully using their senses. Their lives depended on the ability to remain undetected by wildlife. In this vital class students will gain first hand experience putting skills of camouflaging , movement and invisibility to the test. Additionally, students will gain the tools to help them decipher the language of the woods so they can better understand the hidden world around them. Learning to interpret such things as bird language gives students the ability to find nests, predators, water sources, as well as other survival needs. We’ll also cover the basics of mammal behavior and body mechanics as well as calling in animals . To round out this class additional scout skills such as invisible shelters, foraging on the move and smokeless fires will also be taught.
Imagine being able to walk out your back door with little more than the clothing on your back and feel confident in your ability to secure shelter, collect drinkable water, make fire and obtain food. Along with these basic skills you could craft an array of tools that turn survival into leisure. How would it feel to be able to move silently through a forest as deer and other local inhabitants went about their business, unaware of your presence? This scenario isn't fantasy. For over 10 years Primitive Pursuits has been reconnecting people of all ages to the wonders of nature in deep and meaningful ways, offering new connection, confidence and insight into our ancestral heritage. Skills covered in Survival 101 include: survival shelters, water purification, friction fires, foraging, food preparation, native scout skills, stone tool basics, survival crafts, aidless navigation and more.
The fields and forests that surround us are filled with a bounty of things to eat. Wild foods are not only abundant but nutritious and easy to collect. The ability to identify and make wild foods a part of your regular routine is liberating .This class will cover proper identification of plants, the use of field guides, poisonous plants, responsible gathering, seasonal considerations, preparation, storage and cooking.
Moving from survival into a simple wilderness living experience requires knowledge of natural resources and tools. The crafts & skills offered in our intensive programs present the most important and adaptable long term arts designed to aid and make wilderness living easier and more complete.
Craft Intensive workshops include…. · Fiber Craft - learn to collect, identify and process fiber from plants and turn it into fishing line, cloth, rope, weaving material, net bags, natural dying. · Stone Craft - flint knapping, stone drills, grinders, cooking and heating uses. · Bowls, Baskets and Bark—Woven baskets, folded bark vessels, coal burned containers, natural glues and waterproofing methods. · Primitive Weapons - Survival bows, atl-atls, rabbit sticks, fishing spears, thrusting spears, bolas, kulus and slings. · Traps & Snares -Trap construction, ethics, baiting , seasonal considerations and more.
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PrimitivePursuits |
