Traditional Living Skills

Traditional Living Skills

Traditional living as humans means meeting the necessary long-term requirements we two-legged require for a happy life. This includes shelter, water, fire, and food. With a roof over it. And a soft rug underneath.

Survival Living Skills

It's basically the same when we think of survival living skills. The difference, I think, would be the length of time one is in this situation. Traditional living is living long-term. Survival living is short-term.

Survival, we know, means our life is more at risk, and we make do until we find or experience relief, or die. Where a person in the traditional sense can meet their living needs day to day, as long as Buttercup, the cow, provides us with our daily supply of milk.

I’m no scholar, so take all of this in with a large grain of salt.

The Hunter and Gatherer

Traditional Living skills: to be successful in the hunter-gatherer group, we must master tracking and hunting; a bunch of skills, really. Where the gift of a large animal provides a wealth of bounty for home and hearth for family and nosy neighbors, of course.

In this group, we follow the herd animals around, along with other predators, to take advantage of the wealth of protein they provide.

No matter where our ancestors are from, people all over the world have this group in common. We all made fire with sticks and rocks, wove baskets and clothing, tied knots, made traps, tanned hides, fished, and shot ourselves in the foot with arrows.

Raiding and Other Great Fun

We raided our neighbors and stole their, well, whatever they had to steal, then whooped it up.

But other than the stealing of women, or anyone's personal belongings, or their spirit. This is what we teach at Lifesong Wilderness Adventures. Traditional living and survival skills. Just so we're clear.

Husbandry

For others, traditional living skills mean husbandry. This is the raising of domestic livestock, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and adding an array of fermented foods like cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, and accidental sourdough to one’s menu.

Doesn't that sound delicious! Let’s add honeybees to our garden of Eaten while we’re at it. Did anybody say Butter?

The Herdsman

Other ways of traditional living would be those of a herdsman. Herding animals like Cattle and Reindeer, and Cats. Well, maybe not cats.

Many cultures throughout the world subsist on sheep and goat herding. These smaller herd animals provide valuable trade items such as wool and milk for clothing.

Some cheeses can last a long time without refrigeration. Which is very cool.

Religion

Oh yeah, that. What about religion? We all have the hunter-gatherer gene. All cultures, I can say, have a belief system, and most religions believe theirs is the only true one.

There can be only one! And, going back far enough, all of our ancestors probably were sun nature worshippers like me. Just an assumption on my part.

This was all great and worked out well until the Husbandry and Religion folk got together in a big way and made life miserable for everyone else. Religion is a touchy subject, so I'll leave it for now.

Teaching Traditional Skills

Recently someone reached out to me and questioned if I had the right to teach what I teach.

I suggested they read my bio. Meet Mark J Wienert.

Moving on...

Primitive

The word primitive is a word that our indigenous brothers and sisters ask us not to use in reference to them personally or culturally. I've understood this for many years. And agree respectfully.

Just like I would not use certain derogatory words with my brothers and sisters of other colors of the rainbow. And I do appreciate the same kindness in return. To be fair to myself, I have always thought this word, "primitive," to mean first, or first skills.

Define Primitive

The Cambridge College Dictionary defines, Primitive, as an Adjective. "Primitive, of or typical of an early stage of development; not advanced or complicated in structure:" And here's the rub, I think in this phrase: "not advanced or complicated".

Of course, for any practitioner of the early skills of mankind, they will find them very complicated and very advanced. Early technology can be incredibly complicated, in my own personal experience.

The Spear Thrower

A great example of a traditional complicated tool is the "Spear Thrower". This sophisticated weapon is still used today in Australia. And built and used in ancient Europe and in the Americas at the same time, in some form or fashion. This, according to historians and archaeologists around the world.

The Spear Thrower, aka Atlatl, is introduced during my adult survival training course. First Circle Camp.

A Time of Awakening

I have lived in the time of awakening! Where racism, censoring women's and indigenous rights, all wrongs of the past, had a chance of being just that, in the past.

Today, we are living in a time where a few organized groups of people are doing their best to remove these advances. And again promoting division, misogyny, and racism, for their own power grab.

The battle continues. We all battle and warrior in our own ways. Don't lose heart; protect the children and Mother Earth. We will overcome! If our hearts are together and not apart, we and the earth have a chance.

Pointing a Finger

In Conclusion. This will not be the last of it. Many fingers will point my way and question, "What gives you the right? What is your background? What is your color? Are you indigenous?" Sound familiar?

Fun Memories. Waking the Dead at Teen Camp

Every day, they arose with a start from a long, low droll of sound that blasted forth like something between a car horn and a dying giant squid. Much to the leader's delight, the rousting call of the wilderness was produced from a 6 ft section of potable water pipe. When one’s lips were placed just so, a perverse sound emanated so disagreeable it could raise the dead. ~Memories Lifesong Wilderness Adventures, Teen Camp.