Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology

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PorterMcD	Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	Lead	[-]
Posts: 14 (10/24/07 1:01 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : None Hello all, Im an Art Education graduate at the University of Arizona. Im working on a research project and Id love the input of this forum. For the past month I have been investigating primitive technology and the possibility of introducing it into a high school art class. As part of my project, I would like to interview folks who have learned, taught, and/or utilize primitive technology. If you have a few minutes to answer the questions below, Id really appreciate it. If you dont want to post your answers publicly, feel free to message me. It is my hope that learning from those who have learned these incredible skills Ill be able to better create a meaning educational experience for the students I teach here in Arizona. On a related note, I love this forum. The information is invaluable and I look forward to posting some of my own reflections on learning these skills. Questions: 1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? Thanks so much for your help. Im really passionate about this project as I think it could lead to some incredibly inspiring art classes. Best, PorterMcD
coogs	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#1	[-]
Posts: 790 (10/24/07 1:13 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Porter, your passion is awesome! I don't consider my skills to be particularly primitive; I think I have a few pioneer skills tho. I hope many will respond to your questions but I wanted to say hi and particularly I wanted to say this: THANK-YOU for not calling them "abo." I think if more people knew that was offensive terminology to many, they would choose another word. Welcome and Best to you!
Montana Buckskin	Reply	#2	[-]
Posts: 1657 (10/24/07 1:42 PM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? Since I was 11 years old. 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? I was raised in a theology that promoted the idea of a world wide collapse. 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? Im a buckskinner because its what amazes me the most and a very integral, shall I say keystone? To everything else. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? At the time I started there wasnt much in the way of good info out there so there was a lot of trial and error. 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? Many times. The most difficult thing for me is peoples expectations. They expect a thing they do to turn out a certain way as if it came from a factory and they dont allow what they put into it to be a factor. You can lead a horse to water.. 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? Absolutely. Im an artisan. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? It totally connects me with the natural world. Look at all the programs out there where they take at risk or worse youth and just let nature have its way with them. The reason why these programs are successful, as much as they are, is not because of the so called therapy that goes on but what Mother Nature awakens within these kids.
Thudling	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#3	[-]
Posts: 664 (10/24/07 2:04 PM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hey, Porter, Not sure how much help I can be, but I'll answer. 1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? About 8 years now. 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? Just caught my attention and I was fascinated by how simple but effective it is. Learned to do a lot with my hands growing up, and this was something new to try. 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? Atlatl. That's what first got me, I started learning as much as I could and trying things out. Ive branched into other areas since then. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? Finding a teacher. I learn a lot better by direct instruction. I can learn some by reading and asking online, but someone actually SHOWING me how to do it knocks a lot off the learning curve. 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? I teach the atlatl in a few areas and pitch in for others. I really like sharing what I've learned, it makes me feel good when I see someone else catching the spark. 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? I consider it "functional art", in that art takes skill and an understanding of the medium. You can make a arrow point out of a single flake of flint and it would work, but to make an arrowhead (like some of the people on this board turn out) takes time, skill, and knowing how stone "works". And sadly I'm not an artist, I'm a techie. I can build something funtional, but can't make it pretty. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? I'm amazed at what can be done with natural materials and by what earth supplies. You can find things to work with anywhere, it just depends on if you know what to do with what you find. Then again, I was in awe of nature before I got into primtech, this just made it deeper. -Daryl
PorterMcD	Tricky Semantics	#4	[-]
Posts: 14 (10/24/07 2:46 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi Coogs, Yes, language is tricky in this field. Even the word "primitive" can have such horrible connotation. As part of my project proposal I try to define what is is I'm actually studying. I use "primitive" to mean (according to Webster's) "belonging to or characteristic of an early stage of development" and "elemental, natural". In this context, "primitive" does not mean "little evolved", "crude, rudimentary", or "naive". Are there any other words that describe what you do? Thanks for the reply! PorterMcD
PorterMcD	Re: Reply	#5	[-]
Posts: 14 (10/24/07 2:48 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks Montana! Interesting thoughts there. P
PorterMcD	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#6	[-]
Posts: 14 (10/24/07 2:51 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks Thudling!
YTBM	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#7	[-]
Posts: 1053 (10/24/07 6:06 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hello Porter, 1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? I don't really know if what I do is "primitive tech." I was a back to the land hippie in the late 70's and 80's. I wasn't hung up on a particular definition of what I was doing so it's hard to say if what I did fits this category. 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? Learning these kinds of skills just fit into the way I was trying to live. And I have continued to find them to be valuable for my lifestyle ever since. Honestly I was and still am not dogmatic about what I do at all. I don't have a particular time period I am trying to recreateor anything like that. I am mostly interested in being able to be resourceful. I started out learning a lot of what I learned because I was broke and needed to be able to do things for myself without having to rely on having money to buy stuff. 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? Yeah definitely, I'm a hide tanner. I've made my living tanning hides for ten years now. Hides are fascinating. Like Montana said you can use hides for a lot of things that people don't normally think of. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? Again like Montana said I started learning at a time when there was not much info available (1982). I lived in an isolated place with no electricty or phone, the internet was unheard of. Had very little money so I didn't get out in the world much. So I spent years with the trial and error method of learning. 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? I've taught hide tanning a lot for a number of years now. I also do talks in schools about all the different things that an animal hide can be used for (which is way more than most people imagine). I've taught high school kids, and adults. I've taught for Aboriginal education programs in school districts in B.C. and Alberta. I've taught on First Nation Reserves, for Metis groups and at Alternate schools. It's a blast I wish I could do just that. I was at a movie a while back. Before it started I was sitting in my chair and a little girl about 8 or 9 came up all by herself and asked if I was the guy who came to her school to talk about skins. I said yes and she smiled at me and said, "I really liked that." and then walked back to her seat. I have a lot of cool stories about teaching but it would take too much space for them here. Check out some thank you notes I got from some kids here; corolla27.webcrossing.com...84090/1334 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? I'm a crafts person. I think of them more as life skills. People should know how to do this stuff, even if they hardly ever use it. It gives them a connection to where all their stuff comes from. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? See previous answer. It gives me a direct relationship with the land that I get my living from and it gives me all the things that that relationship offers. "The world needs both perfume-makers and tanners; happy is he who is born to be a perfume-maker, woe is he who is born to be a tanner."
Peter	questions	#8	[-]
Posts: 597 (10/24/07 6:38 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Questions: 1) Been practicing primitive skills since 1998, also the year of my first bowdrill fire. I was 14 years old. Thank you Alex and Andy. 2) When I was younger I was picked on a lot, my grandma's woods and my dad's deer hunting woods didn't pick on me so I was naturally attracted to them. At 14, primitive skills seemed like the apex of fun in nature, my assumption was correct. Later on after learning many skills I realized how much more aware, creative and resourceful they made me. 3) I try to keep as well rounded as possible, as far as skills go. Although, the bowdrill and flint knapping has a special place in my heart because it all started there on my friends back porch. The skills that I practice and use the most are fire by friction, cordage, tracking, wood/bark containers, building selfbows/arrows, flint knapping and edible plants. 4) The first five years were completley self taught, only had books as a reference... lots and lots of mistakes and experimentation. Realizing that people don't usually see these skills as useful, I would take this to heart if teaching highschool kids. In highschool my parents knew my poor grades were a result of me being outside all the time and always having a project going on. It was not uncommon to find me reading a field guide in the middle of algebra class. If you can relate their highschool education and primitive skills it will help the kids and their parents understand the benefits of learning the skills. My teachers and peers in highschool thought I was wasting my time. The skills themselves are actually quite easy to get profient at, it's the moral support while learning that makes a huge difference. 5) Yes, I worked at a nature center for 6 summers teaching basic fire by friction, cordage, shelters, coal burning, camo, stalking, awareness, tracking, edible plants,water gathering, etc. It's some of the best memories of my life. I've also held numerous workshops while in college on primitive skills. I've taught nine people how to successfully make selfbows, all for free. People are always showing up at my house and wanting to learn skills, we never charge a dime. Luke (huflungpo) often times helps me teach people if he's around as well, it's pretty common for him to teach people to make bows or flint knapp. 6) I'm horrible at painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. Creating primitive crafts are the only artform that I've created that I've been truly proud of. It's the only time I consider myself an artist. As primitive skills practicers we are just unleashing the natural beauty in rock, wood, bone, antler, tracks, feathers, hides, clay, plant fibers, etc. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? Using primitive skills has given me a feeling of connection to the natural worlds that I can't even discribe, it has to be experienced. You won't look ever look at the trees, plants, animals, clouds, water, soil, etc. the same again. In me, it has created a large intolerence for people that abuse the landscape, when people don't realize their direct connection to the natural world they make ignorant mistakes that we all have to pay for. I will stop now before I say something that will piss someone off. Hope this helps. -peter
Montana Buckskin	Re: questions	#9	[-]
Posts: 1657 (10/24/07 6:50 PM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Y - Old hippies rock. You learn something new every day if your not careful. braintanned.com Braintan Made Easy DVD
LennyHarp	Re: questions	#10	[-]
Posts: 722 (10/24/07 8:27 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? I started with primitive archery early 1990's and soon branched out to other things. 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? I had learned in the early 1970's that gas was a weapon to use against people and wanted to distance myself from dependence so I bicycled. I liked camping and liked doing it with a minimum of stuff. I saw the skills of primitive man a real draw. I helped start SALT a group called Study of Aboriginal Lifeways and Technologies SALT. Sorry if I am offending some with my terminology. Rod Dotson came up with the name and is an expert in many areas of the studies included. 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? I am focusing on Flutes currently, and just like them most of all things I have made and music is a driving force in my life. I also know a bit about cordage, fire, bows, braiding, weaving. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? These are truly technology in nature and need to be looked at with an eye towards making scientific principles work. As an example fire can be made many ways and it helps to understand the factors that help make fire work. Heat, Fule and Oxygen are all ingredients and must be part of any successful fire. A properly made hearth board is critical to making a friction fire and it addresses all of these 3 main ingredients of fire. Ignore one detail and you make it harder if not impossible to get fire by friction using a spindle and hearthboard. Same applies to all aspects of primitive technologies. 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? I have taught fire, cordage, and flutemaking. I love sharing and helping others understand and use what is done. My son was one of only 2 boy scouts at a jamboree of 500 boys who could start a friction fire. He won a signed copy of Larry Olsen's book "Outdoor Survival Skills" for his applied knowledge from our learning experiences. I was a proud papa and teacher. 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? I have an undeveloped website called AnasaziArts.net. I am an artist and an artisan. Some of us are better at the art part but everybody does these things with their own style, their own art. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? You cannot work with natures bounty without loving and appreciating it. I find that I am not a worshiper of these materials but of their Maker. I enjoy harvesting things to use and feel a need or responsibility to do it with care and wisdom. I think if all people did this and only took what was needed to do a project there would be plenty of natural resources. I can for instance only process so much cordage and can only use about that amount. So I need to harvest only what I can use. Using dogbane as an example you also learn that the root needs to be left for next years harvest. This affects how it is harvested by a responsible artisan of strings.
Flyfsh	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#11	[-]
Posts: 1462 (10/25/07 3:52 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? Close to 11 years. 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? Always interested in flint knapping and how it is done. 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? Flutes would now be my speciality. 3 reasons why. 1st would be the idea I can use only hand tools to take a branch that has fallen off a tree or piece of cane and form it so it makes sound that touches the heart. 2nd is music touches everyone and everything in one way or another. The sound of a "non tuned" flute is the maker comming through the player out the end of the flute to touch everything within range of the sound. 3rd is the science and math involved. You can apply as much or as little as you are interested in. From exact measurements of wall thickness, bore length and diameter. Using power tools to make a flute that is tuned so it can be played with modern instruments. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? Understanding that anything that is hand made is not perfect and being happy with that. 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? I have taught knapping and flute making. The best part are the smiles, thank yous and sometimes the tears of happiness from a student. 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? I believe all the crafts are art and I do believe I am a artist. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? In my case I am not sure that working with natural materials affect the way I "see/feel" about the enviroment. So many of the enviromental concerns voiced today are political or money charged. There are fanatics on both sides of that debate. The fanatics on both sides turn me off.
Orien M	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#12	[-]
Posts: 3114 (10/25/07 7:51 AM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi, Porter, 1) Around ten years, more if you count feeble early attempts... 2) Lifelong interest in many (most) techniques and skills...archery, firemaking, flintknapping, leather stuff, traps and hunting, etc. 3)Woodworking, in whatever form, is my specialty, but I like to dabble in all the different skills. 4) I learned from books mostly and 'in isolation'. Took a long time to get some things figured out on my own. Still struggling with flintknapping! 5) I have taught bowyery, rudimentary blacksmithing, and cordage-making. I enjoyed teaching and would like to teach more. Teaching people hands-on skills, and seeing them pick it up right in front of you, is a great feeling. 6)Yes, I'm a lifelong artist, I consider most crafts to be a form of art as well. 'Art' is a funny term to try to define. I am compelled to try to make my work 'pretty'. 7)My feelings about the environment affect my choice of materials, more so...most things in life, I try to keep environmentally healthy, simple, and 'human scale'. Good luck with your project!
thanrose	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#13	[-]
Posts: 213 (10/25/07 8:41 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? [font color=blue]Since childhood, forty-five years or more.[/font] 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? [font color=blue]Boundless curiosity, although early on the limited expense really appealed to me.[/font] 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? [font color=blue]Absolutely no question that wild food crafting is my area of greatest expertise. I was probably three years old when I started going with my grandfather to pick dandelions or with my father to fish. [/font] 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? [font color=blue]Botany in general has been the most challenging. Aside from vocabulary and research, there are so many environmental variables. If you get a blue crab anywhere along the Atlantic coast of the States, you know it. Blueberry stands can look very different.[/font] 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? [font color=blue]Seminars, displays, and field trips. Lots of impromptu stuff and some scheduled way in advance. People want to believe that they innately know this stuff. Most young people have never eaten anything from a farm stand let alone something they've rooted out of a swamp, but they'll still tell you that Greatgramma made her own gingerbeer. Older folk can get over the "dirty" idea easily but they want to eat their poke weed al dente. I have to let people down gently when newbies think that they can survive on wild foods alone without planning. I no longer give tasting seminars because people are so litigious and ill-informed. Too many other people who do this have had bad experiences. [/font] 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? [font color=blue]It's the execution, I think. Yes, sometimes my wild food crafting is an artform. That fits my definition more if we include the medicinal and other useful plants. If I prepare a flounder with peppergrass and bayberry twigs, it's not art. If I make a basket with selected reeds and dye materials it probably is art. Willow tea is not art but ginger beer can be.[/font] 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? [font color=blue]I've always been interested in reuse and recycling. I view everything as one continuous loop. We can't always see the pattern, but things are constantly changing. Even steel and concrete buildings crumble and decay, their components scattered and rusted and reduced to elements. I am more likely to purchase locally produced items, more likely to use biodegradable things, and more likely to get every bit of use out of something that I can. I also tend to go for simplicity over bells and whistles.[/font]
PorterMcD	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#14	[-]
Posts: 14 (10/25/07 1:19 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Wow! Great thoughts here from everybody. Thanks!
IceMan	Questions answered	#15	[-]
Posts: 444 (10/25/07 4:11 PM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? Probably close to 30 years now. During the last part of the 70s I was in the woods most of the time. During the 10 hitch in the military I was fascinated by how people in other parts of the world did as much as they did with as little as they had. 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? It just grew as a natural progression of my love for the wild life. It seemed to help me connect to nature more than ever. 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? I love all the skills, but making atlatls is my first love. So much so, that I felt the need to write a book on the subject. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? Like most, finding reference material to learn from. There were few books on the subjects and without the use of the Internet, we were each an island unto ourselves. 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? I have taught atlatl classes at the Bois d Arc gathering since its conception. I also teach primitive archery, cordage, fire, et al. It has been a total blast! Seeing people who really want to learn something is an experience I wish all school teachers could experience. 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? Primitive technology can definitely be artistic. Man has always sought to beautify his tools and weapons (what other possible purpose could etching on a gun barrel achieve?). I am not artistic, but I appreciate the talent others have to make beautiful things. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? It give me an incredible feeling to know that I can make do with things that exist just outside my front door. I know that I can shelter, feed, and generally take care of my family without the use of the almighty dollar. Kris
NewCaveMan	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#16	[-]
Posts: 680 (10/25/07 4:22 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1-2 and one half years roughly. 2-I wanted to be able to walk into the woods anywhere with a knife and thrive. 3-Trapping, I am a novice still but its my best skill, also animal habits in general. 4-Getting over the "Thats not gonna work" hump and getting out there and doing it, also dealing with peoples reactions when you tell them you actually enjoy being in the woods. 5-Never professionally but passing on information to family and the curious friend. 6-I do consider it an art, and I wish I could call myself an artist maybe Im a finger painter . 7-I feel closer to Earth, I feel more secure, I know that its right, it feels right. Good luck on the project Pete.
alchemy forge	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#17	[-]
Posts: 81 (10/25/07 10:06 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? Approximately 5-1/2 years 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? I sometimes feel like I didn't have a choice. My first word was "Hama! hama hama hama!" and according to mom I was beating the hell out of a block of wood with a plastic hammer at the time. Then I fell in love with steel when I was given my first pocket knife. At the public library, they thought I was off my rocker when I asked them to order approximately a dozen blacksmithing books from other libraries. "Why don't you read the books we have here first?" Because I already had 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? I am a blacksmith. If you take the Appalachian Blacksmith Assn's standards for a Journeyman Blacksmith (www.appaltree.net/aba/edu...esses.htm) I can perform every task required (although some better than others). I haven't tried most other 'primitive' technologies, except fire making; which I consider integral to being a blacksmith. Being able to use my skills, where ever I am, is important to me and fire is the first thing I'm going to need. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? While the number of smiths is increasing, the number of truly experienced smiths is quite small. Books are good and the internet can help but there's nothing like having a competent instructor who does this for a living. I'm fortunate to have spent three days being taught by a smith who works metal for his livelihood and has been at it for about 57 years, just this past weekend. 3 days with him was just about more educational than all the book learning I've done 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? I gave a class summer of 2005. I think I overestimated the stamina of the students and my ability to communicate the techniques. At my class this weekend I ended up helping two other students and I could see how my ability to communicate had improved... and more of that had to do with my being willing to take the piece out of the other guy's hand and move it where it needed to be when vocabulary failed. There's a fine line between demonstrating and doing it for someone. 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? No. But only because I define art as form before function and craft as function before form. In their most rudimentary forms: Craftsmen (artisans) create works that are first functional and are then possibly aesthetically pleasing. Whereas the artist creates items designed to be pleasant to the eye (or captivating in some way) and may secondarily perform a function. I see all primitive technologies as craft because the people who used these skills to survive generally didn't have a lot of time or resources to create things that didn't assist their survival. I believe that even the cave paintings served a religious/social function first; they believed that honoring the spirits of the animals they hunted, and telling the story of certain hunts, was important for their survival. And were visually appealing second. Much like a finely carved crucifix is first a religious item and second a piece of art. Sort of the long way to go, but I wanted to get my term definitions out there Feel free to disagree but then I'll just go to dictionary.com for backup 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? I'm more conscious about conservation. I save steel scraps and bandsaw shavings for the day that I get to try a steel smelt. I recycle more that I did before. I know that the reason my metal prices keep going up is because there's less of the metals available for production. I'm more keenly aware of international business and politics. I know that part of the reason that my metal prices keep going up is thanks to the building explosion in China, Taiwan and several other formerly second- and third-world countries. But I also see myself interacting with the four elements in a creative process. I've met only a few smiths who don't consider the process of heating and shaping metal to be a spiritual experience... and we're ALL cheap and look for the best deal we can get, so we're fiscally conservative in that regard
Mahto Sapa Numpa	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#18	[-]
Posts: 1095 (10/25/07 11:11 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? trying most of my life, actually doing it since about 1995 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? I was always fascinated with Native American culture, and wanted desperately to know how to make arrowheads like the ones I had found. 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? No, I like to study it all. I am better at pine needle basketry, and flint knapping, and getting better at bow making. I have been a bow hunter since 1968 so the hunting skill is there. I have gone to hand made bows in the last five years. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? having someone to demonstrate. there is a lot of help out there now including Paleo Planet to get the information but some skills need the extra help of a demo. 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? Yes I have taught pine needle basketry to a high school home ec. class for the last 3 or so years. I find it amazing how hard it is for some people to grasp the concept of stitching and turning a coil at the same time. I think motivation to learn has more to do with success than any other influence. Some kids just don't care. Others are turned on by the process. I find preparation to be critical as in a class situation not only do the kids tend to lack patience, the length of the class is always to short so I try to make sure every thing is ready to get into the project as soon as possible. If you PM me I can e-mail you a tutorial I made for the teacher, it is in MS Word, with pictures. I have also done demos and taught some first timers to flint knap. But that skill takes time and practice to get consistent at. I have not taught someone to that point yet. 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? Yes in the sense that what you create is worth more to you than the average person would want to pay for it. That's ok, I'd rather give it away to someone who understands what it is worth. I tend to be an artist with my crafts anyway though. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? I have now become someone who wants those "weeds" that everybody else tries to eliminate, to grow near my house. I have become a hunter with A.D.D. as I start out hunting and end up gathering I now constantly look for usable items when out in the woods. Kirby
coogs	Re: Tricky semantics	#19	[-]
Posts: 790 (10/26/07 10:46 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* Are there any other words that describe what you do? Hi again Porter. I've thought about this quite a bit and to answer your question I tend to use the phrase "traditional skills/crafting." That said, I'm not completely convinced of the appropriateness of that term either. My husband is a First Nations person (Hotinonshon:ni) and when he does traditional crafting it is from his teachings from his own People. My crafting efforts are more reflective of First Nations folks in our area, namely Blackfoot, TsuuT'ina, Cree and Lakota/Nakoda as many of these people have been my patient teachers. I prefer to be nation-specific when speaking of those skills. But braintanning skills, for example, I learned online so.... I'm really uncomfortable with sort of pan-indian references and languaging, but I still do tend to favour the term Traditional Skills, most probably because that's what I've become used to. That could change if I learn of its inappropriateness. ps did you know if you google "abo+offensive" there are over half a million entries?
flatlander	Re: Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology	#20	[-]
Posts: 35 (10/26/07 11:02 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	1)How long have you been practicing primitive technology? All my life I've been interested. Length of time varies with the primitive technology - flintknapping 20 years, knots/cordage/leatherworking a lot longer 2)Why did you want to learn primitive technology? Grew up in a very rural setting where being able to do was more important than having 3)Do you consider one area (flint knapping, pottery, etc) to be your specialty? If so, which one and why? Flintknapping, leather/rawhide braiding are what I do most now, but am also interested in leather making etc. These seem to be the most useful to me at the moment. 4)What was the most difficult part of learning these skills? I learn better by seeing someone as opposed to reading about it. It is hard to find folks doing some of these skills. 5)Have you ever taught primitive technology? If so, what was that experience like? Yes. Usually a frustrating experience for me, mainly because folks want to be able to do these skills IMMEDIATELY. Usually primitive skills take practice. I always tell folks that anybody can do what I do, but it take practice. The "want to" factor is what students need the most. I've never met someone who had a high amount of "want to" that couldn't master the stuff I do. 6)Do you consider primitive technology an art? Do you consider yourself an artist? I consider myself a craftsman. I usually have very few original ideas, but can usually make an item if I can look at something an use it as a pattern. So that is why I don't consider myself an artist, lack of originality. 7)How does working with natural materials affect the way you see/feel about the environment? I hope it makes me more aware of being part of the environment I live in. Flatlander

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Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology

Questions about Learning/Teaching Primitive Technology