Back from farther east

Hey guys!
We just got back from Nova Scotia and although today was a long day of driving in snow and sitting in traffic, it was a really great trip. We had four amazing days of knapping at the new Mi'kmaq cultural center in Wolfville and between 10 people, 4 dogs and several visitors and elders who stopped by to see what was going on it was a very busy workshop! sBruce's dog, Akela, decided that the debitage pile made a very comfy bed and spent most of his time lying in the middle of it -- nothing like a big pile of razor-sharp shards for some good sleeping...
Anyway, the "Go" Bag workshop is tomorrow so we've got to get ready for that one.

So how's the homework coming? Just a reminder of what you need to have done and ready for next weekend:

• 5 feet of natural cordage (about the diameter of a soda straw)
  
• Identify the 5 most common trees in your area
• Identify, harvest, prepare and consume 5 edible plants (and put examples in your plant press)
• Twine your fire bag
• Locate a local clay source
• Locate a local stone source
• Practice setting up the 4 basic traps (Figure 4, Paiute, Rolling snare & T-bar snare)

And don't forget to keep practicing your bowdrill fire!
Julie

The Joys of Smoke

Last week, I met with a group of third graders to demonstrate bow drill fires. The irony of this, is that although I have made a couple of kits all on my own, I am by no means a hunter-gatherer. I struggle to make a coal, and at this point in my journey rarely do.

However, the most primitive fire making these kids have seen was with a match, so they huddled around me close, waiting. I warned them in advance of how loud my "turkey call kit" was going to be, so they giggled when I started up. I think they expected the entire kit to burst into flames at some point. (And that would be quite an amazing fire show.) No such luck. I didn't even get a coal, but I did get a round of applause when smoke began to swirl around my spindle and into the air. And that was enough for them.

They were amazed that bow drill fires were even possible and thought that I surely must have been practicing for years to get this far. I reminded them that early man had no matches, so making fire was a daily routine. If they were living in a primitive culture, they would already be expert fire makers. They liked that idea.

So I've been spending my time tinkering with bow drill improvements, fixing form, flattening the spindle base for more friction, figuring out exactly how much downward pressure to apply... And I'm getting thoroughly frustrated with burning my hand-hold in deeper instead of a new hole, despite all the beeswax I am applying to it.

I too dream of being an expert fire maker. No. I dream of being a mediocre fire maker for now. And I'll get there and soon, especially since Eddie and Julie keep threatening us with ten minute fire drills...

I expect by this time next month I'll be coal-roastin' marshmallows!

Steering Wheel Stories

Well, if you saw our comments post under Eddie's post, you will note that most of our daily observations come from behind the steering wheel... see Eddie's "Hey Y'all" post & our comments to catch up.

This story is a lesson learned~ and we learn them every day! For the past week or so, I have been watching another off-ramp / on-ramp grass island off the highway not far from home. I pass it daily and it has three large trees on the island, so you can imagine it is sizable enough to host some habitat areas for the wildlife that is lucky enough to make it there alive.

About a week ago, I noticed the island because I saw a pair of red-shouldered hawks on the ground together, and I have never seen them on the ground together, even in the spring. I have only seen them in trees. The hawks were not eating carrion, so I thought maybe they were gathering nesting material... then I saw them together again the next day at the same time (3:30 PM) in the pouring rain! I was so surprised to see them in the rain on the ground that I wondered if one hawk was hurt. I planned to go check it out again the next day. It seemed strange to me that they would still be gathering materials in the pouring rain... but I guess they could be? I did not see them again.

About six days later, yesterday, I noticed there are a bunch of flower bulb shoots coming up in that exact area where the hawks were. Mystified because I didn't think hawks would eat bulbs, and had not seen any rabbits or squirrels in the area, I called my mom for assistance. I explained my 50mph observations to her, and she said, wise woman she is, in her matter-of-fact tone, "Voles eat bulbs."

And there you have it!
Peace & Loveall,
Mae & Undrea

Hey there y'all!

As you can see the blog is now up and running, and I really hope you'll use it. The more we keep in touch and share with each other what's going on, the more we'll all learn over the next six months.
So let me know how it's goin out there! How are those fire bags coming?
--eddie

Welcome to the World of the Hunter-Gatherer!

March 1-3 was opening weekend for our first World of the Hunter-Gatherer program, and Lara, David, Frank, Mae & Undrea took their first steps toward a new way of looking at the world.

We started this blog to give our participants a venue through which they can keep in touch with each other and with us over these next six months -- a place to post discoveries, share successes (and the always more entertaining failures), ask questions, answer questions, and pretty much anything else! We'll also have a place for photos and maybe even some videos.

We hope that you'll enjoy following along on their journey, and if you'd like more information on the program, check out the details on our website.