- Joined
- Aug 24, 2003
- Messages
- 1,461
Primitive Skills Checklist
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is a Primitive Skills Checklist from an article entitled Going Wild Organizing a Primitive Living Experiment by Alice Tulloch in the Fall 2007 edition of the Society of Primitive Technologys Bulletin of Primitive Technology. I posted it here about a year ago. Thought I would share it again since there are many new members.
Per the article, it is for discussion purposes only and it is not intended for one person to have every skill mentioned. Nor is it supposed to be a complete list. A person would bring a set of skills to the tribe and hopefully the tribe could meet its goals.
Once a year I do a stint in the wilderness that kicks my butt as to just how hard it would be going primitive. This list reminds me of that reality check. I possess some of these skills but not many, and I am surely not a master of them either. I hope sharing this with you increases your knowledge, awareness, perception, and/or provokes further thought.
Social Skills
Ability to work in a team, for the common good
Ability to receive criticism and to effectively offer constructive criticism
Desire to work harder than others, and take the initiative to get things done for the common good
Ability to maintain a positive attitude
Knowledge of primitive games, fun, music and celebrations
Travel
Ability to hike solo over unfamiliar terrain without getting lost
Ability to guide others, physically and verbally, to a location unknown to others
Ability to read the landscape to anticipate the easiest route of travel, and the location of water, game, plants and useful materials
Knowledge of safe stream crossings, snow crossings and rough terrain travel
Knowledge of long distance travel strategies and the economic calendar of the area
Good physical condition, moderate body fat, tough feet
Ability to hike 5-15 miles per day with a 30-lb. pack
Fire
Consistently started fire by friction using a variety of materials
Made a successful friction fire set from materials on-site using stone age tools
Consistently made friction fire in the rain, snow and dark
Experience using fire for cooking with pottery, stone boiling and pit bake
Experience banking fire or other methods to maintain coals overnight
Carrier fire using a long match from one camp to another
Used fire to bend wood
Used fire to coal-burn a container
Shelter
Made a nearly waterproof wickiup, lean-to and debris hut and slept in them
Made a coal bed and slept on it
Slept in a primitive shelter using only natural, local bedding and stone age gear
Made a primitive shelter in the rain or snow and slept in it
Made a woven or sewn tule or cattail mat
Food (See also next two categories)
Has lived completely off the land for one week
Ditto, in each of the four seasons in your area
Proficiency with a variety of food storage techniques and pest controls, including smoking, drying, rendering, granaries, and caches
Plants
Has a thorough knowledge of plant families and their characteristics
Has a thorough knowledge of original peoples plant uses, harvesting, processing, and storage methods in the area
Has a thorough knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses in the area
Trapping, Fishing, and Hunting
Has a thorough knowledge of the habitats and habits of the fish and wildlife in the area. Has an understanding of sustainable harvesting
Has skill in reading animal signs and tracks
Has captured animals with primitive deadfalls, snares and traps
Can construct 4 kinds of triggers on site using stone tools
Can construct 2 kinds of snares on site using stone tools
Has caught fish using primitive line and lure, spear, fish trap and/or gill net
Knowledge of stalking and skill hunting techniques
Harvested a big game animal with stone age equipment
Made and is proficient with primitive bow and arrow, atlatl and dart, and throwing stick
Butchered and skinned an animal with stone tools
Clothing
Made buckskin using only stone age tools and brains of the animal
Made a complete set of buckskin clothing including shirt/dress, leggings/skirt and moccasins
Sewn buckskin with only stone age tools and materials
Tanned fur-bearing animal and made garment from the fur
Knowledge of rawhide processing and construction methods
Knowledge of bark tanning process
Made clothing out of plant fiber (examples: tumpline, sagebrush sandals, cedar bark blanket)
Made and used winter footwear in wet or snowy weather. Knowledge of greased or insulated footwear
Knowledge of clothing, equipment and methods to deal with cold and rainy conditions
Basketry and Cordage
Made baskets from a variety of materials and techniques including a burden basket and water-tight basket (without pitch and sealant0
Made baskets sealed with pitch or other sealant
Knowledge of netting techniques
Knowledge of stone boiling in a basket
Made cordage from a variety of materials and techniques
Made rope from many strands braided and multi-plied
Pottery
Made a fired pot holding 1 gallon from wild harvested clay
Knowledge of cooking with pottery on a fire
Knapping
Competency in basic spalling, percussion and pressure flaking, pecking and hafting
Made uniform thin, straight blades, 5 inches or longer, using stone age tools (no copper)
Made and proficient in use of scrapers, burins and drills
Made and proficient in use of stone axe
Knowledge of heat treating stone
Made tools from a variety of stone
Knowledge of useful stone materials in the area
Bone and Antler Tools
Made bone and antler tools with stone age equipment, including fish hooks, spears, awls, needles
Used bone or antler for wedges, cutting, stabbing, sawing, pounding and knapping
Woodsmanship
Knowledge of security measures regarding wolves, bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, scorpions, etc
Awareness of weather changes and patterns
Awareness of wildland fire behavior and safety measures
Has developed their intuition and woods savvy
Awareness of changes in natural flow (bird and bug chatter, wind direction, etc)
Knowledge of collection, preparation and use of pitch and glues, mineral pigments
Knowledge of useful knots including fishermans, bowline, square, clove hitch, tauntline, and stopper knots
Knowledge of lashing and splicing
Knowledge of telling time by the sun and stars
Healthcare
Knowledge of primitive hygiene concerns, preventative measures and remedies
Thorough knowledge of backcountry first aid, CPR and evacuation methods
Knowledge of infectious diseases, adverse syndromes, hypothermia, parasites and poisonous plants that occur in the area; preventative measures and modern treatment
Knowledge of how a wild diet and primitive activities impact nutritional needs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is a Primitive Skills Checklist from an article entitled Going Wild Organizing a Primitive Living Experiment by Alice Tulloch in the Fall 2007 edition of the Society of Primitive Technologys Bulletin of Primitive Technology. I posted it here about a year ago. Thought I would share it again since there are many new members.
Per the article, it is for discussion purposes only and it is not intended for one person to have every skill mentioned. Nor is it supposed to be a complete list. A person would bring a set of skills to the tribe and hopefully the tribe could meet its goals.
Once a year I do a stint in the wilderness that kicks my butt as to just how hard it would be going primitive. This list reminds me of that reality check. I possess some of these skills but not many, and I am surely not a master of them either. I hope sharing this with you increases your knowledge, awareness, perception, and/or provokes further thought.
Social Skills
Ability to work in a team, for the common good
Ability to receive criticism and to effectively offer constructive criticism
Desire to work harder than others, and take the initiative to get things done for the common good
Ability to maintain a positive attitude
Knowledge of primitive games, fun, music and celebrations
Travel
Ability to hike solo over unfamiliar terrain without getting lost
Ability to guide others, physically and verbally, to a location unknown to others
Ability to read the landscape to anticipate the easiest route of travel, and the location of water, game, plants and useful materials
Knowledge of safe stream crossings, snow crossings and rough terrain travel
Knowledge of long distance travel strategies and the economic calendar of the area
Good physical condition, moderate body fat, tough feet
Ability to hike 5-15 miles per day with a 30-lb. pack
Fire
Consistently started fire by friction using a variety of materials
Made a successful friction fire set from materials on-site using stone age tools
Consistently made friction fire in the rain, snow and dark
Experience using fire for cooking with pottery, stone boiling and pit bake
Experience banking fire or other methods to maintain coals overnight
Carrier fire using a long match from one camp to another
Used fire to bend wood
Used fire to coal-burn a container
Shelter
Made a nearly waterproof wickiup, lean-to and debris hut and slept in them
Made a coal bed and slept on it
Slept in a primitive shelter using only natural, local bedding and stone age gear
Made a primitive shelter in the rain or snow and slept in it
Made a woven or sewn tule or cattail mat
Food (See also next two categories)
Has lived completely off the land for one week
Ditto, in each of the four seasons in your area
Proficiency with a variety of food storage techniques and pest controls, including smoking, drying, rendering, granaries, and caches
Plants
Has a thorough knowledge of plant families and their characteristics
Has a thorough knowledge of original peoples plant uses, harvesting, processing, and storage methods in the area
Has a thorough knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses in the area
Trapping, Fishing, and Hunting
Has a thorough knowledge of the habitats and habits of the fish and wildlife in the area. Has an understanding of sustainable harvesting
Has skill in reading animal signs and tracks
Has captured animals with primitive deadfalls, snares and traps
Can construct 4 kinds of triggers on site using stone tools
Can construct 2 kinds of snares on site using stone tools
Has caught fish using primitive line and lure, spear, fish trap and/or gill net
Knowledge of stalking and skill hunting techniques
Harvested a big game animal with stone age equipment
Made and is proficient with primitive bow and arrow, atlatl and dart, and throwing stick
Butchered and skinned an animal with stone tools
Clothing
Made buckskin using only stone age tools and brains of the animal
Made a complete set of buckskin clothing including shirt/dress, leggings/skirt and moccasins
Sewn buckskin with only stone age tools and materials
Tanned fur-bearing animal and made garment from the fur
Knowledge of rawhide processing and construction methods
Knowledge of bark tanning process
Made clothing out of plant fiber (examples: tumpline, sagebrush sandals, cedar bark blanket)
Made and used winter footwear in wet or snowy weather. Knowledge of greased or insulated footwear
Knowledge of clothing, equipment and methods to deal with cold and rainy conditions
Basketry and Cordage
Made baskets from a variety of materials and techniques including a burden basket and water-tight basket (without pitch and sealant0
Made baskets sealed with pitch or other sealant
Knowledge of netting techniques
Knowledge of stone boiling in a basket
Made cordage from a variety of materials and techniques
Made rope from many strands braided and multi-plied
Pottery
Made a fired pot holding 1 gallon from wild harvested clay
Knowledge of cooking with pottery on a fire
Knapping
Competency in basic spalling, percussion and pressure flaking, pecking and hafting
Made uniform thin, straight blades, 5 inches or longer, using stone age tools (no copper)
Made and proficient in use of scrapers, burins and drills
Made and proficient in use of stone axe
Knowledge of heat treating stone
Made tools from a variety of stone
Knowledge of useful stone materials in the area
Bone and Antler Tools
Made bone and antler tools with stone age equipment, including fish hooks, spears, awls, needles
Used bone or antler for wedges, cutting, stabbing, sawing, pounding and knapping
Woodsmanship
Knowledge of security measures regarding wolves, bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, scorpions, etc
Awareness of weather changes and patterns
Awareness of wildland fire behavior and safety measures
Has developed their intuition and woods savvy
Awareness of changes in natural flow (bird and bug chatter, wind direction, etc)
Knowledge of collection, preparation and use of pitch and glues, mineral pigments
Knowledge of useful knots including fishermans, bowline, square, clove hitch, tauntline, and stopper knots
Knowledge of lashing and splicing
Knowledge of telling time by the sun and stars
Healthcare
Knowledge of primitive hygiene concerns, preventative measures and remedies
Thorough knowledge of backcountry first aid, CPR and evacuation methods
Knowledge of infectious diseases, adverse syndromes, hypothermia, parasites and poisonous plants that occur in the area; preventative measures and modern treatment
Knowledge of how a wild diet and primitive activities impact nutritional needs
