The Modern Primitive

The Modern Primitive

We live in a remarkable age. We can transport ourselves to the most ancient eras via the internet, a communication, information system that our ancestors could not imagine in their wildest dreams. We have at our fingertips the ability to acquire primitive skills in a few short months—something that took our ancestors a lifetime to learn—and we can even surpass the abilities of the most advanced practitioners.

In the past the uses of plants was a guarded secret known only to a chosen few. We can find them and their myriad uses by hitting a few search engines and a bit of study in the field. In less than a year, you could match almost any Shaman who wore great fame for their knowledge of plants that took them a lifetime to acquire.

The secrets of fire, and the woods to use for any given area, was a closely held skill. Today you can find it in a matter of minutes—It would stun the natives of any continent, going back only a few hundred years. How to transport fire was another skill and entrusted to the clan fire maker. Things that evolved over tens of thousands of years are here for us right now, with a few buttons to push. We can find out just how different societies prepared any number of foods in a heartbeat, and replicate the method, if we so choose. The hand drill was used at one time in most places in the world. The bow and drill was a huge step. We are able to use both methods and learn in detail how to use them with a few short keystrokes How many thousands of years did it require to learn these skills and for them to evolve and then to be passed on from one group to another? Back then, even books and a written word would be a magic potion, as would photos

We are privy to learning traps from all over the world that ancient folks had no clue about, and never would. Why?… No communication.

Books, photos, video, and the internet is a huge leap for the practitioner of today. We get to apply this knowledge, sometimes not giving it much thought, about where it came from and where it was used. If a certain trap was common in the southwest, we can use it anywhere in the world. Traps like the Paiute dead fall or the promontory peg, will work just about any place. The snare is used all over the world in many forms and variations. Again, we get to study in a minute of a pushing a key how all of these things will work.

The internet not only has provided us with the ability to find information but to be able to contact people in far away lands and ask them directly any questions we might have on any given subject. As far as primitive skills go, it allows us to meet people who can teach us in person and coach us, to be at least capable of using the skill. to the best of our own limitations. I’m not suggesting it doesn’t take a lot of work on our part, but one has to practice and it might take sometime. These skills are really priceless and would have been mind blowing to our ancestors. The ability to just say hey, I want to know about this widget is right there in front of most of us… that’s like magic.

Take weapons for hunting and defense or war . The spear and atlatl were used for thousands of years, all over the world, yet we have, right now, the information to create these weapons with detailed instructions on the internet. We can go to classes and learn in person. The art of tillering a bow was a held close to the chest skill, not shared with anyone. Flint knapping and what rocks to use was another skill not widely shared beyond a family clan. Weapons evolved over time in areas at differing rates, but once a few knew, it seemed to spread pretty fast (meaning several thousand years might go by.)

When they found the now famous “Ice Man” in the alps, the scientific community were set on their collective butts, because he had a copper axe… a few thousand years before the use of copper was known. I think this is perfect example of a skill being kept to a certain group and not shared with others. Why would a tribe, clan, or group, with an an advantage like that, turn over the technology to someone else? I feel all of the skills were treated in this manner.

I know we all know what the internet is and what it can do to enlighten us; however, it sometimes seems we really do not pause to really think about it. We take it for granted at this point. For me, at my age, it is still magic in its grandest form and I wanted to share my thoughts on it coming from a historic and primitive point of view , and what it means to our knowledge base when we look at it from learning any skill set, much less the primitive.

” Everything I do is primitive, just check out my website”… old joke among primitive techies.