Many are faniliar with the basic Tom Brown, Jr., saga: at 7 Tom is introduced to his best griend Rick's grandfather: an 83 -year-old Lipan Apache Scout and shaman, named Stalking Wolf. Tom becomes a bridge to carry the Lipan Apache teachings to the modern world. Every outdoor skill, including tracking, is a part of those spiritual practices which allow Tom to know things seemingly beyond human understanding, such as knowing by touching a track if the track maker is dead. Mr. Brown writes that you cannot even write down some of what he can teach face-to-face because no words exist to describe them. It does not seem too far-fetched to describe this as “faith-based tracking.”

I recently re-read four Tom Brown, Jr. books published over the last 30-plus years: The Tracker [1978], Nature Observation and Tracking [1983], The Science and Art of Tracking [1999], and Case Files of The Tracker [2003]. I was suprised and troubled by discrepancies in and between the books, that for me suggest credibility problems.

I would have thought Mr. Brown's friends would have helped find and cure these discrepancies. Have Tom Brown, Jr.s friends let him down, or is there something else going on?

This is a dubious quiz for the following reasons.

Question 1: Irrelevant; particularly in the Native American culture. Age is only a nebulous marker. More tied to life events; birth, weaning, puberty, first kill, first child, gray hair and wrinkled skin.

Question 2: Read above.

Question 3: Choices 1, 2, and 3 can be the same. Not likely, though. Things do confused over the years.

Question 4: Since Tom Brown, Jr. is Lipan, either answer can be true.

The farther you get from events the more it is likely they will be gray, not black and white. The events are typically remembered for the impact moment, not necessarily the lead-up. For example, TBJr was introduced to Grandfather as a young boy (event), lead-up (birthday tracking) is not relevant. TBJr was killed (event), who killed him, a person of bad reputation (lead-up.

I am not sure where you are going with this.

Just wondering.

Tom Brown, Jr. is not a Lipan Apache, nor was he raised by them. Mr. Brown was not killed, just shot, allegedly. All data is from books listed and all were authored by Mr. Brown.

What does it matter?

Sue

I was about to write a scathing opinion of this sort of nonsense, when I realized that I have the same ability. Of course, it probably helps that the tracks I am dealing with are at least 10,000 years old (typically about 26,000 years), so I alertly realize that their makers are dead, often without even touching the print.

lol!

I think it is the survivalist version of "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?". Only of interest to true believers.

Similar to any discussion of survival television shows, survival trinket marketing, or the relative validity of the various great thinkers.

Fact is, I will probably die of heart disease or cancer, and I am actively contributing to the proximate cause of my demise by spending my time preparing for a grizzly bear attack.