>can jimmy my hardrive with my chert scraper, ill move our >posts to the campfire forum ;0) <br><br>This is a better place for this, yes. *nods*<br><br>And a scraper being used to fix a computer.... I hope you made a backup. using firehardened ironwood- it won't damage the screws as much and it can be crafted into driver tips more reliably. <br><br>Chris, I guess what I'm wondering is why when you mention paleolithic techniques and technology, you seem grumbly. It's an augment (most of the time- I've spent a summer or two living that way and staying in the game laws. Lost weight.), and nothing more. <br><br>Or are there actually schools that teach paleolithic methods as a primary, rather than a backup? *shudders at the thought*

Raven, Yes, there are exponents of "traditional" skills who teach nothing else. My complaint is twofold, and I hope my peer HikerDon will comment. All people engage in "culture borrowing", from Japanese teenage Elvis impersonators to Inuit hunters armed with Winchesters. My complaint is with "culture theft". I 've lost count of the $50 Sweat ceremonies offered by " authentic Lakota holymen." Anybody with a native ancestor can grow their hang long, hang a dreamcatcher and Free Leonard Peltier sticker on the truck and go into business.Then their new "Blood brothers" take a trip to Pine Ridge and act hurt when a poverty stricken traditional doesn't recognise them as" community." Now many of these same people are teaching "traditional survival methods." the same conceit is there, "My bowdrill is one with mother earth and your bic lighter is an evil wasetchu." There are some very good traditional instructors. It's whats being taught that concerns me. Peter Bigfoot at Reevis is wonderfull. His philosophy may be "New Age", but all of his students leave with a chance at "Old Age."

*blinks* Wow. I'm glad I've never had to deal with those kinds of fools in the woods, becuase I doubt my tounge would hold still. I like my technology, because it buys me the minutes I need. (The thing with the canoe is a true story- just glad it was a warm night, so a fire wasn't a major issue.)<br><br>But I have seen them in other places. The persons who think that being a shaman is a lifestyle a choice and you get to pick your guides. *snorts* In my experince, it ain't, and I've been trying to get out of the gig for years. Too much work, too much responsability, not enough fringe bennies from having the the otherside have your phone number.

In a survival situation, the most useful skill anyone will possess is the ability to innovate novel solutions from existing materials. Obviously, the broader one's background and the greater one's knowledge of alternative technologies, the more options one has. So it makes sense to be aware of so-called "primitive" approaches. ( I agree with Chris that this is a poor term.) Many of these technologies are actually quite effective - stone axes cut trees very well, up to a certain size, although the motor habits are quite different, and chipped stone tools have very sharp edges, although they dull quickly, and need sharpening very frequently.<br><br>People long ago voted on the more effective technology - metal tools replaced stone very quickly the world over, whenever people had a choice, so there is little question as to what I want to carry on my belt. Still, if I lost my knife, and I find the right rock, it is nice to know about chipped stone.<br><br>Another point to make is that the critical items in "primitive"technologies are not universally available. Not every rock will make a knife, and not every kind of wood will make a bowdrill. Hint: every culture that made fire with non-match and later technologies also devised very elaborate and careful ways to carry burning coals with them when on the move - this being easier than relighting the fire. Again, I carry matches and lighters to be sure I don't have to use primitive techniques. There is no guarantee that if I crawl up on shore, having lost everything, that I will find the necessary items at hand. These days, I am just as likely to find a fully functioning flashlight or an unopened can of pop on the beach, as the components of a fire making kit.<br><br>I couldn't agree more with you, Chris, about cultural theft. It is quite a racket these days, especially here in La-la-land, where appearance is everything and substance is lacking. I have a rule of thumb, based on many encounters - the more "authentic" the appearance i.e., the more native jewelry worn, the longer the hair, etc. the less likely the individual is authentically Native American. The people I know, with solid bloodlines and a family tradition of nurturing their cultural identity, do not feel the need to dress up like they just came from Central Casting.<br><br>

I hope we have clarified the emotional conceits that "traditional, ancient, organic, tribal" skills may come packaged in( I can't even come up with a common term.) That said, learning these skills can be very rewarding in of themselves. Our hemi powered Chrysler lost a fan belt in Arizona. One of the local cowboys rode up and fashioned a spare from yucca leaves. He laughed and said" my grandmother taught me this stuff, never used it." He was Apache .The belt held @ 35mph to the filling station. Sometimes the old ways do return. Donald Crabtree was a famous knapper of obsidian. He faced open heart surgery and created an entire surgical kit for his M.D. The physician had to retrain his hands to use the proper muscles. The single molecule edge blades made such fine incisions he healed in half the time. Glass tools are now used in many fine procedures!