O.K. peoples, the thread regarding native skills, or whatever people think it should be called was sparking more flames than a box of strike anywhere matches at a gasoline refinery. I locked it. So, heres a quizz for us all. A. You are standing bereft of all tools in nothing but your clothing in a bamboo forest. What do you make a knife out of and a fire, and how? B. You are now standing at midday, midsummer in the Canyonlands of South Utah. where do you find water? What non native material of organic origin do you use for a knife and, in the possible absence of vegetative fuel, something to burn? C. Your in a park in a major urban center. Suddenly you are surrounded by several religous cult members, the local ethnic street gang, and a civil war re enactment group mad because your disabled ( the streetgang stole the tires) Yugo is blocking their motorhome HQ. Again, you are without tools and have only the clothing on your back.

Chris:

I will address "C" as it is the easiest.

Pull out an unmarked container of at least 100 Tylenol caplets, yell at the top of your lungs, "FREE OXYCONTIN" and throw them straight up so the pills disperse as they are coming down, then run like hell while they all rush and fight to see who can gather up the most pills.

Bountyhunter

I will take a shot at “A”

Bamboo is a very versatile material lending itself to a variety of uses including tools (cutting, prying, drilling), shelter building, food and water containers.

I remember seeing on a show examining a “primitive” group that used knives make from bamboo slivers. They were very sharp and could easily be maintained. I guess I would go about this task by “smashing’ a large bamboo stalk with a rock, selecting a few good candidates for a knife and then grinding (with the same rock) to length a number of bamboo sections. I would imagine I could use the same rock to “hone” the knives.

I believe on the same show, the use of bamboo for a fire plough. Pete

in regards to B.-- do you mean we would have something other than our clothes but not from that environment that would be organic, and possible to be used as a knife?

as far as C goes-- i would probably just hope they saw each other before they saw me.. sounds like they might dislike each other more than me and my yugo

danny

haha. this should be fun.


A/ like Pete, I'd use the "crushed" bamboo as a blade...sharpening it on rocks. the fire could prolly be done by using the inside of a split piece of bamboo as a friction board. as im sure everyone knows, dried slivers (read: Fuzz) can work very well as tinder. i warning. i would make sure to splityour bamboo well before adding it to the fire...haha, unless you wanted to use the explosions as some sort of distress call?

B/as im not familiar with the geography of Utah. (im assuming dry...and hot..desert-esque?) i wouldnt be able to answer this with complete confidence...but i would go for water near the vegetation, obviously. i figure if it is THAT dry, then the plants prolly have adapted an ingenious way of collecting what lil water there is...i.e cacti, pulpy vegetation, water-catching type plants....umm, the blade? non-native? does that mena i cant pick up a rock? ok...how about the shank of steel thats in the insoles of almost every work/combat/hiking boot out there? id prefer not to deface my boots, but thats the only thing i can rattle off right now.

C/ ok, i give up...i was trying REALLY hard to say something funny...i quit! (and im taking my ball with me!)

As already mentioned the bamboo might work as a knife for some tasks. I might waste many hours trying to create a fire piston out of it, and I might even succeed, but the fire plow seems more likely.

hmmm knife from a non native lifeform in the canyonlands... is there a turtle or some shelled something there? Some bones of an introduced mammal? Some invasive plant? Pull one of my teeth and sharpen it? So many choices...

I can not top the tylonel surprise solution.

GOOD ANSWER!!! <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

B. You are now standing at midday, midsummer in the Canyonlands of South Utah. where do you find water?
Q) As another poster stated earlier, cacti, prickly pears, fleshy plants, insects, little critters.

Q) What non native material of organic origin do you use for a knife
A) Bleached bones of animals are always laying about in the desert. I should know I've had many friends slice their ankles on them while trekking through the desert. Specifically cattle bones. And they are definately non-native. If I were desperate, maybe breaking a piece of one of the lenses in my glasses. Maybe sharpening my metal belt buckle.

Q) and, in the possible absence of vegetative fuel, something to burn?
A) Is this a trick question? I wouldn't really want to have a fire at mid-day in the desert. If I had to have fire then I would use some expendable part of my clothing (would it be legal to burn my clothing if they were made of hemp <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ), my hair,






Q) C. Your in a park in a major urban center. Suddenly you are surrounded by several religous cult members, the local ethnic street gang, and a civil war re enactment group mad because your disabled ( the streetgang stole the tires) Yugo is blocking their motorhome HQ. Again, you are without tools and have only the clothing on your back.
A) Set the Yugo on fire with the car cigarette lighter and start singing campfire songs.
or
In full view of the mob, take off your shirt dip it in the gas take of the Yugo. Put the gas soaked shirt back on. Bluff that you have a lighter in your hand. Run at the thinnest part of the mob and maybe they will get out of your way so you can escape.
or
Take off a piece of clothing, dip it in gas from the Yugo, set it on fire with the car cigarette lighter, swing it around and start running towards the thinnest part of the mob. Hopefully they will get out of the way and you can escape.

Okay, here goes...

A. Assuming I can find dry bamboo stalks, I will try and fracture one in an attempt to get a decent edge. I would try and make a fire drill using a modest piece of my cloth and some green bamboo for the bow. Tinder up and try and throw a spark if possible.

B. I will look for depressions where water collects if the terrain is solid rock, otherwise vegetation. Large mammal bones may be collectible, and if I find any, they can be chipped into suitable cutting implements. If there's bones, maybe there's some herbivore dung around that might burn.

C. First, I wouldn't be caught in public owning a Yugo, and if I had one, it would be no problem writing it off. I'd approach the Civil war fellows, tell them what predicament I am in, and some interesting history about one of my ancestors, General Sterling Price (my namesake) and ask if they might be of some assistance. I may even try to lend them a hand with their re-enactment stuff. Like offer to help clean their gear, or help cook a civil war type meal. They're the most reasonable bunch from my perspective.

Or they might shoot you?