Teens

Fire, Wood, Stone, Feather n’ Bone are the Guilds that define the Survivors Pathway.  Those with the artistic urge to tinker and experiment have a huge body of ancestral skills to draw upon. Three decades ago, In the deserts of Idaho, a ragtag group of archeologists gathered together to break rock,  twirl up hand-drill fires, make bows and haft arrows. Led by, now ancestor, Errett Callahan, they called themselves Primitive Skills Practitioners. They refined a creed, established a journal and committed to annual gatherings. Survivors Practitioners are the heart and soul of the Wilderness Skills Movement.

Inspired by the Apache Scouts, capable of superhuman feats of endurance and stealth. Shadows train in Endurance, Throwsticks, Scouting, and Footwear. The greatest expression of this Pathway is found in the running of the Shadows Course; a tight network of trails and targets, often accompanied by hidden hunters armed with foam arrows. The course is run with self made small game hunting weapons called rabbitsticks. Years of training yields sinewy ‘masters of terrain’ that float across the landscape like our totem animal, the coyote.

Practitioners of the Providers Pathway train in Sustainable Hunting practices through a variety of global Archery Traditions. Students grow in focus and patience through the practice of Traditional Archery. Students are guided to connect with their own ancestry through the crafting of traditional instruments and are celebrated in community through the sharing of music. Providers build strength and responsibility through filling the wood shed with hand split firewood and they experience abundance through preparing and sharing bush cooked cuisine. The scientific grounding of the Providers Pathway is rooted in trees and conservation and our time of year to shine is Autumn.

Our ancestors were capable of picking up an animal trail and following it like a thread for miles until the animal could be found in their bed. Such incredible feets of awareness and skill are still alive today amongst traditional hunter gatherer cultures. Globally, the Tracking and Trailing Guilds are making a huge revival thanks to quality field guides, evaluations and communities like ours. Those with the detective mind and a passion to understand their place within the broader wildlife community, will find a home on the Trackers Pathway.

Practitioners of the Leaders Pathway focus on the Guilds of Tanning, Shelter, Inside Sit Spot and Storytelling. On dark winter nights, huddled around a campfire or woodstove in a yurt or lean-to, while hand softening deer hides that will be customized into clothing that lasts a lifetime, Leaders weave the stories that build the cultural values that define us. The Science of this Pathway is grounded in the Extinct, Extirpated and Protected species. Leaders remind us of the original First Nation caretakers of each place so that we can strive to build a happy and healthy community for all our relations for generations to come.

It is a cold, dark  February night, as the first purple light of dawn illuminates the sky. Hidden in a tall spruce tree a barred owl calls to her mate. The dawn chorus won't begin for another hour. Seated below the tree silently weaving a basket, with ears attuned to every sound, unshaken by the cold, is the poised Practitioner of the Ascetic Pathway. They are in their happy place… the liminal space between night and dawn, winter and spring. Their awareness and silence are unparalleled, their empathy supernatural.

Healers focus on the Guilds of Herbalism, Foraging, Caretaking, and Homesteading. Driven by a thirst for knowledge and a passion to help others, Healers fulfill a vital role in the community. The complexity of the plant and fungus Kingdoms provides endless opportunities for scientific research and experimentation. A life with one hand in the dirt and the other in a field guide makes for humble and happy Practitioners.

Movement, Strength, Fighting and Play define the Protectors Path.  Often, those called in this direction have seen the dark side of bullying and aggression. Practitioners are driven by the physical expression of health and vitality. Here they find exuberance, courage, connection and fun.  With reflexes like a cat and awareness fixed on the perimeter of camp, Protectors sleep with one eye open.