journal

Send responses to: greg (at) nativeways.com and I'll post them!

January 21, 2010 - Reflections On Haiti
I'm not in Haiti, and I've never been through what those people are going through, but I do have to ask the question; How would a
native tribe living off the land respond if they were hit with a similar earthquake?

In Haiti the looting and stealing is rampant. People are just trying to survive. I would add that they need to survive, because like
most modern peoples, they don't know how to live with the world, or one another.

If our own country were hit by a similar force, would we react any different? The looting (vs. working together) reminds me of
Wal-Mart on Thanksgiving friday. There is a certain "frenzy" that we as humans are succeptible too, much like a pack of dogs is
succeptible too.

Many environmentalists say that cities are the way to go as far as focusing impact in one area rather than speading out across the
landscape. I can see the point of saving what open tracts of land we have left, but unfortunately living in a city teaches one nothing
about living the way our basic human nature is intended, and so the current mentality perpetuates. "fear frenzies" such as what is
happening in Haiti will continue.

Overpopulation doesn't jut pertain to the earth as a whole, but to local areas as well. In Haiti the big news is focused on the larger
population centers, where people are most effected. And people are most effected where they are the most out of balance
population-to-landscape. I'd like to see some reporting on what's happening in the rural areas, as well as some reflection on the
differences.

December 8, 2009 - Nessmuk and our inner outdoorsman
I've just been reading about "Nessmuk", the pen name of Gearge Washington Sears (1821-1890), outdoorsman and author of the
book Woodcraft. It always amazes me to read the words of these long ago spokespeople, because though it is undeniable that our
human world has changed much in the last 150 years, our human-ness has not.

"We do not go to the green woods and crystal water to rough it, we go to smooth it. We get it rough enough at home."
Nessmuk

In his book Nessmuk describes a 60-mile trek through the wilderness of central Michigan at a time when "the indians had left and
the whites had not yet got in." For meat he shot deer, taking what he could use, and "leaving the balance to the wolves, who never
failed to take possesion before I was out of earshot."

Nessmuk made his bed out of Hemlock boughs, stuffed his pillows with the same, and used axe and hatchet to build a camp. How
many modern "outdoorspeople" could skillfully do the same? As it becomes illegal in many areas to practice the tradition of
camp-craft, or even to build a simple fire, only the outlaws within us will be willing to follow in Nessmuks' foot-steps. I feel sorry for
these modern "timid" outdoorspeople, who are relegated to becoming only skillful purchasers of the latest outdoor equipment.

Nessmuk was a true "woodsman" of days old, which there are still, and probably always will be, so long as there are adventurous
spirits left in the world.

May 31, 2009 - First night out
I just met with Steve Lange, editor of Rochester Magazine. He's out in the woods alone tonight, without food, water, or shelter,
"roughing it" as they say, in order to come back and write about his experiences of survival. It's been raining all day, petering off just
in time for a nice, cool sunset. It'll be down in the 30's tonight for sure. Hope he's not too wet. Tommorow I'm supposed to head
out and see;

1. If he's still alive, and
2. Do a little instructing on things he might want to improve upon for his second night.

You'll be able to read about his experiences in http://rochestermagazine.com soon.

This is also the first night of the reincarnation of what used to be the "Native Network Newsletter". For those of you who have been
following along since 1998, or whenever, you'll remember a time before people were scared to have their personal info up on the
web, and we had a pretty good list of folks from around the world interested in staying in touch and meeting like-minded folks in
their area who just might get together and practice traditional skills. Well times do change. Now I'm going to keep this journal going
to let ya'll know about what's new with Native Ways, in the field of traditional skills, and other things of interest as we walk the old
road together.