Basic Skills

[dixieangler]

We always talk about the basic primitive skills but maybe we should list them. There are five that McPherson lists. In the order that he lists them. Whether the order that he lists them is important to him or not I can't say. 1)Fire 2)Cordage 3)Traps 4)Tools, and 5)Shelters. All other skills come from these. Of course in a longer term survival or primitive living situation we would want to add to the list such as tanning, pottery, archery, containers, cooking skills, navigation, etc. The added list of other skills can be endless. I think the idea is that these are the main skills from which all others (maybe advanced skills to live more comfortably) come from. Then there are non-essential skills such as making cattail dolls and more folks would probably go to such a station at a primitive gathering than a flint knapping station for instance as McPherson tells it. Some lesser skills as McPherson lists them are not primary like edible and medicinal plants (the thinking being that meat and fat is more important), camouflage (stillness is more important than what you wear), tracking (he feels too much emphasis is put here)(my note: animal sign is more important than tracks alone), music and storytelling (the more of this, the less skills get done), art vs. function (function is more important than how nice it looks).

My idea of the basic skills is a little different but not much, they are really the same just that I call them basic human needs or basic needs skills (the kind we need to live) and list them a little different. In order. 1)Shelter&Protection 2)Water 3)Cordage&Fire 4)Food 5)Medical. The first one can include structure location and tools for defense, etc. Priority to me first is shelter to get out of the wind and elements that suck the moisture from your body so personal primary shelter (clothes) and outer shelter (structure). Water is a given top priority we are all aware of (pure sources first, groundwater second needs treatment). I put cordage and fire together since cords not only tie things but help to get fire. Fire is a tool, light, protection, warmth, defense, a means of cooking food, and lots of other applications. Food to me includes traps needed to get meat and fat but also includes plants. Medical is another basic human need that should at least include first aid but can also include prevention and personal hygiene, holistic or medicinal remedies lastly. Don't know if my line of thinking makes sense to you but it is really the same thing that McPherson lists just that skills are based on human needs (I did not say wants). I know the order may change a bit due to immediate needs such as the environment and weather conditions so in cold weather, fire may come before shelter or water may come before shelter in more arid locations for instance.

How would you list them and in what order?

[coon4492]

this list is most important to least 1. knife or sharp edged object because you need a knife to do things like cut wood up to make a fireboard for a bowdrill set and wood to burn. The knife also helps in hunting or making containers (to hold water in) it can aid in making your shelter or even defend you. 2. I'm going to say its a tie between fire and clean water. Both are equally important its difficult to place one higher up than the other. Obviously fire much like a good knife can aid you in just about any task and water is crucial to keep yourself alive and working. Fire pures your water through boiling so they just go together anyways. 3. shelter deserves the 3rd spot because it will keep you warm and out of the elements obviously but a knife a good fire and clean water are going to always be first on the agenda you can last a few hours without a shelter while you tend to those tasks. But It's dangerous to not have a shelter of some sort for a long period of time the weather can just be to harsh at times. 4. hunting/fishing because once you have the essentials taken care of its good to try and find some food to eat. The most effective way in my opinion is to set plenty of traps and also have a throwing stick or an atlatl ready incase you happen to run into an animal plus do some fishing if theres fish in the area. 5. would have to be defensive equipment/medical emergency prepardness once your mostly settled in its good to have a defensive weapon of some sort incase there was some sort of threating animal like a bear or a poisonous snake and its also important to be prepared with medical supplies incase something goes wrong.

[LDS]

1. shelter/fire
2. water
3. food

All the essential "primitive skills" revolve around providing these things.

I must agree with Coon. Knife skills are primary to acomplishing most of these goals. That makes proper use of the knife the #1 priority, normally learned before any of the other skills are acomplished or in conjunction with them. The better the knife skills the easier it is to make the necesary items to acomplish the other skills.

You can run down the list of forum topics and find a seperate heading for almost all the "necessary skills" one would need.

[dixieangler]

Yep. I agree with the knife skills. We have no way to get a sharp edge from stone or rock in Florida so a knife is a must. I think cutting edges would fall into the category of tools but if we were to stay "primitive", stone or rock cutting edges (flint knapping) would be the way without a steel edge. Remember that steel is not primitive. Other primitive edges (sea shells, bone, wood) can work but not as well as rock (stone) or steel.

[LDS]

You also must remember that steel/iron dates to 1200bc with hardened copper edges dating to 5000bc. That's pretty darn primitive!

The Iceman was considered remarkable for showing us that copper was in use in europe earlier than we had known, and it was used as a mixed technology, alongside stone tools.

The Native Americans were using copper earlier than the Europeans. Yes, for spearpoints and knives. Sounds odd, but true. NA were using metal before the europeans but were passed in the technology race. Some say it was because game was so plentiful in NA that the need for metal did not force its development. Stone tool techmology was adequite with such abundance.

On the other hand, easy firebuilding methods were slow in developing. Flint and steel came with the development of steel, about that 1200bc date. Matches in the mid 1800s and lighters around WWI.

That makes primitive fire way closer to the present than stone knives.

[dixieangler]

I do know the history of metal and that it dates back to early human culture and was used by humans from the beginning but.......well, without digging or mining for it or finding some metals laying around (not readily available to use), most of us won't have metals available to us if we went naked into the wilderness. That is what I meant by metals not being primitive, not that it wasn't used by early humans. Most early humans did not have access to metal ore, some did. It would take a lot to find or dig metal ore, smelt or refine the ore to pure metal, then shape it. Given time and resources, yes.

[coon4492]

well I did keep the primitive aspect in mind thats why I said a knife/ sharp edged object. If you can't find a sharp rock or flintknapp theres still bone or seashells like what you listed. I guess I should have said primitive knife instead but you get the idea.

[LDS]

Sorry fellas, it's 43 degrees and raining today. I'm not going anywhere naked, espically not the wilderness. The chances of me having to do that, even in good weather, are about zero. If I have on my pants I have a knife. In the woods I usually have one around my neck too.

It's the old "be prepared" thing. Unless someone has a gun on me it will never happen. My belt even has an exacto blade woven into it. 'Course it is woven from 90' of 550 cord, so I have the cordage thing covered too, and the welded buckle could be put to use for something i am sure. That little tongue stem would make a good awl if sharpened on a rock.

The TSA will not allow knives on a plane but they did not mind me having my diamond hone card. Give me a couple of hours and I will have you a usable knife made from plane parts after the crash. I have a difficult time finding a place where i can walk more than 50 yards without stumbling over someone elses trash. Between the cans and bottles a cutting edge is available pretty easily in my area.

I even went to the flint knap course at a local arcy site. Found out real quick that the spalls you flake off are sharper than the chipped edges. You do not even have to be a good knaper to make a razor edge. Going back to the Iceman reference, he had several flakes like this in a "secret pouch" sewn into that 6' long leather belt he was wearing.

Most of the really early tools are very crude, right up through the Neanderthal period. Chunks of rock with a sharp edge knocked off. The circle of effeciency seems to have began with modern men. Better tools allowed more efficient food gathering which allowed more time to make more efficient tools.

The indians of the Great Lakes region often used copper that was naturally refined. It seems that when lightening strikes copper ore saturated ground it puddles naturally, no refining needed. It was only a step of logic to heat the ore bearing dirt to obtain the metal. It might have even occurred in a fire pit.

About that Iron thing? As a history teacher i was always amazed at the "invention" of iron. It seems you need iron ore and charcoal and limestone layered togather in the proper order and fired to a tempature no natural fire will reach, for a considerable time, to form the metal. I always wondered what genius figured that one out, and why he even did it. Einstin of the stone age!

[coon4492]

yea a regular metal knife always tops my basic essentials survival list as well but I was under the impression this list was strictly primitive so I was thinking primitive edges. I wish I could carry a knife every where I go schools are pretty strict about knives although I've gotten away with having pocket knives before. I like to have atleast a small folding knife anywhere I go. I never enter the woods without a good knife thats for sure so yea in a survival situation my knife needs would be taken care of, no need for a primitive blade. But if you want to go out in the woods and live a primitive lifestyle for a day or two then your going to have to make a knife out of a rock or something. LDS is right theres plenty of trash that could be converted into a blade but that wouldn't be very primitive to make a blade out of a coke can. Was this list suppose to be strictly primitive dixie? If not then a regular modern metal knife would be first on my list instead of a primitive one.

[dixieangler]

Was this list suppose to be strictly primitive dixie?

Like I said, in the state where I live I have to use steel because there is no other reliable cutting edge other than sea shells, bone, or wood in the wilderness. The list should be strictly primitive even though we do find human trash to use under most circumstances but what if you find yourself in a far flung region that has no human trash? Back to primitive so that is why the list should be primitive.