Primitive Skills and Crafts: An Outdoorsman's Guide to Shelters, Tools, Weapons, Tracking, Survival, and More »

Anyone eager to master survival skills for outdoor vacations, or simply to find a fun new family activity for a Saturday afternoon, will be educated and inspired by the practical advice presented here by archaeologists, anthropologists, primitive practitioners, craftsmen, and artisans. These experts help modern readers rediscover the skills that have served humanity for millennia: fire-making, camp cooking, basket weaving, pottery making, animal tracking, and much more. You can even learn how to turn seashells into arrowheads or make glue from yucca plants. Plus, there’s intriguing information on the benefits of a hunter-gatherer diet. More than just a how-to, this handbook provides inspiration to live life to the fullest.

Introduction     i
Acknowledgments     ii
Contributors' Biographies     iii
Our Human Family     1
The Ultimate Weapon     15
Old Finnish Hunting and Fishing Techniques     25
Primitive Process Pottery     35
Stone Survival Tools     53
Yucca     61
Make Your Own Hide Glue     77
Traditional Basketry Materials     85
Tracking Skills     99
The Primal Gourmet     109
Whole-Shoot Willow Baskets     121
A Paleo Prescription     137
Barking Up the Right Tree     149
The Remarkable Fire Piston     163
An Introduction to the Atlatl     177
Badgerstone     191
Pine Needle Basketry     199
"Rocking On" with the Paiute Deadfall     209
Philosophy of a Caveman     225
Living with Nature     231
References     247
Index     254