Hello from Primitive Living Skills School

Hello All,

My name, my REAL name, is White Bear. I am 1/8th Lakota and I was given that name back in 1995 by my elder guide, White Eagle and (John) Yellow Hawk, and I have taken my Lakota name as my "legal" name.

I have been teaching primitive living skills and wilderness self-reliance since 1979. I started my Primitive Living Skills School in August of 1982. I've been studying at Mother Nature University - School of Life since 1972. I am a life-long student that will graduate on the day I leave this world.

I specialize in winter self-reliance and primitive skills courses, but I do offer Tribal Gatherings (courses) year round.

I am glad to have found this forum as I love the self-reliant, self-sustainable, Perma-culture lifestyle, I look forward to sharing and learning from all of you.

Respectfully,
~White Bear

Howdy White Bear, There have been several conversations here that have brought up questions about native american permiculture. I was wondering if you might have some information that you would be willing to share with us on that subject ?

Permaculture and primitive skills have much to learn from one another. I have the highest respect for the primitive skills (especially after struggling nearly a whole afternoon with friction fire at one workshop....with good teachers and prepared materials....without success!). Permaculture's founder Mollison admits a heavy debt towards the Australian Aboriginal community, and permaculture relies on indigenous traditions worldwide as a starting point for practices that are proven by long practice to work.
A couple of the big challenges of the conversation include: what primitive skills are valuable in a world of higher population? What "unorthodox" and underutilized foods and other resources are still out there in abundance in any rural, suburban, or even city landscape? (I have had rat curry and found it acceptable, for instance!) Primitive skills oriented people often have a strong spiritual connection and this is something permaculture seems to have a love-hate relationship with, in its recognition that mainstream religions are often more of a part of the problem, and yet feeling that there is more....more to life than system design. Intuitional and observation skills seem to be a good bridge here. Reading the landscape. One principle of permaculture states that a landscape needs to be observed for a full year before doing any major intervention....few practitioners I know have ever done this....

I think primitive skills/rewilding of humans matches perfectly with permaculture. Permaculture is a process of creating ecosystems for humans to live in. If we want to go live in the forest, we may need to create that forest - working with nature, of course!