Courses
Earth Living - 12 Month Programme
- Prerequisite: None
- Duration: 12 months
- Cost: £2100
This course is designed to enhance and expand on the skills taught in Native skills 1 and 2 as well as teaching new and advanced skills. It is for those who are committed to immersing themselves in the subjects of primitive survival, tracking and expanded awareness. Each session will focus extensively on a subject and we will be concentrating on implementing these skills into our everyday lives. The course will be very experiential, as our aim is for the students to come away with not just vast knowledge but also the ability to use it.
The programme spans the four seasons of the year with nine structured sessions. They are to be seven three day sessions to be held over a weekend and two week long courses. Throughout the year there will also be a element of supported self study available to enhance the student's survival skills and naturalist studies. We will be encouraging students along the way with regular contact using email etc.
Below is the basic outline of the programme. There will be additional topics included and the subject matter may vary slightly. Two of the sessions, Camouflage and Expanded Awareness are open to other advanced Native Awareness students. We feel that this is a good way to keep you involved with the other mainstream students and for them to be inspired and learn from your experience.
Advanced Skills 1
Date May 1-3
Duration 3 days
Topics covered (Some of these skills will be covered in Advanced Skills 2)
- Pottery
- Advanced, friction fire
- Weaponry
- Cordage
- Caretaker
- Crafts
- Baskets - coil, withy, bark
- Primitive lighting
- Wet scrape buckskin
Expanded Awareness
Date 19-25 June
Duration 7 days
Topics covered
- Grandfathers worlds
Camouflage
Date July 16-18
Duration 3 days
Topics covered
- Primitive- earth pigments
- Clothing
- Night time/ day time camouflage
- Mental and spiritual camouflage
- Positive, negative space
- Movement, animal forms, mimicry etc
Wild Food
Date August 28-30
Duration 3 days
Topics covered
- Water collection, purification
- Edible/ medicinal plants
- Jerky
- Pemmican
- Deer butchery
- Aboriginal cooking
- Storage
Physical and Mental Conditioning for Survival
Date Oct 1-3
Duration 3 days
Topics covered
- Parkour
- Balance beam
- Flow and movement
- Body/ mind control.
- Tree work
Tracking and Traps
Date Nov 26-28
Duration 3 days
Topics covered
- Sign tracking.
- Ethics
- Pressure release
- Track ageing
- Tracking stick
- Advanced traps
- Baiting
Advanced Shelter, Primitive Tools
Date February 2011
Duration 3 days
Topics covered
- Group shelters
- Fire lays
- Flint knapping (percussion)
- Bedding
Advanced Skills 2
Date March 2011
Duration 3 days
Topics covered (Some of these skills will be covered in Advanced Skills 1)
- Pottery
- Advanced, friction fire
- Weaponry
- Cordage
- Caretaker
- Crafts
- Baskets - coil, withy, bark
- Primitive lighting
- Wet scrape buckskin
Survival Immersion
Date April 2011
Duration 7 days
The climax of the class will be the Survival Immersion and this will be a time to test the skills that the students have developed. The majority of the week will be focused on the students going out onto the landscape as a small tribe. They will carry with them very little equipment apart from the tools, crafts and provisions that they have made during the year. The Survival Immersion will also be a celebration of their journey during the year.
Prerequisite
The prerequisite for this course is Native Skills 2 but we permit Native Skills 1 students to attend if they make the commitment to take Native Skills 2 within 2010.
To Apply
Please fill out the standard application form as well as completing a short letter outlining your reasons for wanting to take the class. Within this letter please remark on what brought you to want to learn the skills as well as your hopes for the course. We ask for a deposit of £400 before the course starts in May and we can arrange for the remainder of the course fee to be paid in instalments during the course.
For those who take the Earth Living programme we offer generous concession on other classes within the year.