Connecting with Ancestral Skills in a Modern World

The society we live in today is drastically different to that of our earth-based ancestors.

What happens when we live life separate from place, separate from the very world that shaped us into the animals we are today?

Well one must only take a look at the stats of suicide, mental health, physical health and crime to get the answer to this question.

Something very wrong happens when a species is taken from their natural habitat.

For homo sapiens (humans), the impact goes far deeper than just physiological.

We have complex social needs that require connection, purpose and a sense of belonging.

When we do not have any of these, a myriad of issues arise within the psyche.

So who's Ancestors are we referring to?

Everyones. Whether you come from Australia, America or Africa and so on, when we trace our genetics back far enough we land within nomadic hunter gatherer land-based communities. This is our common ground. All of us, have ancestry that leads us back into land-based living life styles. This is what we aim to bring forth when sharing these skills, Of course doing so in a way that is in relationship with the land we gather on and acknowledging its own old culture.

Connecting with the “old ways” is much more then just learning how to make tools from stones and bones. It is about educating oneself on the culture that existed when these skills were the primary way of existence. Learning how to undo much of the disconnected learnt behaviours of the modern world and rewiring to a connected place.

Learning the skills of our ancestors can be somewhat seen as a doorway to re-wilding as a holistic life style approach. We know that when we practise these skills, an innate sense of self sufficiency comes forth, simultaneously with an innate relationship with the eco system. Allowing us to localise, and get to know place on a personal and intimate level. Which is necessary if we aim to re-wild our approach to living with the land.