Saturday 20 June 2015

Bushcraft Architecture And Construction

Neat huh?
SBW

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

....Only just now getting around to watching this--GREAT STUFF! I LOVE stuff like this! I'm assuming it took place in Australia, from some of the bird calls in the background? I have dabbled a bit in such activities--there seemed to be more hours in the day for such when I was younger....I once built a smaller version of a Mandan/Arikara earth lodge on an isolated ridge in the Southern Appalachians where I lived--used only natural materials I found nearby, EXCEPT for a metal pipe I scavenged/utilized to help my fire pit draw smoke better! The lodge was about 15 feet in circumference, and you could stand up comfortably in it--it had about a foot-thick earth walls covered with leaf debris to keep it from washing in the rain. The smallest fire kept it toasty warm inside even in bitterly cold weather, and it stayed amazingly cool(without a fire!) in summer. I kept the place completely secret, only a torturous trail through incredibly thick patches of briars/thornbrush led to it, and I kept even that trail no more than the faintest animal path. Enjoyed camping in this comfy lodge for a coupla years, but alas, I FOOLISHLY named it "Wowunupo Mu Tetna", which as you know from reading about Ishi, means "Grizzly Bear's Hiding Place" in Yahi. I did it in honor of Ishi, but I'LL BE DAMNED--the EXACT same thing happened to my hideout as it did to Ishi's!!! What are the frikkin' odds on THAT? Damn SURVEYOR'S running a property line slashed a huge swath through the forest, and wouldn't you know it, RIGHT BY my earth lodge! Mustv'e gave them something to discuss, for sure! They didn't destroy anything, but that swath attracted all manner of hikers, etc.; and soon my once secretive getaway was a popular hangout spot! Trash, human fecals, all manner of modern civilized nastiness soon littered the spot. I was mortified. One day I just went and dismantled the whole thing; even scattered the dirt back where I had dug it, left not a trace, and moved elsewhere.......L. B.

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

LB

I've always wanted to build a little village of different huts. Hobbit style.
The bit I'd not seen before was that he uses a standardised unit of measurement which not only gives a neat look to his casa but I'd imagine, with that design, adds to structural strength.

Whats your favourite book about Ishi?
SBW

Anonymous said...

I've only read three specifically about Ishi and the Yahi/Yana, although probably a zillion where Ishi is mentioned to some degree! Of course the main two are both of those by Theodora Kroeber, the novelized form "Ishi, Last Of his Tribe", and the Anthropological/historical account "Ishi In Two Worlds"--I can never decide which of them I like best--I love the novel strictly from Ishi's point-of-view, but also the Anthropological account, which has much more about the Yana and subtribe Yahi, and exactly what happened to make Ishi the last of his tribe. I also read the more recent account "Ishi In Three Centuries"--which is good if you are interested in the subject, certainly, but not like the "originals". Film-wise, I have seen both dramatizations--one, many, many years ago(late 1970's?) was an ABC TV movie, was decent(if I'm remembering right)--THAT one is probably unavailable--and also "Last Of His Tribe" with Grahme Greene("Kicking Bird" from "Dances With Wolves") in the main role--Jon Voigt as professor Kroeber. I thought many aspects of this film were good--I ESPECIALLY liked seeing the filmed-on-location Northern California territory near where the Yahi actually lived(SPECTACULAR country!), but the film also irked the snot out of me because it focused SO MUCH on the depressing, negative aspects of the story. Not that there WEREN'T plenty of actual negative, depressing aspects, but Ishi was an INCREDIBLY positive human being, which is the greatest lesson I learned from reading about his life, and this did NOT come out in this film AT ALL......I also have the "American Experience" PBS documentary on Ishi--EXCELLENT! They, too, filmed some of it where it really happened, although their claim to have found Wowunupo Mu Tetna I think is off--the spot they showed, though very possibly a former Yahi secret camp, was NOTHING like Ishi described--Wowunupo Mu Tetna was set up by a CAVE shelter(where a grizzly used to live......Soooo, do you think I might be as much an Ishi aficionado as you? Ha!......L.B.

Anonymous said...

I don't even know how I ended up right here, but I believed
this post was great. I don't realize who you are but certainly you're going to a well-known blogger
if you aren't already ;) Cheers!