The Salamander Efts met up at North Galbraith Trailhead on a
chilly, damp Sunday morning. This was perfect weather for us to begin the
journey along discovering a timeless skill: The Art of Fire by Friction. Taking
advantage of the recently altered landscape, we had a treasure trove of
materials to harvest after the recent deforestation a half mile down the trail.
But before we jumped into harvesting, it was time to get an introduction into
what it takes to make a “bow-drill kit” and what it means to learn this skill.
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| Gathering under an cave-like overhang just felt right to begin learning this skill |
Spreading out near the bike jumps, some of the Explorers
discovered an small cave like overhang that would be just the right size for an
opening circle. Squeezing in, we formed a circle and after some squirelliness
from a few group members, we settled in to learn about the bow-drill. It was
fitting to be doing this under such a prominent natural shelter and added to
the timeless nature of this skill. Examining the kit the boys learned about
each piece and its purpose. From the obvious bow, there was also the spindle,
fireboard, top rock/block, and items to create a tinder bundle. A quick demo from one
of the mentors showed how all these items worked together to create an ember
through friction. This ember is then transferred into a tinder bundle and with
the addition of oxygen blown into the mix of ember and tinder, a flame is
produced.
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| The bow, fire board, spindle, and top block/rock, with cedar bark for tinder |
Not only is this a fun skill to learn about, but it also
holds incredibly significant place in the development of humankind as we know
it and the technology we have developed over thousands of years to allow us to
live all across the world, explore the depths of space, access an endless
wealth of information online, and basically do anything beyond basic survival
day to day. The ability to create fire on demand, cook food, and even preserve
food enabled early humans to not only survive, but thrive and begin developing
the early forms of culture and technology that are now the basis of our
everyday lives. There is something almost magical about learning this skill and
once you can create fire from a few easily gathered materials in the forest,
fire almost becomes a part of you that you can carry with you wherever you go.
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| Investigating the deforested lands where this group played Life and Death in the Forest a little over a year ago |
It was now time for us to indulge in this ancient skill as
we moved through the forest and out into the recently deforested lands where we
could gather materials and find a location to begin learning this skill for
ourselves. This group has always been one to get lost in the art of goofing off
and their focus hard to wrangle at times. Initially it was looking like our
outing was going to be a wash and despite a lot of fun and exploration when the
mentors gathered the group up to rally and get going on gathering materials and
putting together their own fire kits. Spreading out Explorers searched for potential
spindles to harvest while mentors cut and processed some downed Western Red
Cedar to use for fireboards. Everyone was able to track down a few materials
and we gathered up once more to start carving away and refining our materials
into something that could produce an ember.
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| Practicing with a fresh bow-drill kit |
Despite a wandering focus and plenty of good times to be
had, the Salamander Efts managed to gather up the basic materials for a
bow-drill kit. We hunkered down for the remainder of our outing and a few of
the Explorers actually had a go at getting an ember. Despite their fruitless
labors, they honed their technique and began acquiring the muscle memory
required to become proficient enough to get an ember. Of course learning such a
skill will take many hours of practice, the Salamander Efts not only got off to
a good start, but as always, had a good time doing it. The mentors are looking
forward to practicing this ancient skill with the Salamander Efts as we
progress into spring outings and their final season together before graduating
into the Four Shields. This is an exciting time to be working with this group,
and as they grow into arriving adults, the mentors hope they can begin learning
not only the basics of the bow-drill, but the concentration, determination, and
patience that is inevitably required to become proficient at this skill. These
traits can then permeate into other aspects of their lives and hopefully give
them a head start over their peers as they journey through adolescence and
beyond.
Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!
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| Gathering together for closing circle to give some thanks before heading home |
