American Indian Lore

[Teotwawki]

I have looked and looked for good sites that explain American Indian lore - I mean how they did various things from hunting, farming, shelters, crafts, etc.

They knew a lot of useful stuff that seems to have been mostly forgotten.

I cannot find anything that is very useful / informative.

Do any of you know of any sites or books? Sort of "How the Indians Did It?"

[FVR]

Go here to start.

Google Primitive Ways and Paleo Planet.

http://www.tribaltek.org/lifeskills.html



You're not looking hard enough.

[tacmedic]

Any of the books by John and Geri McPherson are a great place to start. braintan.com has a lot of good info on brain tanning. The Indian Tipi book by Gladys and Reginald Laubins is another great source of information on Plains Indian life skills.

[Teotwawki]

Good site - thanks.

Was searching on the wrong keywords: "American Indian Lore" and nothing much useful comes up.

FVR: Give it a try and don't be so quick to judge.

[FVR]

Maybe I'm just getting grumpy in my old age. I just get so tired of people coming to the site and wanting everything handed to them without doing any work.

I've been doing this stuff for close to 20 years and tire of those that want shortcuts and the easy way.

But then maybe, I'm just and arshole?

[Tahyo]

Maybe I'm just getting grumpy in my old age. I just get so tired of people coming to the site and wanting everything handed to them without doing any work.

I've been doing this stuff for close to 20 years and tire of those that want shortcuts and the easy way.

But then maybe, I'm just and arshole?

On another site that I belong to we get the same thing and there are times I get annoyed till I realize that some people just don't have the hang of doing searches yet. I think my annoyance extends when it is something that has nothing to do with the subject matter of the site in which I usually give an @$$ chewing or just ignore.

[Teotwawki]

Sometimes every one of us are both grumpy and arsehole.

Not looking for anything handed to me but I am here to learn. We can't all be masters - at least not early in a journey.

[Riverrat]

FVR, nice link, thanks.

[trax]

The way people keep referring to Indians in the past tense. I know a lot of Indians who still follow as much of their traditional hunting and trapping methods as possible. Some ways are lost and the guys I know never hesitated to embrace some modern technology (firearms, snow machines, steel traps) but there's plenty that still know tracking, building shelters, making snowshoes, what else you want to know? Meet someone like that and its a far better link than anything your gonna get off this here Interweb contraption.

[RBB]

My friend, Tara Prindle, has a great site. This site is actually much larger than it appears at first glance - so keep looking once you get there:

http://nativetech.org/

[DOGMAN]

The way people keep referring to Indians in the past tense. I know a lot of Indians who still follow as much of their traditional hunting and trapping methods as possible. Some ways are lost and the guys I know never hesitated to embrace some modern technology (firearms, snow machines, steel traps) but there's plenty that still know tracking, building shelters, making snowshoes, what else you want to know? Meet someone like that and its a far better link than anything your gonna get off this here Interweb contraption.


A couple of years ago I took a group of elders and young Indian boys on a river trip sponsored by the American Indian Institute http://www.twocircles.org/index.html

And, this one elder started the trip with a joke:

"What is the difference between a Native American tribe and a bowl of yogurt?

Answer: A bowl of yogurt is a Living Culture.

He then went on and gave a fantastic speech about preserving and Growing their cultures. The American Indian Institute is a great program.

[trax]

Of all the Indians I know, Indians always have the best Indian jokes. I'm supposed to be politically correct and say "aboriginal peoples" or "first nations" but I just can't be bothered.

[RBB]

Of all the Indians I know, Indians always have the best Indian jokes. I'm supposed to be politically correct and say "aboriginal peoples" or "first nations" but I just can't be bothered.

All of my relations refer to themselves as "Indians." Yet the younger ones get pissed if others do.

[DOGMAN]

In my parts the native people prefer to be called American Indians. In school we always had some interesting discussions on who was a "Native Montanan" and who wasn't.

[RobertRogers]

everybody has their own philosophy about helping others.

[buttercup]

SURVIVAL SKILLS OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS By Peter Goodchild.

I had a copy that I gave to my fourteen year old grandson since he is part Cherokee on his maternal grandmother's side and is trying to learn all he can about his Indian heritage and Indian ways in general. Some interesting things in the book but I don't know if it is anything that you are researching.


here is the info off the jacket cover.............

This comprehensive review of Native American life skills covers collecting and preparing plant foods and medicines; hunting animals; creating and transporting fire; and crafting tools, shelter, clothing, utensils, and other devices. Step-by-step instructions and 145 detailed diagrams enable the reader to duplicate native methods using materials available in local habitats. A new foreword, introduction, and index complement the practical information offered.

[wildWoman]

The way people keep referring to Indians in the past tense. I know a lot of Indians who still follow as much of their traditional hunting and trapping methods as possible. Some ways are lost and the guys I know never hesitated to embrace some modern technology (firearms, snow machines, steel traps) but there's plenty that still know tracking, building shelters, making snowshoes, what else you want to know? Meet someone like that and its a far better link than anything your gonna get off this here Interweb contraption.

yeah, no kidding...unfortunately many whities are too prejudiced to get to know any natives. I worked for the local band for a while, a few years back, and feel very lucky. Not many people there who do anything in the bush other than by skidoo or ATV but it's still a totally different culture and well worth getting to know.

[FVR]

Use to do alot of rendezvous, pow wows, and art shows.

This one art show, I'm sitting there knapping some arrowheads. This old man walks up, picks up one of my arrows and starts asking questions about the real sinew, the Cherokee fletching and all. He then asks me about my good luck pouches and why I do not call them medicine bags. I told him that since I'm not a medicine man, can't do medicine bags. He smiled, shook my hand and thanked me for keeping his tradition alive.

He turned an walked away, I asked a young man by chance, who was the old guy, I was told that he was an old Cherokee medicine man and that he was very happy with me.

I have to say, that that is one of the best compliments that I have ever rec'd about my prmitive bows/arrows and gear.

Ahhhhhh, it's just my way.

[Teotwawki]

Cool story - FVR

[dragonjimm]

thanks for the links......