Primitive Technology Weekend

Safety Officers Stan Lapinski, Ranger Matthew Pedri and August Miller will supervise bow and arrow shooting on Saturday (10 AM to 4 PM) and Sunday (10AM to 1 PM) for families, adults and children.

Naturalist Mimi Knuth

Clay Coils, Pinch Pots and Fish Prints with Red Ochre – Learn the basics of Indigenous Pottery on Saturday (10 AM to 4 PM) AND Sunday (10 AM to 1 PM), then build your own pot with traditional tools. Print a fish on a shirt (bring your own white shirt), or on our paper using our native pigments.

Indigenous Cooking

Ranger Grace Wiess at Willow Grove Nature Center

Indigenous people of MD had a wide range of options for cooking foods. Clay pots for stews and soups, green wood grilles for broiling fish and meat and underground pits for slow and low cooking. Join Ranger Grace as she demonstrates various cooking techniques using traditional tools and accouterments as we cook foods available in the past, with flavors to be savored in the present!

Nick Spero of the Natural History Society of Maryland

Nutritious plants grow all around us; and they grow in some surprising places! Join Nick Spero for a foraging walk to discover the edible plants in the “wilds” of Cromwell Valley Park.

Dr. Clare Walker from Irvine Nature Center

Baskets, packs and clothing can all be made from the fibers of bark, grass and shrubs. Baskets freed up mankind’s hands to gather materials and edible shoots and roots to transport back to camp. Learn some of the fundamentals of manipulating fiber and bark into useful containers, cordages and even nets, rope and bow strings during this presentation! There will be the opportunity for hands on experiences for participants!

Soap Stone Dave

1500 to 2000 years ago, indigenous hunter-gather groups found that soap stone’s unique properties allowed for the manufacturing of bowls, pots, cups and heating elements using primitive technologies. Now humans could cook meat and vegetables in liquids, creating nutritious soups, stews and porridges previously unavailable to them.

Dave Smith has been experimenting with soap stone for over 30 years and has developed a knowledge base of techniques, tools and procedures to manufacture beads, bowls, pipes, cups, cooking vessels and heating elements. Come join us for this hands-on workshop!

Ranger/Naturalist F.Kirk Drier – The Primitive Crossbow

The crossbow was a significant invention, melding the rifle and the bow into a weapon that was more powerful and accurate than the longbow. It can take years to decades to become proficient with a bow and arrow but learning to shoot the crossbow accurately could be done in a few hours or days, giving it a significant advantage over someone just learning how to shoot the bow. Join Ranger Kirk for this presentation on simple jungle style crossbows. Various trigger systems will be addressed. Crossbow bolts will be constructed and participants will have the opportunity to make a bolt (arrow) to take with them and the opportunity to fire one or more of these crossbows!

Campfire at the Primitive Technology Laboratory and Earth Skills Classroom

This evening we will engage in reminiscing about Prim Tech’s past, mentors missed (Errett Callahan, Are Tsrik, Steve Watt, Jeff Tottenham, Larry Dean Olsen), primitive technology now, and where it’s going. We’ll have smores and lemonade for a contemplative evening around the fire!

Bow Shoot

Bring your wooden/fiberglass traditional bows, flu-flu arrows, or arrows with judo and/or rubber blunts & a handful of target arrows, as we shoot balloons, roll an inner tube, & toss aerial targets. Meet at the main kiosk for this shoot inspired by Dr. Errett Callahan’s book on roving.

Safety Officers Stan Lapinski, Ranger Matthew Pedri and August Miller will supervise bow and arrow shooting on Saturday (10 AM to 4 PM) and Sunday (10AM to 1 PM) for families, adults and children.

Naturalist Mimi Knuth

Clay Coils, Pinch Pots and Fish Prints with Red Ochre – Learn the basics of Indigenous Pottery, then build your own pot with traditional tools. Print a fish on a shirt (bring your own white shirt), or on our paper using our native pigments.

The Knapping Circle

Nate Salzman and August Rowell will show you how to make large rocks into small sharp tools. Nate is the Education and Exhibit Specialist at Jefferson Patterson Park.