Tropical Bush Skills

In these classes, you can learn a variety of ancient skills geared towards a tropical environment. We are going for a total immersion in all things tropical, from the materials we work with our hands, to the water we swim in, to the food we eat.

There once was a time (and for some people on the earth today, this is still the case) where everything humans used for their daily living was made by hand from the plants, animals, and earth around them. Making things from the land around us to sustain ourselves and make daily life more comfortable and enjoyable is a skill that all of our ancestors had, no matter where on earth your ancestors were from. These skills tie us all together as human beings. Students in classes such as this one find they gain not only a deeper connection with the land but also with themselves. We are working the things of the land through ourselves. And so, as we all are unique, everything that each student makes is unique. Each skill that you create is a reflection of yourself.

These skills would be great to know if you were ever in a survival situation, especially in the tropics. Yet this class goes beyond the basic survival skills and teaches skills that would turn a bare-bones survival situation into a more comfortable living situation.

​The skills we will be working on include:

fire-making from tropical woods (bow-drill, hand-drill, fire-saw, fire plough)
bone fish hooks
cordage from tropical plants
wild edible and medicinal plants of the tropics
coconut palm weaving
pottery
calabash containers
bamboo containers/utensils
primitive cooking
stone tools
primitive spear guns
fish spears
pack baskets

History is also interwoven into the class as we can’t help but explore the richness of that aspect of these skills. It is not just the skill you may be working presently with your hands….that skill has a history, a life of it’s own. Living, breathing people of the past helped to develop that skill. By working a skill yourself, it helps you to experience what life was like for people long ago, and for some people still to this day.

The cost of class includes all meals. Meals will also serve as a way to learn more about the tropical environment, as we incorporate both locally cultivated and wild foods into the menu. One of the evenings, we will also enjoy a cookout where everything is cooked over the fire without any modern cooking equipment.

Tent camping is also included in the cost of the class. If you wish to upgrade to a cabin, there is an additional fee. You can contact us to arrange a cabin rental if desired. As this class comes the week before the Survival Quest, it is also a chance for you to work on some survival equipment that you could take out to the wilderness with you, such as primitive fishing gear, mongoose traps, a bamboo bow, etc.

Cost $900 ($800 if also taking the survival quest) includes meals starting with dinner on the first day of the class and ending with breakfast on the last day, and tent camping. If you wish to stay in a cabin, there is an extra $60/night fee, which can be split between multiple students sharing a cabin.