A Visit from Lynx
::K::
All travelers have a story to tell. When a tall woman named Lynx from the east side of the Cascades visited the Anake program wearing buckskin clothing (purse included), I knew she had some unique tales to share. Those stories lay hidden within a homemade basket the size of a barrel. Out of that basket arose a buffalo hide blanket, stone shards for cutting materials, rawhide containers, wooden bowls, a pump drill, various oil lamps made from shells, rocks, and tallow, and several bone tools (knives, needles, and awls). It became clear that this woman was dedicated to resourcefulness while not only out in the woods but in her everyday life as well. Lynx was at school to give us a taste of the independence that comes with learning how to construct our own tools using primitive technology.
Lynx provided two materials for each student: a deer leg and a flake of obsidian to use as our knife. From one deer leg, we were told that we could make a handbag, a bone knife, cordage, an awl, needles, and even a rattle. I had my work cut out for me. I decided on a stylish deer hock handbag. It took me two hours, but I eventually skinned and dissembled one deer leg with only a piece of obsidian. This glassy rock started to dull toward the end of the processing and I decided to switch to my knife. I jerked through the deerskin and quickly realized that modern technology does not always trump primitive ways. My small obsidian shard glided through deerskin far faster and smoother than my recently sharpened steel knife.
Working with primitive tools was time consuming, but not aggravating. Instead, it provided a refreshing opportunity for ingenuity and problem solving. Pounding sinew proved an effective way to form cordage. Scoring metatarsal bones in half and then pounding them against rocks enabled people to produce the beginnings of two knife blades. A handmade pump drill made holes in deer hooves so that they could be used as rattles. This experience made me realize that there is no excuse for waste. It just takes a bit of creativity to make a use for any part of an animal or plant. Remaining open to this creativity is the key to independence while either out on a survival trip or while simply trying to have a sustainable relationship with the land upon which I live.
Some of Lynx’s bone tools. Photo by Evan Adkins.
A deer leg that is about to be made into a knife. Photo by Kathryn Hansen.
Randall really immersed himself in the Stone Age theme. Photo by Evan Adkins.
A deer leg processed using obsidian. Photo by Evan Adkins.
Marion making a deer skin purse. Photo by Evan Adkins.
Lynx (right) helping Mathew drill through a leg bone. Photo by Evan Adkins.
Two days of hard work produced knives, rattles, awls, purses, and sinew cordage. Photo by Evan Adkins.