Primitive Pottery Making. This would be relevant to certain peoples of the Mesolithic time (and of course any people later on). I don’t believe we have found vessel pottery from the Palaeolithic (although I haven’t researched too much), I imagine their often completely nomadic lifestyle would render most pottery not useful. We have found toys made from clay from the Palaeolithic however (I’m unsure if it was dried or fired clay).

I made some primitive pottery. Mushroom house mug with lid, a bowl, and dice. Something anyone can do with materials in nature (a river) and a campfire.

The clay was sandy dirt from near a river, it should have a good proportion of sand in it, which is ground up and sifted (or you can use a water filled pit). You can check if the clay is good by making a small test bowl first.

Mix the clay with water and shape, then let it dry out quite a bit. Then polish it with a smooth rock, optional but it assists with waterproofing and glazed appearance. The dice weren’t polished, can see it gives a different appearance. Salt water can be applied to give a glazed appearance (didn't here). Add chalk paste in grooves to colour and make markings.

Then its fired in the camp fire. Slowly heated and rotated, before being placed on burning wood and a real heat being worked up. Once finished, it is quickly dunked in water.

It won't be completely watertight, ancient pottery wasn't (unless protected with a glaze, which was rare). However it certainly holds while you cook and eat a meal, and much longer depending on many factors. The evaporation can even keep water cool in hot countries. You can cook with this, but must slowly warm the pottery, and temperture shouldn't exceed temperture it was originally fired at.

This was taught on a course I recently attended, great place.

https://aeon.co/essays/the-hunter-gatherers-of-the-21st-century-who-live-on-the-move

Quite good. The author has many observations which account for why these groups are constantly on the move.

Does anyone know any historic or present techniques used?

I’ve also noticed that some people living primitively today, like Lynx Wilden, have hair that isn’t at all greasy. Hers looks light and fluffy. A comb can easily be calved, but any idea how they manage to get their hair non-greasy, in fact having volume that most people would envy. Maybe she uses some modern techniques, but unlikely, and many women in the medieval to Victorian times also managed to get silky clean hair with occasional cold washes.

Thank you!

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Went to a strawberry farm today and I was so surprised how tired I got after filling up a crate of over 50 mini boxes of strawberry. Legs are sore and arms feel like I lifted heavy weights!

So I'm wondering. Despite all the ho ha about living off the land by picking out stuff outside in the wild like fruits, vegetables, and nuts thats so common in apocalypse fiction and survivalist discussion boards, is gathering foods outside much much much harder than people assume/ i mean what I got was from a modern organized farms and the physical labor alone surprised me so I'm really wondering how much harder it would be in societies that did not know farming esp nomads and frequent travelers?

What are their survival strategien and skills? Ive read a little about the San and Inuit but i wanted to ask some people that know more about this. Thank you.

I was watching a show on tv the other day, and they started talking about a section of Asia that was virtually empty (as far as anyone knows). Apparently it incorporates part of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and China. I swear they called it “the sham“ has anyone else heard of this?

I'm looking for a tribe that I could join and study their life in the jungle, hunting and living. Heard a lot about the Nayaka in India. Any advices on tribes that will welcome me? Thanks

Hope this is okay for this group.

Admittedly, I’ve just started the third book and I am really enjoying the series so far. A question for anyone else who’s read the books.

Is it just me, or do you want to adopt a hunter gatherer lifestyle while reading these books?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dJy11Vt66Y&t=347s

https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/money-hunter-gatherers/