The hunter gatherer lifestyle

Is it possible? I think I must be a dreamer – for me, nothing seems more enticing than escaping civilisation with some human company and living off the land.  The reality, I’m sure, is very different from the dream.  It reminds me of the story of Chris McCandless.  I haven’t yet read the book of his story (“Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer) but I have seen the film: the cinematography is just amazing, and it gives me a great yearning to go out and do something similar, albeit safer.

It got me thinking though – is it possible nowadays? I know there are hunter gatherers still living in various countries across the world (and I’d love to spend some time with them), but what about in the UK? Ray Mears did a series called “Wild Food” which was all about finding the staple foods eaten by our hunter gatherer ancestors.  It seems that too much knowledge has been lost about our environment to be able to survive solely from the hunter gatherer lifestyle.  

Quite apart from this, hunter gatherers, I feel, in some respects had it easy.  They had no governmental restrictions, no land ownership, no over-population, no social pressure.  Of course, they had it much harder in many other respects.  But practically, there can’t be a way to live in a primitive lifestyle in the UK, I don’t think: one piece of land would not be enough to accomodate all of your needs.  Having watched “Wild Food”, equally too much has been lost to survive, I think.  

Self sufficiency as a concept, if not to the extent of the hunter gatherer lifestyle, is becoming increasingly more popular as the concept of being “green” is emphasised, and spurred on more by television programmes such as “River Cottage”.  More research on this is something else to be added to the list: I like the idea of generating one’s own electricity, growing a lot of one’s own food (childhood attempts at a vegetable garden failed miserably for me), etc. 

Some of the foods examined in “Wild Food”, however, really fascinated me.  Apparently, acorns were a staple food, and particularly cherished since they contain both carbohydrate and fats. The process is fairly arduous: first, the acorns must be split, using a rock or some other tool.  Then, they are dried, followed by being de-shelled.  Next they are crushed, and then leached: put into a bag and then leached in order to wash out the bitter tannins in the acorns. The result is a sort of brown mush, into which hot stones are dropped in until ready.  I shall research futher into more modern ways of doing this: I know there are other uses of acorns such as coffee.  It could be an interesting experiment. 

Currently, I feel I am rambling: my posts shall become more specific as I get the hang of this, I promise.

About Me

My interest in all things nature is really what propels me to write this blog, sharing ideas with others of a similar (or different, that would be equally fascinating) mindset to mine.

What has really fascinated me and has drawn me into other aspects of nature is bushcraft, inspired by Ray Mears.  For those of you who don’t know, bushcraft is ‘the detailed knowledge that can enable us to experience nature in a more indigenous way: a way that demands we open our eyes and other senses, and pay the closest attention to the world around us’ (from Ray’s website) .  

Although my own knowledge around the subject is fleeting, I have found that by investigating the simplest things, even learning to identify a few trees, you become much more  aware of nature around you.   I intend to build my knowledge of bushcraft, and hopefully in turn build the awareness that it brings.  

My fascination with nature, however, is not limited to bushcraft.  As a young child (and very much a tomboy) I loved making dens and romping around the fields.  I have been very fortunate, I think, to live in the country (although not far enough out, for my liking), and grow up with friends who lived on farms where I could escape even further from civilisation.  Now, aged 17, I am caught in the midst of a whirlwind of exams, and find myself unable to enjoy our nature to the extent I would like: even holidays (like now) are blocked up with revision for A level modules.  This shall be coming to an end after this year, however – I intend to take a gap year, in which I will hopefully be able to explore the natural world not only in my own country, but in others too.  I can’t wait. 

This blog is primarily for me, I suppose: there could be no-one whoever reads it.  Hopefully it will allow me to log my ideas, dig into new interests, and perhaps even encourage me to start taking more photos, since I am very lazy at doing so.  Hopefully, if anyone is reading this, you shall find this blog of interest, and worth some discussion.