Bushcraft Definition ?

[Scots_Charles_River]

Just been browsing wikipedia, for work, but spotted that bushcraft is -

.......Bushcraft is about surviving and thriving in the natural environment, and the acquisition of ancient skills and knowledge to do so..........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushcraft

Should it not read -

.......Bushcraft is about surviving and thriving in the natural environment, and the acquisition of relevant modern and ancient skills and knowledge to do so..........

This is probably a can of worms and likely to get the page locked after of fury of edits but....it's not just ancient skills ??

Nick

EDITJust added LW and BG links

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

We need to adapt and edit the page I think, in the spirit of WIKIPEDIA, surely there is more to add ?

Nick

 

[British Red]

Surely a double qualification is moot? Remove the word ancient rather than add the word modern. Does that also mean that making sloe gin isn't bushcraft?

Its a semantic nonsense really - as so many ahve said its a different thing to every person. Can't we just "embrace the diversity"? (Shudders at the liberal tree hugging emage embracing diversity creates)

Red

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

I was meaning that you can use ANY skill to do bushcraft wether it's useing a modern metal kinfe or a stone to cut something.

Just a thought......

 

[spiritofold]

I think the ancient is just as relevant as the modern in bushcraft. Theres a lot to learn from those ancient skills using natural materials.

 

[Toddy]

Surely a double qualification is moot? Remove the word ancient rather than add the word modern. Does that also mean that making sloe gin isn't bushcraft?

Its a semantic nonsense really - as so many ahve said its a different thing to every person. Can't we just "embrace the diversity"? (Shudders at the liberal tree hugging emage embracing diversity creates)

Red

Ah go on........you know you want to hug a tree hugger

I actually agree, bushcraft is many things to many people.

cheers,
Toddy........who's just finished prepping the last of the acorns for coffee

 

[British Red]

Aaah - I'm making puddings...now what shall I do with the left over brandy?

Sadly its not very Bushcrafty though...didn't even use my dutch oven

Tis veggy though - pure veg suet!

Red

 

[firecrest]

maybe ancient and modern should be replaced with the word `useful`

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

My main point was bushcraft is all skills rather than just ancient.

Also it's pretty thin the, whole page, not my figure after all that veg suet !

I tried smash powder in my bannock for tea tonite, needs some refining though.

Nick.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

The Skill we use to day, may well be the old skills of tomorrow???

So I would concur

 

[Ben/dave]

A friend of mine once said "Bushcraft is being able to make yourself comfortable in the wild. whether you have to take a chainsaw and the kitchen sink to make yourself comfortable. It doesn't matter just get outside." Or something to that meaning.

I'm surprised this thread hasn't had a million people writing what bushcraft means to them. It would be an interesting read.

 

[Wayland]

 

[johnboy]

I'm surprised this thread hasn't had a million people writing what bushcraft means to them. It would be an interesting read.

Kia Ora...

The forum as a whole has had a lot of threads dedicated to trying to define exactly what bushcraft is or what it's not..

While I agree people trying to define 'what Bushcraft is to them' would be to a degree interesting.. Often stating what bushcraft is or isn't leads to someone getting a bit 'toey' threads spiral and bad things happen..


So the answer that's generally accepted and leads to peace and universal forum harmony is that Bushcraft is a multi faceted 'pursuit' with innumerable variations and interesting pathways and as such is impossible to define.

For example dressing in period mountain man equipment in a bit of woodland 1km from Tesco's and and Argos is as much 'Bushcraft' as attending a skills course in Arctic Sweden. Hanging out with your Swanndri attired mates around a fire with 300 GBP's worth of Knife on your hip while consuming a lot of special brew is as much 'Bushcraft' as a 10 day unsupported trek through the Boreal Forests of Canada. Owning a Canadian canoe and all of the associated canvas packs and kit and canoeing up the local canal is as 'Bushcraft' as having a large exarmy bergen and a collection of camo kit from around the world.

Generally if your outdoors ( or inside on a Forum) not taking life to seriously and enjoying yourself its all good.

'Bushcraft' is a Broad Church as far as BCUK is concerned.

Kia Kaha BCUK

 

[GordonM]

'Bushcraft' is a Broad Church as far as BCUK is concerned.

Careful John, don't get the thread locked because of religion.

Gordy

 

[GordonM]

Aaah - I'm making puddings...now what shall I do with the left over brandy?

That looks wonderful H!

Gordy

 

[Neumo]

For me Bushcraft is about collecting a wide range of skills and teqniques to be able to do a fairly small number of jobs: shelter, fire, water, food etc... I think it is better to be able to make fire in 30 different ways, from the old skool flint & a bit of metal thought to a fresnal lense in my bocket, fire steels etc.. The same with shelter, if you can make a good shelter that will keep you dry from all natural materials in a wood, that is great; knowing that & being able to make Mor's Super Shelter from some PVC makes you better. So for me it's about learning the really old, the old & the new skills for any given subject.

You need to bear in mind that some people like to specialise in learning the skills from a particular period in history (which includes the present). People who only make fire using the really old methods are probably better at that skill than I am, so spending some time learning off them is good. Depends f you want to learn stuff from only 1 period, or try to learn from lots of periods.

 

[Nightwalker]

For me Bushcraft is about learning to become comfortable in the outdoors. Learning to live within nature, using it's resources in a sustainable maner, always striving to learn more about the flora, fauna & wilderness skills, for knowledge is the most important tool, it weighs nothing and gives you the ability to not only survive but flourish.