Hi Everyone!
In a previous thread (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130329), I describe how a group of us began to explore Tuibun Village. The 2,000-year-old village site lies in a freshwater marsh that borders San Francisco Bay. I had always wondered about the skills people used to thrive in a marsh environment.
We felt privileged to visit the site and to learn about the Tuibun Ohlone. The Tuibun were one of the Native Californian inhabitants of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Volunteers from the community and park staff built several replica structures at the village site. They constructed them away from where ancient structures actually stood.
We enter a subterranean pit house. It would have housed a leading family.
The large, circular structure is cool and dry even on a hot sunny day. Here is a shot of the interior.
Once inside, our guide related stories about what life might have been like in the village.
The houses occupants would have slept on tule sleeping mats. Tule reeds (Schoenoplectus acutus) are plentiful in the surrounding marshland.
They would have slept underneath rabbit skin blankets. These blankets are light, soft and luxurious to the touch.
We also examined tools like this replica tule saw. It is made from a deer scapula.
I was delighted by our guide's knowledge of traditional skills and his experimental archaeology.
I also saw a "shade house" for the first time. It made perfect sense when I saw it, but it never occurred to me that people would make these.
I put together detailed notes online with instructions and links for making tule mats and rabbit skin blankets. They are available to those who are interested.
- Woodsorrel
In a previous thread (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130329), I describe how a group of us began to explore Tuibun Village. The 2,000-year-old village site lies in a freshwater marsh that borders San Francisco Bay. I had always wondered about the skills people used to thrive in a marsh environment.
We felt privileged to visit the site and to learn about the Tuibun Ohlone. The Tuibun were one of the Native Californian inhabitants of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Volunteers from the community and park staff built several replica structures at the village site. They constructed them away from where ancient structures actually stood.
We enter a subterranean pit house. It would have housed a leading family.
The large, circular structure is cool and dry even on a hot sunny day. Here is a shot of the interior.
Once inside, our guide related stories about what life might have been like in the village.
The houses occupants would have slept on tule sleeping mats. Tule reeds (Schoenoplectus acutus) are plentiful in the surrounding marshland.
They would have slept underneath rabbit skin blankets. These blankets are light, soft and luxurious to the touch.
We also examined tools like this replica tule saw. It is made from a deer scapula.
I was delighted by our guide's knowledge of traditional skills and his experimental archaeology.
I also saw a "shade house" for the first time. It made perfect sense when I saw it, but it never occurred to me that people would make these.
I put together detailed notes online with instructions and links for making tule mats and rabbit skin blankets. They are available to those who are interested.
- Woodsorrel
