Ben Hewitt - The Young Adventurers Guide to (Almost) Everything: Build a Fort, Camp Like a Champ, Poop in the Woods-45 Action-Packed Outdoor Activities

ONCE UPON A TIME, people learned the most awesome and useful things. They learned how to find wild food in the fields and forests, how to shelter themselves with nothing more than sticks and leaves, how to maintain a knife and hatchet, even how to build a fire without matches or a lighter. They learned these skills from those who came before them, and they passed them along to those who came after. It was just the way the world worked.

People learned how to do these things because if they didnt, they died. Thats not quite how it is today: these days, were more likely to fear losing our Wi-Fi signal than getting lost in the woods. Of course, technology and the evolution of human knowledge have brought amazing things into our lives. Despite the so-called primitive nature of many of the skills in this book, we dont believe that humans should return to living in caves, and we dont believe that new technologies are inherently bad. Rather, we believe that technologies old and new can be used in ways that are both productive and destructive. For instance, a stone can be used to grind acorns into flour, or it can be used to thump someone over the head. Likewise, a smartphone can be used to share things of beauty and importance, or it can be used to spread messages of hate and intolerance. Its the same stone, the same phone; only the intention is different.

We also believe that keeping the skills in this book alive is critical to maintaining our connection to nature, and that right now, in an era of rapid climate change and the ongoing loss of wild places and creatures, this connection is more important than ever. Because if we dont feel connected, its hard for us to truly care. Learning and practicing these skills isnt merely about what the skills can do for youthe food youll learn to forage and process, or the medicine youll learn to make, or even the games youll learn to play. Dont get us wrong: thats all well and good and funand fun is a big part of what this book is about. But there is more to it than that.

Many of the skills depicted in this book originated with Native Americans, the first inhabitants of North America. Indeed, many are still practiced by these people. While its common to think of Native Americans as being part of the past, in fact there are currently well over five hundred tribes in the United States, comprising more than five million members. And this number doesnt even begin to account for everyone in the United States who has some percentage of indigenous blood running through them.

As direct descendants of the people who wrongfully took control of the land we now call ours, it is difficult to know how to properly acknowledge and honor the contributions and cultures of native peoples. We feel deep respect and love for the people, cultures, and ways of living that are directly connected to the Earth. Often, the true masters of these ways have been indigenous peoples; we are grateful for the opportunity to learn their ways, and we draw tremendous inspiration from their practices.

TRUTH IS, IF THE ONLY REASON YOU PICKED UP THIS BOOK IS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO FREAK OUT YOUR PARENTS BY COOKING UP A BATCH OF FRIED GRASSHOPPERS, THATS OK, TOO.

There is a fine line between learning from native people (and keeping these skills alive) and what is known as cultural appropriation, which is adopting certain elements of a particular culture without express permission. That line can sometimes be uncertain; the important thing is to be aware that these issues exist and to work at deepening our understanding of them. And dont be afraid to ask questions. As long as you approach people with respect and humility, there is no such thing as a wrong question; there are only wrong assumptions.