- Bushcraft
Bushcraft is a long-term extension of
survival skills . A popular term for wilderness skills inAustralia ,New Zealand andSouth Africa , the term was popularised in the southern hemisphere by Les Hiddins (The Bush Tucker Man) in Australia as well as in the northern hemisphere byMors Kochanski and recently gained considerable currency in the United Kingdom due to the popularity of Ray Mears and his bushcraft and survival television programmes.Bushcraft is about surviving and thriving in the natural environment, and the acquisition of ancient skills and knowledge to do so. Bushcraft skills include;firecraft , tracking,hunting , shelter building, the use of tools such as knives and axes,foraging , hand-carving wood, container construction from natural materials, rope and twine-making, and many others. These are the kinds of skills well known to our ancient predecessors, many of which are still practiced today as an everyday skill amongst aboriginal and native peoples around the world.Origin of the Term
Before the recent popularity of Ray Mears and his programmes, the term was also used by the Irish-born Australian writer Richard Graves and Canadian bushcraft teacher
Mors Kochanski . The word has been used in its current sense in Australia at least as far back as the 1800s. The accompanying termBushman (in the sense of "someone adept in bushcraft") has been used inSouth Africa andAustralia since a similar time. It is more common to hear the term "bushcrafter" to describe someone interested in bushcraft.The term was used in the following books (amongst others):
*"The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888" by
Ernest Favenc ; published in 1888.
*"My Brilliant Career" byMiles Franklin ; published in 1901.
*"Campaign Pictures of the War in South Africa (1899-1900)" byA. G. Hales ; published in 1901.
*"The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work" byErnest Favenc ; published in 1908.
*"We of the Never-Never" byJeannie Gunn ; published in 1908.
*"The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders" byErnest Scott ; published in 1914..See also
*
Woodcraft
*Scoutcraft
*Ray Mears
*Mors Kochanski
*Les Stroud
*Dick Proenneke External links
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