Hawk Circle

Earth Skills Semester
Fall Semester 2008

September 7-November 1, 2008
Cost: $4,800 includes housing, instruction and all craft materials.

As the summer slips into fall, then into winter, there is great activity in the animal world to prepare for the changing seasons. At Hawk Circle we do the same, getting in our last swims, gathering our autumn foods out of our garden, sharpening our flint blades and soaking up the sun’s warm rays. There are so many skills, crafts and adventures to have, and as you can see below, we are doing it all. The forging of knives, gathering hickory nuts, and pounding ash splints for our baskets all serve to bring us closer to nature, to ourselves, and to our community. If you want an intensive journey into the ways of nature, survival and community, this season is sure to deliver! Come prepared to be fully active and to study the ways of nature and survival intensely, and you will leave full of knowledge, completed crafts and holding an experience that will change how you see the world....

                                     -Ricardo Sierra

The Art of Survival-Bone and Stone Tools
The making of stone knives, scrapers, arrow points and axes involves learning to read the stone, practicing various shaping techniques and understanding how rocks break under pressure. Bone is much easier, as we simply grind and carve it to suit our needs. Both have advantages and a good place in our bag of tools and tricks. Whether you wish to make a bone awl, needle, fishhooks, knives or spear points, or make amulets of your connection to nature, this class series will give you a strong foundation into learning both the practical and philosophical arts of working with bones and stones. Students who wish to focus on advanced levels of pressure flaking, percussion flaking, and who demonstrate an intermediate or advanced skill level with stone are welcome to participate and learn at a higher level of lithic technology.

The Art of Hunting-Survival Hunting Weapons and Tools Intensive
Each primitive weapon or hunting tool was literally an expression of the hunter’s connection with the animal, honoring the spirit of the hunt and and extension of the intent of providing food for the people. While it is true that in an extreme survival situation, a simple stick may be sufficient, in this class we will work hard to make our tools beautiful as well as functional, to gather ‘medicine’ and honor the mythical hunt. Our course involves carving, painting, burning and of course, practicing.

Community Studies- Wild Foods Gathering and Preservation
Indian summer is a rewarding time where wild grapes, apples, elderberries, thimble berries, black raspberries, staghorn sumac, choke cherries and more all become ripe. We will harvest, prepare, and preserve these wild foods, transforming them into jellies, jams, apple butter, and/or apple sauce. Pancake dinners or bread baking sessions have been plentiful after this class to try out our various creations. Students will have a selection of canned goods to eat and take home after the course. Drying, cooking and other food gathering ideas are shared as we enjoy the bounty of nature.

Cultural Arts and Crafts-Ash Splint Basketry
There are some skills that are easy to make quickly in the wilderness, and there are many types of baskets that are fast and easy to make, but not very long lasting. This is not one of those baskets! Working with black ash, students will learn to harvest, pound, separate the splints and weave them together to make a very durable, strong, beautiful and rich pack basket. This is the sort of basket that can be maintained with a little care and handed down to your children. We may experiment with some natural dyes to make our work even more colorful and distinctive, and baskets can be made to suit all shapes, sizes and skill levels among students.

Cultural Arts and Crafts- Rawhide Lanterns
Rawhide is a material that has been used for centuries to create primitive cabin windows, lamp shades and containers. In this course, students will design and create their own rawhide lanterns using materials gathered from the land. Students will experience the process of making rawhide from provided deer hides and construct a frame from red osier dogwood. Stretching, sewing, lashing and cutout techniques will also be learned through the process of making the lanterns, which will protect the flame of a small candle to light our rooms, woodland paths, or campfire circles.

The Art of Hunting-Bowhunting for Whitetail Deer
In this optional part of the course, students who meet the criteria of proficiency with a bow and obtain bowhunter and hunter safety courses and a valid NYS bowhunting license/tag may be able to take part in learning to hunt for deer in the Hawk Circle woods. We will learn to trail deer, track their feeding areas, understand the areas of bedding, feeding, staging and travel and of course, experience the early morning and evening sits, to allow us to see the local deer that live in this wide forest and swamp region. Non-hunters may also participate in the morning and evening sits, therefore learning without having to have all of the license requirements, at the discretion of the instructor. Scent, clothing, philosophy, care of gear, building of blinds and much more will be offered in this program. Most of all, the reverence and sacredness of life is a part of the soul of a hunter, and we will make our own ceremony to honor both our commitment to the deer and hunt.

The Art of Hunting-Processing and Utilizing All of the Deer
This is a companion to the Bowhunting class, open to everyone. In it, we will learn about cleaning and skinning, processing and cutting meat, extracting and caring for sinew, make glue, use the hooves and bones for various survival uses and render the fat for use in oiling bows and arrows, food, cooking or to provide fuel for lamps and torches. The making of jerky, pemmican and many other ways of cooking and caring for the meat will be shown and demonstrated in this awesome part of the course.

The Art of Fire- Primitive Fire making
This course covers the many aspects of fire that are needed in both primitive and modern settings. Topics covered will include safety and hazards, tipi-style fire construction, bow and drill fire by friction method, wood selection, natural tinder selection, fire uses, symbolism, and mythological importance.

The Art of Shelter- Preparing for Winter
The most rewarding time to make a primitive shelter is during the late fall season, after all the leaves have freshly fallen and dried grasses and other materials are abundant. Students will work together to make one or two extremely durable debris huts with winter modifications. Each student will also make a grass mat to take the place of their sleeping bag during their overnight stay.

Tree and Plant Identification- Fall Studies
It was essential for native people to be able to positively identify the trees and plants that were used for food, medicine, tools, shelters, and much more. In this class we will study the trees and plants in our area by gathering research in the field, book study, and drawing and journaling the various details of each species. We will learn to identify trees by their buds, leaves, bark, and fruits, and plants by a withering stalk. Edible and utilitarian uses will be sampled and experienced as time permits.

Cultural Arts and Crafts- Buckskin Medicine Bags and Rawhide Pouches
In this course we will have a chance to practice the art of “gathering medicine” from the world around us, using our medicine pouches and bags. We will learn to sew leather and rawhide making creative, unique and personal bags that can be used for a variety of practical and spiritual uses.

Cultural Arts and Crafts- Survival Pottery Studies
Pottery is an ancient art that has been perfected for centuries, and yet remains very similar to its original primitive form. We will cover everything from clay collection to primitive firing techniques. Coiling, drying and decorating skills will help our bowls and pots take shape. Students will create containers that will be fired primitively. We will also learn to identify, gather and use clay from the nearby riverbanks as time allows.

Cultural Arts and Crafts-Black Smithing and Knifemaking with Michael McCarthy
Many wilderness programs focus on the earliest and most primitive skills of survival but very little attention is spent on the skills of the Bronze Age. This era is the time of metals, where the magic of working copper, tin, lead and steel was discovered. It is important to remember that these early peoples created primitive smelting systems, primitive forges and shaped beautiful tools, helmets, pots and weapons.

While we will be using modern methods and tools in this class, students will experience the same essence of skills as they forge a belt knife from a piece of steel in order to gain insight into the craft of blacksmithing. Students will assemble and finish their knife, carving a wooden, bone or antler handle and, if time allows, may also make a steel striker for a personal flint and steel kit.

Core Curriculum-Community Living
This element of our program most closely duplicates the skills and understanding of how native people lived together in close contact in the wilderness. It demonstrates the vital need for communication, personal responsibility, group awareness and much more. It is also the source of tremendous closeness and joy that comes from doing things together like sharing a meal or doing chores. Spontaneous music, games and cooking sessions are all part of becoming fully alive in how we relate to each other in community. Service work is shared one morning a week and covers skills of tool use and safety. The various projects will benefit everyone at Hawk Circle. Weekly house meetings allow everyone to check in as far as needs and concerns, and helps to demonstrate good forms of communication.

Core Curriculum-Community Nights
These nights are a time to celebrate with the whole Hawk Circle community. Community Nights have different themes depending on seasonal celebrations or the group’s interests. Be prepared for games, music, slide shows, stories, poetry, fun, and culinary delights.

Application for Enrollment