Tamarack

The Way of Wood and Steel

August 8-14, 2010

Coed Ages 15-18

Cost:$925

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We start with the most ancient of techniques, to learn to build shelters of bark, saplings, fibers and clay. We use tools like hatchets, axes and chisels, to peel bark for the roof. We cut and bend and tie and carve.

This is the way it has been done for thousands of years.

Tamarack is about learning to build, to make a shelter and understand how a shelter works from the ground to the roof. We discover key details about building location, spacing and inner/outer design. We cover tool use and safety, as well as choosing saplings and materials from the forest in a way that helps the forest grow rather than random ‘taking’ from nature. We learn to work as a team, carrying beams and logs, and have time to practice chopping, cutting, sawing and carving.

More than just a camp, Tamarack is an approach to life that includes ethics of work, quality, artistic expression and being full of energy and life.

There is a pride that comes from doing a great job, your best work. It is forged in the fire of skills, tools and materials, and tempered with patience, attention to detail, and a keen sense of beauty.

Participants in this program learn to make structures that are real, that will be a part of Hawk Circle for years to come. These places will be special to students and staff, and we, as a team, will build them with all the magic, beauty and strength of the ancient temples and sacred spaces.

While we will work hard, with each person working to his or her ability and aptitude, we will also play hard and have fun, enjoying hearty meals and heading out for walks in the cool evenings, or playing music by the campfire. Basketball, soccer, ultimate frisbee and other games are also part of the curriculum, as well as inspiring videos of builders and sacred spaces.

Some of the skills and activities listed below form the core of the Tamarack Camp curriculum:
• Gathering and Processing Elm, Hickory or Basswood bark for lashings and shelter covers
• Tool Use, Sharpening, Care & Safety
• Aboriginal Shelters such as Wickiups, Wigwams, Longhouses, Thatch Huts and Earth Lodges
• Care-taking the Forest when Gathering
• Timber Framing Skills
• Building Skills for Log Cabins
• Bark Pack Baskets & Containers
• Team Building Skills
• Building with Sacred Intent
• Learning the Trees of Eastern Forests
• Developing a Personal Work Ethic

“Other than work clothes and gloves, this program lets participants see what they can accomplish with a little vision, effort and focus in building sustainable structures that will last for years... However, the emphasis is not on the structures themselves, as much as building our inner power, our personal integrity and inspiration. That is the builder’s secret, and it is key to the foundation of anything we build in our lives, whether it is a house, a cabin, a family, a business or craft.

That is what I want to share with the young men and women who attend this camp.”
                                                    -Ricardo Sierra