St Croix, US Virgin Islands – Ridge to Reef Farm is hosting its 11th year of Bush Skills Caribbean Rendezvous on the island of St Croix US Virgin Islands. The event takes place over four days of primitive survival skills workshops from March 3-6, 2016. The event attracts people of all backgrounds, ages, and skill levels.
Ridge to Reef Farm Schedule of Events
Each day begins with a gathering at the Ancestral Village also known as the Primitive Village, nestled under one of the farm’s majestic bamboo groves. Day one is focused on covering the basic knowledge of primitive skills. Day two is on building one’s knowledge on medicinal plants and trees. Day three is on hunter/gather skills which are quickly put to use the following day. Day four is an all-day cooking event focused on teaching how to prepare meals without pots and pans.
One of our guest instructors returning this year is Steven ‘Snowbear’ Taylor. He has been an environmental educator which began when he was teaching teen camps on St. Croix more than 30 years ago. He’s embarked upon a life-long pursuit of knowledge with an emphasis in living skills, medicinal and edible plants, utilitarian uses of plants, and world rhythms. He’s studied with elders from the Cherokee, Creek, Lakota, Seminole, and Ojibway tribes. He has been involved with the founding of several environmental education organizations in the Southeast, including Earthskills Rendezvous. This will be his 9th year of leading workshops at Bush Skills.
Tom Brown III, otherwise known as “T3”, has been a practitioner and teacher of primitive technology, tracking and nature observation since he has been able to walk. Trained from birth by his father, Tom Brown Jr., founder of the world-renowned Tracker School, Tom is considered to be one of the foremost instructors of primitive technology and primitive wilderness survival. For several years he spent time wandering the United States practicing the arts of primitive living throughout many different wilderness areas. Upon returning to the Tracker School in 2003 he educated thousands of students from all over the world until his leaving the school in late 2009. He founded his own school, Primitive Arts Collective and recently expanded it to embrace the even larger vision of Earth Village Education. Tom’s passion is to educate people in the ways of our ancestors, passing down the skills that were at the forefront of their lives.
Bush Skills is the main core skills behind the Natural Mentors Youth Program created by Nate Olive, director at R2R Farm. In 2009, the program was recognized by National Geographic as one of the top ten programs in the world for empowering youths. Just to name a few, for youths and adults soft skills also learned from practicing natural primitive skills are social skills, communication, awareness, sensory consciousness, independence, interconnectivity, problem solving, peacemaking, team building, and many more. It can best be described as learning one’s own connection to nature, to community, and to self.
We are thrilled that people have shown enough interest in Bush Skills to keep the program going so many years and to see others now teaching and sharing what all of our ancestors have in common. When we take a moment to let out our wild side and explore the skills of fire, rope-making, basket weaving, pottery, tracking, and plant medicine, we get closer to our own humanity in a very fun and empowering way.
All workshops take place onsite at the Ridge to Reef Farm located in the northwest rainforest region of St Croix. Guests can chose between bringing their own tent, renting a cabana, or staying in the famed Treehouse. To register, visit www.ridge2reef.org.
