International Rewilding Discussion Forum

Filipino hunter backpack; This is probably the coolest backpack I've ever seen:

http://jeffwerner.ca/2007/07/ifugao_hunter_backpack.html

Does anyone here barter or trade for most of the things they need that they can't obtain on their own (or through their family or community's effort  interacting with the ecoregion)?

I have done a little here and there and have often worked on ranches in exchange for room and board, and I find that the older I get the less patience I have for banks and the whole monetary exchange system that industrial society is based on.

 It would be great to see a return to the barter/trade system, which I find more practical and conducive to respectful and honest face-to-face transactions and relations (for food, shelter, clothing or whatever else one may need) which seems to be another way in which people can re-wild or return to a more honest way of engaging in trade with one another.

Anyone into blacksmithing? I am wanting to get into making my own carbon steel knives and edged tools in the near future. I think this would be a valuable skill to have for "transition" tech for tasks that require a knife or axe and for barter/trade as well.

There was an interesting topic about dogs for hunting/travel/companionship on Paleoplanet some time ago, I would be interested in more discussion on this subject, as well as the use of other animals for living out on the land.

At some point very early on humans recognized the benefits of having dogs around for hunting, staying warm at night and travelling longer distances in search of game and for carrying their stuff.

I was very interested in Saluki hounds and their possibilities for obtaining wild meat in Jordan when I returned there earlier this year. These are the traditional hunting dogs of the Bedouin of that desert. They were very common in the past yet have decreased in importance in many areas.  I met one of the families who still live the tent life in the desert who were training a young Saluki and also met a man in a village who owned two of these hounds. They are more common in the areas where the locals rely more on hunting and have more space to run around in.

They are like a smaller greyhound and they are extremely fast. When properly trained they will smell out and run down a rabbit and then return with it to the owner. They can also be trained to hunt gazelles. I think such a dog would be beneficial to have for someone wishing to live more off wild game in such an area, there is nowhere to set snares in the open desert and deadfalls have limited usefulness for many of the small game animals.

Another example would be the use of falcons and hawks for hunting. This is another very historical method of obtaining wild meat in this area, yet like the Saluki it's become less common in some areas, however in other areas it's become more common due to it's resurgence as a "hobby" type sport in the oil-rich states of the Gulf.

Apparently falcons and hawks can be trained to hunt not only game birds, but deer and gazelles. Although I have not had an opportunity to do any falconry it's something I plan on trying out when I return to the area.

There are countless enthnographies I have read about Australian aborigines using dingoes to help them hunt and for warmth at night, and the plains tribes of N.A. using horses to increase mobility and hunt bison, Inuit peoples using dogs to sniff out seals and travel and hold bears at bay, moose hunting with dogs as is still practiced among some Scandinavians, otters trained to catch fish for hunters in Finland, etc.