Hi everyone. This event is not totally primitive skills, but many are included, and if anyone is in the area, it should be a great free one day event.
The Skllls Swap will be a number of reenactors from various periods teaching a large variety of skills, including myself for atlatl and the staff sling, while others are teaching cordage, fire making, combat with edged weapons, a medieval sword and fire show, hawk and knife throwing, survival skills, and some modern skills and unusual things like banjo and lute playing, and modern US military skills.
The location is Leominster Sportsmen's Association. 1455 Elm Street, Leominster, MA 01453. The dates is August 6, from 9 to 5 PM, with a noon potluck dinner. The club is supposed to be really nice, with lots of blackpoweder shooters and archers, and they have a seperate primitive area.
Here is the itinerery as it stands, but they are looking for more presenters and teachers, so if you want to teach a skill, let me know and I can put you in touch with Ed Nash, the organizer.
Early morning:
Ed Nash - making cordage, deadfalls & snares
Gary Bergeron & Frank Herndon - basic blackpowder rifles & muskets
Dane Donato - stoneage atlatl & spear
Ed Nash - quickie course on basic bowie knife, tomahawk and spear fighting
Clay Forest (1986 NMLRA National Champion - knife) - basics of throwing
a tomahawk and a knife
Jamie Foote - early net making
Joe Whitley - Colli stick fighting & "open Hand" techniques
Jessica Whitley - Kempo techniques
Late Morning:
Jack Walsh - basic banjo
Greg Cobb - traditional and modern fire-making techniques
Bob Smith - making powder horns & scrimshaw techniques
Walter ... - making leather
Jim Dina - basic lute
Noon Lunch Break
Dan Pano - basic foil fencing
Frank Hunt & "Phoenix Swords" - Medieval sword fighting & fire show
Jim Dina - pre-contact Native Amerindian skills
Dane Donato - Roman sling
"Optio Quinton" - presentation as Roman combat leader
Brian ... - heavy "miles" Roman infantryman presentation
Greek Medico" - lady practicioner of battlefield medicine
Kevin Kneeland (?& Jamie Foote?) - modern battlefield & field medicationTodd Kulpinski (current instructor for U.S. armed forces for Survival and Unconventional Warfare) - to be determined
Finally, other topics that may be presented depending on time are:
improvised washing machine
how to construct a proper tripod
how to fold birchbark, cardboard, etc. into a drinking cup and boiling pot
how to use your watch as a compass
folding paper cartridges
how to improvise a canteen
brief on colloidal silver, water filters, solar generators & medical frequency machines
cooking & hand tool trivia
