Cassie
Paddock
What
was the first “primitive” fire technique you learned?
- Honestly, you might say I first learned the friction fire
methods from Tom’s Wilderness Survival Field Guide.
But actually I really learned the Bow/Hand/Mouth Drills at
my Standard Class. That was the week of August 5th, 1985.
I had just turned 17 the month before. I may have learned
it there but I never really got fire. I actually got my first
fire TWO YEARS LATER after I felt like picking it up again.
I got my first Hand Drill coal a few months later. After I
got my first Hand Drill coal I wanted to keep going and I
ended up being very brutal to my hands because I didn’t
pay any real attention to form, only strength. While I was
doing a spin something white flew out from between my hands
and I thought that was curious and then I looked down at my
hands and went “OW!” It was a piece of skin the
size of a dime. I learned moderation.
How
did starting your first primitive fire compare to starting
a fire with matches or lighters?
- I remember feeling I had an idea of something very old which
most of the human race had forgotten. I remember being very
thankful to know and understand this “connection”
with Nature and humans, how inseparable they are and how sad
that the advancement of technology sometimes makes us forget
“obsolete” things that are important foundations.
Again, not necessarily “thinking” it, but definitely
feeling it. Matches and lighters are as convenient as the
other technologically advanced forms of the “Sacred
Order,” shelter, water and food. Houses are built –
with indoor plumbing – and stoves and fireplaces –
and refrigerators.
How
did you come to be an instructor at the tracker school?
- Well…after taking all available courses and volunteering
constantly, I was a familiar face, and local. I was forty-five
minutes from the farm most of my life at the time. I had some
skills and I was easy to get along with. I believe the former
senior instructor Richard Cleveland for the position recommended
me. (Thanx Rich!) When Tom and Deb first approached me, they
had said they had considered me for a position 2 years earlier!
But, actually the timing was perfect at that time (1996) to
start, but it was nice to hear that. I also worked hard as
that was the work ethic and enjoyed the work. Instructors
had to do cooking back then too you know!
What
is your relationship to fire now?
- My relationship to fire I would now define as one of my
MOST IMPORTANT learning tools for helping others understand
the Natural Law variables in all the other skills. People
are natural pyromaniacs and take to fire making for their
own natural curiosity. For example, I start to teach the inter-relationships
of the skills through fire. First, I say that my opinion on
the Sacred Order is that it is not an order of SKILL…it
is an order of BODILY NEED. Hence, before you can have fire
(need), you must first have the skills of plant and tree identification,
cordage making (if bow drill) and stone tool making skills
(if you have no knife!)
How effective are primitive techniques in comparison with
the quick match and lighter?
-Do you know of Anatomy and Physiology? It is the medical
terms for “Structure and Function.” Essentially
something’s physical structure coincides with its proper
function. To speak in matters of “effectiveness”
I believe is relative to the situation. Do you know that if
you dunk (non-waterproof) matches they won’t work? But,
you can dunk a bow drill set and still get it to work! In
nature, you can make unlimited fire sets but you cannot make
unlimited matches and lighters. Yes, of course matches and
lighters are convenient, but something is lost in the technology.
What
is most important to convey to students when teaching them
“primitive” fire techniques?
- There are an unlimited number of lessons. However, my main
one is this: You may have already heard this - “If you
give a person a fish, you feed them for a day. If you teach
a person to fish, you feed that person for the rest of that
person’s life.” My next line for this famous moral
is: “And, if you TEACH a person to TEACH how to fish,
that person will feed that person’s whole community
for the rest of their lives.” Learn as though you will
teach it.
Do
you notice a difference in students (in relation to fire)
before and after they have learned the bow drill and started
their first fire in the standard class?
- Obviously something inside them has changed. They have learned
something they cannot yet grasp and fathom. The lessons of
fire (and all the other skills as well) are deep running and
will keep teaching them for the rest of their lives. Only
those that keep training however will be the ones to uncover
and discover them.
How
did the development of the match change the human-fire relationship?
- The same way each technique before the match did most likely.
But it seems clear that each future generation obviously have
less respect and practically no relationship to fire at all.
Why
do people still need knowledge of “primitive”
fire techniques when we have matches and lighters?
-
The same reason why we should never forget where ALL our resources
come from. No Nature, No Life. We’ve heard stories that
some children believe food comes from the back of the supermarket.
Where does fire come from?
What
in your perception is the Human-Fire Relationship?
- Fire helps us to remember that we ARE a part of the whole.
Humans absolutely cannot live as complete isolationists from
Nature.
Can
you tell me any significant stories about “primitive”
fire use, techniques or history?
- I have no significant stories but only a warning. One may
feel one has practiced their fire skills well enough to take
care of themselves. But, would you bet a loved ones life on
it if you had to start a fire to save their life? I see this
happen all to often with all the skills these days, not just
fire. These skills provided for the lives of all in the tribe.
Today, they are “cool” skills that allow us to
raise our self-importance. I feel one must never lose the
important perspective of fire making and all the other skills
as DUTIES and as responsibilities.
I
have found two differing perceptions on the development of
human fire use in research; both start with no fire, and move
to perpetual fire (use of, but not the ability to start a
fire). Where they differ is whether friction or percussion
came next. What is your take on this?
- Honestly, I have never tried to ponder this question because
we will most likely never know, though it can be fun to guesstimate.
Also, its possible that fire making didn’t begin in
just one place. And because of this, being that it might have
been invented in different environments, then there were probably
different “first” techniques.
These are the “primitive” fire techniques that
I am aware of, are there any you could add?
>
Friction techniques: Bow drill, Strap drill, Hand drill, Mouth
drill, and pump drill.
>
Percussion techniques: Pyrite to pyrite or flint, Bamboo to
pottery or flint, and Flint to steel.
>
Physical techniques: Fire piston, and Lens or Reflector
- Three of my favorites are the Bamboo Saw, the Fire Crutch
and the Fire Log. The Bamboo Saw (I feel) is quicker, easier
and simpler than the Hand Drill. Of course you need to find
a bamboo grove but if you are in a forest you will need to
find a field type ecosystem to get a hand drill stalk. Thus
the importance of learning “variables” over just
“techniques” you’ll be lucky if you find
yourself in the perfect ecosystem to make fire (meaning the
one or two techniques you practiced.)
-
The Fire Crutch is a “medium size” bow drill.
You use it in a kneeling or standing posture. This one is
my favorite for teaching children because it is much more
stable and easier to manage than a bow drill.
-
The Fire Log is just plain fun. It is a “large size”
bow drill that requires a “minimum” of four people
to operate.
Would you like to add anything else?
- I feel the longer one studies the skills, eventually they
will come to discover Natural Law, which I feel at this juncture
in my life is the lowest common denominator of anything and
everything we learn.
Keep Going! And, may everyone around you feel and be safer
because you are there.
Joseph Lau
