Mid Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering 2009

Home School & Group Programs Ancient Way Programs Events

Instructors Donations Contact Us

May 21-25

The Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills (MAPS) Meet has developed from the activities of the Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Group and the growing primitive technology community of the Greater Washington D.C. area.  This the eighth year of the event, and the primary responsibility for the Meet has been assumed by Ancestral Knowledge, with MAPS Group as an important sponsor.  It will be an occasion for us to come together to practice and share the skills that sustained our ancestors for many millennia.  It is a opportunity, at least temporarily, to experience the kind of community that humanity was born to and aboriginal peoples all around the world have lived in for ages.  MAPS Meet 2009 is a time to have fun, make new friends, renew old friendships, learn new skills, and share what you know about living gently with the Earth.  It is a chance to show yourself and your children that there are alternatives to the unnatural modern society that exists all around them. 

In addition to the satisfaction of learning new skills, you will make connections with people of similar interests.  You will enjoy songs and stories, drumming and dancing shared around the campfire, and simply being out in Nature for a time.  When a group of like-minded people comes together to renew their relationship with the Earth in a deep way, only good things can come forth.  While based in the day-to-day living skills of Native American Indians, we seek out and share skills from all around the world.  These skills allow us to live with the Earth in a harmonious and sustainable manner.

 Registration is Now open

Logistics

The camp will open and you may arrive any time after 4pm on Thursday, May 21st.  There will be no scheduled activities for Thursday, so you can take that opportunity to get settled and explore the camp and its surrounding area.  The opening circle and orientation will begin promptly at 9 a.m. on Friday morning so all participants should arrive no later than 8:00 a.m. 

Upon your arrival, please come up to the registration table (follow the signs) and check in.  You will be directed to one of the the tent camping areas.  Participants should provide their own camping shelters.

Skill Sessions 

Skills sessions will begin on Friday morning right after the 8:30 a.m. opening ceremony and orientation and will run until Sunday afternoon.  Each session will be a hands-on workshop of several hours in length, and there will be 8-12 sessions happening at any one time.  You will have the opportunity to sign up for the sessions you wish to take the day before.  Sessions will be offered on at least the following topics: 

- Basic and advanced fire making               - Edible plants   

- Natural cordage                                     - Archery

- Tracking                                                - Primitive cooking

- Skills of the scout                                  - Herbal medicine

- Finger weaving                                       - Moccasin making

- Basic and advanced flint knapping            - Primitive trapping

- Stone tool making                                   - Hide tanning

- Basket making                                        - Primitive blacksmithing

- Pottery                                                  - Shelter construction 

- Bone and antler working                          - Medicine wheel philosophy

- Drumming                                               - Tool sharpening

- Gourdcraft                                             - Coal burning

- Cherokee blowguns and darts                   - Mushroom ID

- Story telling                                           - Water in the wilderness

- Bow making                                             -Wilderness navigation

- Knots                                                     - Axe making

- Atlatl making and usage                           - Stone oven construction

- Carving spoons                                        - Corn husk dolls

- Beading                                                  - Soapstone carving

- Herbal first aid                                      - Nature awareness

To view pictures and comments from MAPS Meet 2008, click here. 

Special Activities

An important and unique feature of MAPS Meet 2009 will be events specifically for youth participants.  There will be sessions each day that mirror the adult instruction with fun and games included.  Ages 6-11

The Abo Store will be open this year during specified times, so if you have any primitive items or raw materials you would like to sell, bring them along.  We will also have a couple of blanket trading sessions where you can trade your items for nice things other people have made or raw materials. 

There will be after dinner talks and a campfire every evening with drumming, music, dancing, and storytelling (so bring your instruments and stories!). 

An archery and atlatl range will be available for supervised use.  There will also be opportunities for swimming and canoeing in the pond and hiking the trails of the camp.   

The Instructors 

All aboriginal societies depended heavily on the art of mentoring, where the people who painstakingly learned their skills over a number of years passed them down to their students, who in turned passed them down to others.  In keeping with that ancient and sacred tradition, we have a group of highly skilled instructors coming from around the country who are very eager to share their vast knowledge and experience with you.  You can read a little about the instructors by going to the Instructor Bio page. 

The Place 

MAPS Meet 2009 will be held at Camp Conowingo Girl Scout Camp Near Havre de Grace MD.   It’s about a 1 hour & 30 minute drive north from the Washington D.C. beltway.  The camp is situated on a 601-acre site just off the Susquehanna River.  It is complete with 4 camp sites that have 12x12 platform wall tents (each tent sleeps 4 leave),  a small  spring fed pond, a rustic setting & facilities including hundreds of acres of woodlands along the Conowingo Creek,  and 4 teaching pavilions.  You can bring your own tent, tipi, or request sleeping accommodations in a wall tent if your family  can fill it up or if you don't mind sharing space.  There is no car camping at this location. 

What To Bring

The following is highly recommended:

Optional:

Because we want our presence to have the least possible negative impact on the camp and the participants and instructors, dogs are not allowed.  (The only possible exception would be for a legitimate service dog that you need--please talk to the Registrar when you register if that is the case.)  There are bears in the vicinity of the camp, therefore dogs could create a dangerous situation.  Please respect this decision and don't request an exception because your dog is well behaved, etc.  Also, no alcohol, drugs, or firearms are permitted. 

Registration Fees:

This year, we are doing registration a little differently in that we are only offering registration for the whole event and do not have a price differential for registering early.  If we cannot fill the registration with people that can come for all five days, we will at some point offer weekend registration as the event draws near.

The registrations fees are as follows:

If you will be paying via PayPal, please add an additional $5  per person to cover the additional PayPal fees.

  Children under 7 and Elders over 70 are free.  All children under 18 must be accompanied by a registered parent or adult guardian.  We recommend that you pay when you register.  Your registration is not complete until payment has been received (we must receive it prior to the event).  If your registration fee is not received within two weeks of submitting your registration, we will open the space for other participants.  (You will receive an email notification if your payment is over due before you are removed from the participant list.)

Since one of the things we are trying to accomplish with the Meet is to give people a taste of aboriginal community life over a period of time, we are not offering passes for just a single day (the logistics for that are too difficult). 

Because the capacity of the camp is limited, registration will be limited to 150 participants this year, so early registration is recommended.  When capacity is reached, the registration will be closed.  Please notify us immediately if you need to cancel.  Any cancellations or refunds received prior to May 8, 2009 will be refunded minus a $25 processing fee.  No refunds will be given for cancellations after May 8.  All cancellations need to be given in writing or email.

For general questions, contact Bill Kaczor with e-mail by clicking here. 

Please click here to register for the MAPS Meet

 Ancestral Knowledge will be holding a silent auction at this gathering to help raise funds for our programming.  if you would like to donate a completed skill (baskets, pottery, bows etc...) or a service please let us know.