Mid Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering 2008

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June 12-15

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 year, the seventh for the event, will be a transition as the primary responsibility for the Meet is assumed by Ancestral Knowledge, with MAPS 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 2008 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.

Sorry Registration is Closed.  We have reached Full Capacity

Logistics

The camp will open and you may arrive any time after noon on Wednesday, June 11th.  There will be no scheduled activities for Wednesday, 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 Thursday morning so all participants should arrive no later than 8:00 a.m. 

Upon your arrival, please come up to the stone lodge and check in at the registration desk.  You will be directed to one of the bunk houses or the tent camping area according to your preference.  Participants should provide their own camping shelters unless you have requested a bunk house on your registration form.

Skill Sessions 

Skills sessions will begin on Thursday morning right after the 9 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 2007, click here. 

Special Activities

An important and unique feature of MAPS Meet 2008 will be events specifically for youth participants.  There will be sessions each day that mirror the adult instruction.  Saturday morning will be devoted to demonstrations of various primitive skills and activities.  During that time, everyone is encouraged to bring anything that you have made or something you want to demonstrate, and share it with everyone (sort of an Abo Show and Tell). 

The Abo Store will be open this year during specified times in the lodge, 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 2008 will be held at the William B Snyder BSA Camp just outside Haymarket VA.   It’s about a 45 minute drive west from the Washington D.C. beltway.  The camp is situated on a 380-acre site just a few miles from Route 15.  It is complete with 7 camp sites that have 12x12 platform wall tents and cots (each tent sleeps 4 leave),  a giant lake and wetland with nature trail, state of the art facilities including brand new kitchen and dining hall, bathhouses, indoor facilities in case it rains, and hundreds of acres of woodlands, fields.  9 teaching pavilions.  You can request sleeping accommodations in a wall tent if your family  can fill it up or if you don't mind sharing space or you can bring a tent or tipi.  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 just a 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 and 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 would be 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 19, 2008 will be refunded minus a $25 processing fee.  No refunds will be given for cancellations after May 19.  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.

Silent Auction 2006