Stone Age Living Skills

Today was Stone Age day for Jamuna, Abe and me.  More in a minute.  For the record, last night we attended a performance by the Aspen Chamber Symphony (mostly AMFS students) with special guest Julia Fischer.  All I can say is that it was yet another fantastic experience.  We are getting to know a bunch of nice people at these events which just adds to the fun.  After the program we had sushi for dinner then said good night and good bye to Dr. Goza. Prema drove her to the airport early this morning.

So, the big event today was the ACES class re stone age living skills.  This all-day activity was taught by Robin and Mike, two local experts on the topic.  There were about six families involved (some left early).  Unfortunately Maya had to stay home and practice a lot today.




The first skill we learned was how to select and prepare combustible material from old logs.  We gathered strips of inner bark and twisted it up in our hands to make a pile of small pieces and "dust".  We then made a nest-like structure out of the strips then placed the small stuff and dust into the center.  We then learned several ways to create the heat which ignited a small ember which was then placed in the nest.  After a little bit of huffing and puffing, fire erupted.  Here are some photos:

   Here is Abe breathing life into this ember-laden fire nest.  After we all had time to make our own fires (or convince ourselves that we could do it if we had to) we had lunch and them made those graham crackery, chocolately, marsmallowy things.  They we so good everyone wanted some more.

After lunch we learned how to make string/twine/rope.  It was fairly simple but there are a few details that are essential to success.  I'd would tell you, but.......

Next was flint knapping.   This is a process to create razor sharp shards of rock which can be used in numerous ways.  Note the glaring absence of eye protection here (no one seemed at all concerned about that except me, oh well).  I suppose a key ingredient to success in this skill is the selection of the rocks.  The striker rock was actually a softer material and the target rock was basalt.

We ended the day with finger painting with rock and soil-derived pigments.

By the end of the day, a good time was had by all.

                                                                                                          

                      

Abe and Jamuna on the walk back to the condo, still loaded with energy.