PRIMITIVE TECHNOLOGY: WHY IT IS AWESOME

(image from: PrimitiveTechnology.Wordpress.com)
For over two years, he has been posting videos of what he humbly calls "a hobby," but what most of us would define as a combination of impressive art and interesting passion. And after two years, we still do not know his name.  The only information he has revealed about himself is that he films in Northern Queensland, Australia (and that he doesn't actually live out in the forest). His videos are not "survival tutorials," but something far more fascinating: he is teaching us how human beings lived 14,000 years ago. By being clad only in shorts and never speaking, his videos take the focus away from himself and onto what he is doing: he becomes the "everyman," and in this way allows the viewer to be the person making a ceramic kiln from scratch, catching fresh water prawns, or chopping down a tree with a stone axe. 

It is also worth noting that despite the shorts, modern haircut, and that he is using a digital camera to document his projects, he does not "cheat." When he has to make a fire, he doesn't use matches or a lighter, but will show us the process of making a fire from scratch, making a cord from plant fiber, or shaping a wood object with fire and stone. No modern tools allowed. This surpasses merely showing us ancient technologies; it becomes more about how to live by them. For the veteran fan of Primitive Technology, or the new inductee into this amazing series, here is a simple timeline of primitive technologies in our own history:

My personal favorites of the Primitive Technology series so far:
Freshwater Prawn Trap



Termite Clay Kiln and Pottery


Tiled Roof Hut


For more, check out the Primitive Technology website and his YouTube channel.