New York Times Recommends “Primitive Technology” (Video)

Flint blade attached to deer antler handle. Bound with artificial sinew. Knife by Wayne Powers.

Against my will, I was bewitched.

Like 20 million others, I casually tuned in to watch the “Primitive Technology” videos on YouTube. I admit it, I was cynical. I had heard about these videos for several weeks from different people. I half expected another “YouTube Bushcrafter” – Someone with more gigabytes of video than dirt under his fingernails.

But instead of a hormonal teenager auditioning to be the next Rambo, I was mesmerized. In his simple videos with no dialog, a nameless man tackles different projects using traditional skills and tools he makes himself. And I don’t mean power tools! He fashions digging sticks, a stone axe, stone chisel, and hand drill. He constructs heated shelters, fires clay pots, and weaves simple textiles. All to the soundtrack of the Australian rain forest.

The videos have become something of a phenomenon. And the mainstream media has struggled to identify the root of their popularity. It is something more than living vicariously through the internet. Jennifer Kahn notes in her article endorsing the videos in The New York Times Magazine:

…the real joy of “Primitive Technology” isn’t that it won’t give us blisters, but that it gives us a refuge. In a time of exhausting demands on our attention… “Primitive Technology” acts as a quiet corrective, an escape from a surfeit of vanity and strife. The Man isn’t out for our attention. He’s more like the gruff neighbor who let you hang around his workshop when you were a kid, provided you didn’t talk too much. It’s a way to share, vicariously, the rewards of patience and focus. The companionable satisfaction of process.

– Jennifer Kahn, The New York Times Magazine

You may wonder about the allure of these videos. But you must see the videos to appreciate them. There is something quite beautiful and heartening about watching the young man at work. You appreciate our ancestors’ ingenuity and feel proud to be a member of the species. And I think that is what resonated with the New York Times author.

There are four of the videos below. Take a look and let me know what you think. And if you get the opportunity, try some of the techniques for yourself.

A Word About Primitive Technology and Terminology

Before you watch the videos, I’d like to take a moment to discuss the term “primitive.”

I don’t use the term “primitive technology.” I prefer the term traditional skills when referring to knowledge developed by indigenous cultures. Our ancient ancestors were modern humans. And there was nothing “primitive” about their technology. It was simply different from our technology today. So take care about using the word “primitive” as a pejorative when describing tools, techniques, and knowledge developed by indigenous peoples. There is nothing “primitive” about them. Our ancestors accomplished amazing feats of engineering. And these videos reinforce how clever they were.

Four “Primitive Technology” videos

Below are four videos I think you’ll enjoy. The first two show how the nameless man constructs different shelters. The second two videos show some amazing craftsmanship. I love the heated bed in the tiled roof hut. And the forge blower blows my mind!

Enjoy!