Classes are two days and start at 7pm on Friday evening and run through Sunday at 12 noon. Please arrive by 6pm on Friday, so you have time to set up your tent and are ready to go by start time. Workshops are one day and begin at 9 am and run to 4 pm. Please arrive by 8:30am. All courses have a minimum enrollment of 4 students and a maximum enrollment of 20 unless otherwise stated in the course descriptions below. We require a 50% non-refundable deposit to hold a space for you in a course. A course will be cancelled if the minimum enrollment is not met two weeks prior to it's start date. If the maximum enrollment is reached and you have not paid a deposit, you will forfeit your space in the course. Deposits are transferable if we are notified two weeks prior to a class. If we cancel a course, deposits are refundable.

See below for prerequisites, location, and cost. Go to the What to Bring page for a general list of what you will need for classes and workshops. Any variation to the general list will be found in the individual course decriptions found below. Each individual class and workshop will be different everytime it is given, so it is worthwhile to come back to our school over and over again. Any student may come back as a volunteer to a class they have taken- please click on Volunteering for more information. We reserve the right to change course dates & prices at any time.

Prerequisite: Open to Everyone

Fall is the traditional time in many cultures to honor the ancestors. The Medicine Council feels we need to reconnect to the past and to the people that got us to this time and place. Our relatives held great wisdom and knowledge. By honoring those who came before us, we reconnect ourselves to our heritage and bridge a gap that has long existed. The acts of thanksgiving and forgiveness make us empathetic to the world around us and is the key to bringing us back together as a human family. We humbly invite you to our "halloween" or "day of the dead" to find the true meaning of these holidays (holy days). Starts at 2pm with opening ceremony, sweat lodge then potluck. Ends at 9pm.

Location: Augusta

Cost: Bring something to place in the fire as a gift to the ancestors, and bring a dish to share at a potluck

Prerequisites: None

A number of disciplines promote healing at various levels. Before launching into a field which focuses on the healing process and overall well-being of others, we should prepare ourselves to be the most effective tools for the Creator and the Universe. Participants will concentrate on readying themselves physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually to become hollow bones. This class emphasizes the importance of healing oneself before helping others. This weekend class also introduces opportunities that are available to promote overall health- including, but not limited to, Reiki, massage therapy, and counseling. Kevin Pennell is an Usui/Karuna® Reiki Master Teacher, Certified Hypnotherapist, Shamanic Practitioner, and Psychic Empath with an earned Bachelor of Arts degree from Spurgeon College. He and his wife Vickie own and run Spirit Wings in Bethel, Maine.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: Ancestral Healing: Becoming the Hollow Bone

Indigenous peoples worldwide practice journeying to reach other levels of consciousness. This visionary method of spiritual exploration facilitates healing and deepens awareness. In this core workshop students will acquire the fundamentals of journeying used by shamans for generations to enter non-ordinary realities. Students are guided into Ancestral Journeying through drumming and other skills to enter a shamanic stream of consciousness, waken inactive abilities, search the hidden universe usually known through myth and dreams, and gain a deeper connection with the natural world. Kevin Pennell is an Usui/Karuna® Reiki Master Teacher, Certified Hypnotherapist, Shamanic Practitioner, and Psychic Empath with an earned Bachelor of Arts degree from Spurgeon College. He and his wife Vickie own and run Spirit Wings in Bethel, Maine.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

Learn how to make arrows for the bow you made during the Bow Making Class. We will learn how to harvest, dry, straighten, size, fletch, and haft arrows. If you want to hunt primitively with your own equipment that you made from scratch then this workshop is a must. This year we will be making arrows from River Cane a southeastern species used by the Cherokee and other tribes.

8 person limit

Location: Delta Institute

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

Come learn how to make a split ash basket (type determined by course heading) using the same methods used in New England by basket makers for thousands of years. You will learn how to pound ash (black or white depending on availability), cut splints and weavers, handcraft a handle, and create a basket that will become a family heirloom. Ash baskets are great for a wide variety of uses, are extremely durable, and will last several lifetimes. Depending upon your skill working with your hands, you should be able to complete a basket during the course. If not, you will have all the necessary materials and knowledge to complete your basket at home, and post class consultations can be provided if necessary. All native materials will be provided. Bring a good knife, a pair of sharp scissors, and a small flat screwdriver. 4 person limit.

Location: Wells

Cost: Workshop $90, Class $180

Prerequistes: None

We will be using wool blankets, and you will make your choice of a pull over or button up winter coat. Wool is warm when wet, very quiet, and great in the woods. There is nothing like wearing something you made yourself. Bring a 100% wool blanket at least queen size. If you have questions about blankets contact Andy Dobos 860-997-3480.

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

Come learn to how to make a bow. We will explore the techniques necessary to make all kinds of bows; however, we will focus on and make an Eastern Woodlands Flat Bow. White Ash will be used, an easily worked wood conducive to the EFB design. Bow staves are included in tuition. Tools will be provided. This now a weekend class.

8 person limit

Location: Wells, Maine and Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

Containers are a major player in primitive survival and living that do not always get enough attention. Boiling water, cooking food, collecting edibles, and storing materials are just a few of the immediate concerns in aboriginal living. You cannot do any of these without containers. We will make containers out of bark, wood, and roots; and talk about and demonstrate containers made from hides, clay and gourdes.

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

By splitting a small log and hollowing the inside we will produce one of the most ancient musical instruments. We will then have a chance to discover what sounds we can make. Tools and materials provided.

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost $90

Prerequisites: None

Come learn how to make a 16" single-headed hand drum and beater. This is no kit drum. The hoops are handcrafted from steam bent Red Oak, and the hides are hand fleshed and dehaired Whitetailed Deer hides from the hunting season. You will be putting the two together to create your own living instrument. Bring lunch, water, and clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.  8 person limit

Location: Wells

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

Nationally known author and primitive skills expert Robin Blankenship visits the Delta Institute of Natural History to provide primitive and rustic skills instruction.  Join Robin to understand how native plants contribute to our understandings, not only of old ways, but also modern uses of plants and the need for their conservation.  Her workshops are open to students of all abilities.

This two-day course exposures students to some of the core primitive technologies that were used by aboriginal people for daily living.  Robin leads students through a progression of simple stone blade manufacture, cordage making, fire building, and primitive cooking.  Anyone who has ever been curious about the recent interest in primitive living skills will enjoy Robins's passionate and gentle manner of teaching.  Class will start at 9:00 am on Saturday and end at 3:00 pm on Sunday.  Tenting and limited rooms are available on the Delta Institute property.  If you are interested in enrolling for this class, please contact the New England Wild Flower Society at 508-877-7630 ext. 3303 or registrar@newenglandWILD.org

Location: Delta Institute

Cost: $175 for NEWFS members, $200 for non-members

Prerequisites: None

Earth Living 1 is our entry level class that we would like everyone to start with and is a prerequisite for many of our other courses. It is an introduction to primitive skills, as well as, wilderness survival. The order of survival (attitude, shelter, water, fire, food) is our outline. Awareness, stalking, debris hut, primitive water gathering and purification, friction fire making, foraging, trapping, and tracking will all be discussed and practiced. If you are interested in self-reliance then this is the class for you.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisties: Earth Living 1

Earth Living II takes survival to the next level and fills in the blanks. These are the skills you will need to live more comfortably in the bush. We will cover debris hut modifications, advanced bow drill, handrill, primitive cooking techniques, containers, several more traps, food storage, and more.

Location: Augusta

Cost $180

Prerequisites: Earth Living 2

This is a practicum. We will drop you off in the back 40 (actually back 23) and start taking things away. The goal is to move you into full survival in three days. The first day your tent will be taken away. The second day your matches will be taken away. By the third day you will have nothing you brought in except the clothes on your back and a knife. This class is about doing it. Don't come unless you are ready. You must be physically fit and have practiced your skills to perfection. Please bring enough food for three days that can be cooked over a fire with no modern impliments.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $270

Prerequisites: None

The EL Five Day is a combination of EL 1 & 2 with a little bit of 3 thrown in. You will learn the basic concepts of primitive survival and earth living in a more relaxed setting with more time available for hands on workshops. For those of you who want to be immersed in the skills this is the class for you. We will start Friday at 7pm and go to 4pm Wednesday.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $450

Prerequisites: None

Fibers are one of the primary needs of aboriginal life. They are needed for cordage, clothing, lashings, weapons, decoration, tools, traps, games, and fire making. We will explore the fibers available locally, what they are best utilized for, and spend some time making and using cordage. We will cover identifying, harvesting, drying, storing, and preparing plant fibers.

Location: Delta Institute

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

Learn the basics of how to make knives and arrowheads out of stone. We will be learning how to do direct precussion, indirect precussion, and pressure flaking. We will also talk about pecking and grinding- the latest in stone tool technology(only 10,000 years old.) Bring leather gloves and protective eyewear if you have them. Also bring warm and wet weather clothes (we will be outside all day), lunch, and water. 8 person limit

Location: Delta Institute

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

The uses of some basic easy to identify plants will be covered using the edge habitat of the Northfield, CT campus. Important plants found in different habitats may be discussed, but we will concentrate on getting to know the plants in front of us. Only a small handful of plants will be covered in an attempt to get to know them well. Bring a snack, lunch, water and a notebook.

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

Explore the vast realms of plants as food, medicine, and utility items. This class builds a solid foundation in identification skills, proper foraging techniques, wild crafting, plant uses, and hazardous species identification(as well as look alikes.) Much time will be spend in the field in various ecosystems and at different times of the year. Plant identification is a crucial survival skill as well as an enjoyable pastime.  For more information click on: www.ArthurHaines.com

Location: Delta Institute

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

Join us in learning the two most basic of friction fire techniques: bow drill and hand drill. Impress your friends with your ability to start a fire by rubbing sticks together. Bring lunch, water, and a sheath knife for carving.

Location: Wells, Maine and Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

Join us in crafting a simple high-top moccasin perfect for stalking. Using modern commercially tanned deer hide you will go home with a pair custom made to your feet. Bring 8-10' of leather, or we will provide it for a materials fee. If you have any questions about what type of leather to get please contact Andy Dobos at 860-997-3480

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

Modern survival is about gear, so we will be discussing and demonstrating what is on the market, what works, and what doesn't. We will assemble and use various shelter systems, water disinfection techniques, fire starters, compact food, signalling devices, navigational aids, cutting tools, containers, etc. How and what to put in a survival kit will be a major portion of this workshops.

Location: Wells, Maine

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

This course is designed to allow participants to feel at home in the wild to the point where civilization becomes wilderness and the earth becomes home. We will be exploring activities that will enable you to read the earth, the sky, and the language of the birds in order to find what you need and keep you where you need to be. The result is an expansion of awareness that truly brings home the feeling of oneness with nature.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: Native Awareness

Native Awareness II takes you beyond Native Awareness I where you will be suprised at the things you notice on the landscape. We will step into more advanced awareness exercises and techniques.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

Learn the ancient art of braintanning- an earth friendly method of turning a raw hide into a beautiful piece of buckskin. You will learn both the wet and dry scrape methods. Be willing to work hard and get messy. Bring (wear)work clothes(that you can get dirty), a change of clothes, work or rubber gloves(insulated rubber gloves are best), high top rubber boots, rain gear, water bottle, and notebook. We have changed the workshop into a class, so we can get as close to a finished hide as possible. The class will start Saturday morning at 9am and go to Sunday at 4pm. You are welcome to camp on Friday and Saturday nights.

8 person limit

Location: Wells

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

This course introduces the students to the underlying energies behind the hard skills and community building efforts. It is designed to further one's personal path regardless of beliefs or upbringing.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: Philosophy

Learn how to use ceremony to remove energy blocks, grief, and darkness in your life. Ritual is the path to the "sacred silence" or "no mind." This is the place where you are at peace, heal, and touch God. This is a gift to yourself and the world. If your glass is only half full, how can you give to others? Come let go and re-energize.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: Philosophy

This is a Philosophy class which focuses on healing. Healing oneself, others, and the Earth. There is no outline for this class, so we cannot tell you where it will start and where it will end. We can tell you there will be lots of meditations, visualizations, and ceremony. Come join us and learn what "purpose beyond self" means.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Ages 8-11

Primitive Skills Day Camp is NOT your average nature program. If you want your kids to have adventures, learn through hands on activities, and explore the world of native tracking and skills then prepare a spare change of clothes and a bag lunch and send them our way. Our staff has over twenty years of experience teaching children in the classroom and outdoors. Each day will start with a lesson about how to appreciate nature and end with a native story designed to wrap up what they learned. At the end of the week your child will have greater knowledge of their backyard to include the trees, birds, mammals, plants, even the weather to come.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

This workshop is designed to learn how to make and utilize rawhide. Rawhide is much more water resistant than buckskin and was used to protect valuables such as clothing, blankets, and meat. We will create what the French Voyageurs called parfleche to make containers, shields, boxes, and rattles.

Location: Wells

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: Earth Living 1

Scout I: The Awakening. In the military the scout is the one in front, the one who is first to see or be seen, first to make contact or receive fire, but always the one in most danger. The native scout is invisible, unknown, and unrecognized. He or she is the protector of the people. Without them there is no tribe. We combine both of these scout worlds into a class which focuses on team movement, stealth, camouflage, and awareness. Open this door and there is no going back- it will change your perspective on what your role is as a human being. Bring a bathing suit, camouflage clothing, and light weight footwear (moccasins or water shoes).

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: Scout Skills

Scout Skills II: Apocalypse Now. You have been given the basics. We know your intentions and commitment, so we can focus on honing your skills, and adding new ones such as countertracking, man traps, and invisibility. Be prepared to become one with the night, don't expect much sleep, and, leave your teddy bear at home. You will know what you need to bring.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

Philosophy and common concepts of practical fighting arts with Mike Douglas. Gracey Jujitsu ground fighting with Arthur Haines. Wing Chun Kung Fu with Justin Corey. This class is designed to build confidence, independence, and safety while moving alone or in a small group.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: Scout Skills: Fighting

Welcome to the valley of the real. This class is basically a logical continuum of Scout Fighting I. Here we take the individual martial arts learned in SF I and start to meld them into a cohesive fighting style. This class will definately bump you up a level in your training to be master of the universe. Wear clothes you can train in.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

Nationally known author and primitive skills expert Robin Blankenship visits the Delta Institute of Natural History to provide primitive and rustic skills instruction.  Join Robin to understand how native plants contribute to our understandings, not only of old ways, but also modern uses of plants and the need for their conservation.  Her workshops are open to students of all abilities.

Plants have been used for cleansing the human body for millennia.  Free for use, they do not contain harmful chemicals, and lack the often cloying scents added to modern soaps.  Many plants contain beneficial phytochemicals that are antiseptic, and as a bonus, some natural soaps are ideal remedies for contact dermatitis caused by poison-ivy and poison-sumac.  Learn the process of making plant-based soaps, and discover plants that can be used fresh, with leaves and/or flowers that will lather without any processing.  From this true expert you'l attain a new level of self sufficiency. This class will run from 10:00-5:00 pm on Friday.  If you are interested in enrolling for this class, please contact the New England Wild Flower Society at 508-877-7630 ext. 3303 or registrar@newenglandWILD.org

Location: Delta Institute

Cost: $95 for NEWFS members, $109 for non-members

Prerequisites: None

You will learn the skills necessary for an aboriginal hunt. We will focus specifically on deer hunting, but the information will be applicable to all animals. Hunters, trackers, naturalists, and primitive skills practitioners will all have something to gain from lessons in awareness, camouflage, movement, concentric ring study, track aging, scrape and sign analysis, animal behavior, and hair and scat study. We will also cover the utilization of all parts of a deer, including brain tanned buckskin, sinew cordage and bone tools.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

This is a great "dirt time" workshop. We will spend the day carving and setting many different traps that would be used in a survival situation. We will cover figure 4, Paiute, snares, and many variations on these standard traps. No animals will be harmed and all trapping laws followed. These traps are only to be used in an emergency survival situation.

Location: Wells

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

What happened to your knife, your saw, your hatchet? Maybe you left then home on purpose. By direct experience learn to find, make, and use rocks as tools. We will touch on some flint knapping techniques but this is not a flint knapping class, it is about taking stones found in the landscape and, with as little alteration as possible, using them to make other things such as friction fire components, trap parts, or even archery gear.

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

This is one of those great workshops where it's all fun and games. You will throw knives, tomahawks, throwing sticks, and whatever else we can get our hands on that has a point. We will have stationary and moving targets as well as a "quail walk" style throwing stick range.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

This class will sharpen your tracking and physical awareness skills regardless of your tracking background. Individual track analysis, clear print identification, compression shapes, track aging, dust and grit compressions, pace, stride, pitch, straddle, and gait are just a few topics covered.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: Concepts of Tracking

AOT is where we take you to a new level of tracking you would not think possible. It could also be called the Art of Seeing. We spend lots of time looking closely at tracks, but also looking at them from a distance. We will stretch the side of your brain you don't often use. It is one of those courses that is hard to put a description to; however, we promise you will not be disappointed and will come away a better tracker.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: Concepts in Tracking

Science of Tracking deals with the hard skills of tracking. Pressure releases, track and trail measurements, foot maps, micros, and macros. You will be looking at tracks up close and personal, and your eyes will hurt after this class. It may not sound fun, but it is and a necessary part of becoming a good tracker.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

We will be focusing mainly on the other marks animals leave on the landscape besides foot compressions. This class is a dirt time sign tracking class where we spend a lot of time in the field. We try to cover everything we don't have time for in our regular tracking classes.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

By utilizing the signs left behind by animals (scat, digs, nests, scratches and hair), we will get to know who is sharing the forest and how they interact. A lot of time will be spent sitting in close study of the signs we find. Bring snacks, lunch, water, notebook, pen, and small Ziplock bags for collection.

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

We will learn methods for identifying clear prints and track patterns in this one day workshop. Consisting almost exclusively of dirt time, guidelines will be given for the differentiation of species based on what we come across in the field. Some attention to speed and attitude of the animal will be touched upon depending on circumstance. New England weather being what it is, we may take advantage of other options should the situation demand. Dress appropriately with extra layers and bring a snack, lunch, and plenty of water. We will be off trail all day.

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost $90

Prerequisites: None

By trailing animals, we will discover patterns of behavior and mold our own minds to be able to see tracks and sign. Breeding, hunting, predator avoidance, and insights into the thoughts and feelings of an animal are behaviors we may encounter. To avoid pressuring animals we will generally backtrack. As always, dress appropriately with extra layers, bring snacks, lunch and lots of water. After a long strenuous hike we will be on wind blown swamp ice and into thick brush, so be prepared for some hard cold fun.

Location: We will meet at the entrance to Peoples Forest on East River Rd in Pleasant Valley CT.

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

Participants of this trip will spend two nights camping on the pristine Sandy River (Franklin County, Maine), in the region where the Amaseconti Indians formerly lived.  The days will be spent gaining practical experience foraging for wild edibles.  This is the time of year when spring greens and shoots, as well as various "root vegetables" (e.g., tubers, corms, rhizomes) are prime for collection.  Though there will be some instruction, lecture time will be minimal and students, along with instructors, will gather the necessary items for food and food procurement.  Students will have the opportunity challenge themselves on a variety of levels, and are encouraged to push themselves as far as they wish with their source of nutrition for the weekend.  However, along with learning, an important goal for the weekend is to enjoy our time and the company of our fellow foragers.  Therefore, those wishing to bring some prepared foods, such as dried meat and fruit, to augment class collections are welcome to.  Topics will not be limited to food collection, and, depending on time and weather, additional items may be discussed and demonstrated, including fiber arts, natural containers, primitive cooking, trapping, and hunting.  The Sandy River is also renown for brook trout fishing, and persons with a valid Maine fishing license can also try their hand at angling.  Class attendance is limited to four students, with priority given to those who have participated in past foraging classes of the Maine Primitive Skills School.  We will meet at 7pm on Friday in Avon, Maine- exact location to be determined.  For more information go to: www.ArthurHaines.com

Location: Avon, Maine

Cost: $180

Prerequisites: None

This workshop will concentrate on building shelters that utilize a fire with reflector to keep you warm during the coldest winter nights. Shelter considerations will be: placement on the landscape, design and construction, fire reflectors, fire lays, efficient gathering and use of fuel, and how to use snow cover to your advantage. We will discuss different materials found in the north woods, and if there is sufficient snow cover, we may spend a little time on the construction of snow shelters. Bring snacks, lunch, water, and wool or synthetic clothing in layers- as we will be working hard and body temperature will fluctuate.

Location: Northfield, Connecticut

Cost: $90

Prerequisites: None

In this class we will teach you the traditional skills skills found in northern temperate and boreal forests. How to eat and stay warm at 20 degrees below zero takes survival to its limits. We will explore cold weather fire making, food gathering, travel, shelters, and the crafts associated with them. Not only will we cover indigenous skills but also the art of bushcraft.

Location: Augusta

Cost: $180