MAPS Group

Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Group

Home - MAPS Events - Event Photos

MAPS Event Photos

MAPS Group at Maryland Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show

Events - Event Photos

For the last several years MAPS has been an exhibitor at the Maryland Montgomery County Gem, Mineral and Fossil show and educated visitors about primitive uses for stones by showing flint-knapping and soapstone carving. On 20-21 March 2010 MAPS Group members did it again. The 46th annual show is hosted by the Gem, Lapidary & Mineral Society of Montgomery County, Maryland.

MAPS group members demonstrated flint knapping with abandon the whole weekend and even had a chance to bust a few coals with the friction fire kits. The MAPS group hands-on knapping with children was again very popular. There were a few cuts and bumps along the way but everyone survived and many kids left with some nice looking points... thanks to a few MAPS Group members; including, Mark Seaver, Guy Neal, Dan Devries, Jamey Hueston and Michael Miller.

Jeffpat Bark Lodge Sleep Over

Events - Event Photos
Jefferson Patterson Park and Muesum (JPPM) staff gave MAPS members on 13-14 March 2010 a unique opportunity to experiencing what life was like for Mid-Atlantic Native Americans by opening their Indian village for us to sleep over night in a few of the bark lodges. We experienced first hand how the local natives lived by staying over night in a authentic tulip poplar bark (wigwam) lodge at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum's (JPPM) Indian village. We all participate in this living history experience and learned something about Mid-Atlantic Native Americans. Tim Thoman, the Inidan villiage manager, walked us through the history of JPPM and gave various classes on bark lodge living, primitive fibers, cordage making, and friciton fire. Fun was had by all who attended and we had a full lodge this year with over 25 people of which 15 sleep over night. We had people from all over from South Virginia up through Pennsyvianna.
Read more...

Survival Herbalism Class 2010

Events - Event Photos

MAPS Group promoted a Charles “Doc” Garcia Survival Herbalism Class on January 16, 2010, that was organized and hosted by The Maryland Survivalist and Primtive Skills Association (MD-SPSA) and the Richmond Survivalism Group at Lake Anna State Park, Virginia.

Charles “Doc” Garcia, a well-known MAPS instructor, flew in from California to spent a day teaching a down and dirty herbal healing class to the members of the three groups.

Here is what some of the participants said about the Survival Herbalism Class:

“Great info, and even I learned some new stuff! I've taken his classes on the subject before but never with the hands on element. That was really cool to see in action and get instant advice and feedback.”

“My biggest eye-openers were the healing powers of comfrey, the ability of blackberry leaf to halt life-threatening dysentery, and the incredible rejuvenating power of the lowly dandelion.”

“Best thing to become reacquainted with was activated charcoal to save one from food poisoning.”

The 1st Annual MAPS Knap-in 2009

Events - Event Photos

The 1st Annual MAPS Knap-in was held on 24-27 July - MAPS Group Keeping ancient arts alive.

Flint knapping is the process of making stone tools (i.e. arrowheads, projectile points, hand axes, etc.), more an art form really, that is an ancient skill over 4 millions years old. The art of flint knapping, an early survival necessity, has evolved with man, and it was not until recently that man stopped knapping for survival purposes. Only a few small primitive groups of people in remote parts of the world still knap as part of their daily lives. I guess we are one of those groups, but we mostly practice knapping out of the desire to learn an ancient skill.

Knapping material and various arrowheads

MAPS Meet 2009 Photos

Events - Event Photos

The Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills (MAPS) Meet 2009 was held 21-25 May at the Camp Conowingo Girl Scout Camp Near Havre de Grace, MD. This marked the eighth year of the annual event.

Ancestral Knowledge, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the primary responsible organization for planning and managing the MAPS Meet. All profit from the MAPS Meet goes towards their growth as a school that primarily serves to educate disadvantaged regional youth on primitive skills and nature awareness. MAPS Group remains an important sponsor and is deeply involved in the planning. Visit their site for youth camps and adult courses.

MAPS Meet was founded by a small number Washington, DC area primitive skills practitioners around 2000 that had a desire to learn and practice primitive skills. Over the years the group's activities has been supported by a growing primitive technology community within the Greater Washington DC area and mid-Atlantic region.

MAPS Meet 2009 was 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 was an occasion for the primitive skills community to come together to practice and share the skills that sustained our ancestors for many millennia. It was 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. It was 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, attendees made new friends and connections with people of similar interests.

See -Read More- for photos of the 2009 MAPS Meet.

Tulip Poplar Bark Baskets

Events - Event Photos

On 9 May 2009, MAPS members cut down a Tulip Poplar tree to peel, fold and stitch bark baskets under the tutelage of Jeff Gottlieb.

Participants learned to select a tree for bark basket materials, cut it, peel high quality sheets of bark, and construct useful and beautiful containers made from the tree's bark. The Tulip Poplar tree was donated by Mark Seaver.

Jeff Gottleib Biography: Jeff has been a naturalist since he was a little boy. After earning a BS in Zoology from SUNY at Oswego, NY, he turned pro. After earning an MS in Biology from St Bonaventure University and taking classes at the Tracker School, at Errett Callahan's Cliffside Workshops and attending programs ans ceremony with Herbalist and Ethnobotanist David Winston, he began to specialize in teaching Primitive Skills and crafting replicas of wigwams, baskets and primitive tools. Now he teaches at gatherings such as the Earthskills Rendezvous events, the MAPS Meet, and the Maine Primitive Gathering; as well as for schools, camps, nature centers and scout troops.

See more pictures by clicking the Read More...

MAPS Fall Gathering 2007

Events - Event Photos

See all the photos from the gathering here.

There are lots of photos.

And a very large Deer that was turned into lunch and, later, a shirt.

If you didnt make it to this event come to the next.