Vermilionville
300 Fisher Road
Lafayette, LA
Vermilionville is continuing to host monthly workshops that will allow participants to learn crafts from master artisans. The first Saturday of every month they highlight a different craft from the old Acadian, Creole and Native American ways of life. Topics range from woodcarving to textiles to foodways and many things in between.
In this all-day workshop, returning guest teacher Mark Suter of Primitive Texas will offer a workshop about Native American fire making, including bow and hand drill methods. Each student will carefully create his/her own bow drill and hand drill fire-making kits to take home. These two methods of fire by friction are the most dependable ways of primitive fire-making without matches in North America and were used by many different Native American tribes across the US. The cost of the class is $50 (includes all necessary supplies). Registration is limited to 12 participants. You must be registered in advance to participate. For more information, contact Brady McKellar at 337-233-4077 or at vville@bayouvermiliondistrict.org.
ABOUT THE ARTISAN
Mark Suter grew up camping and hiking in a region known as the Callahan Divide of western Texas. It was there amid the juniper and pecan forests where his love of wild places and the skills to live in them first developed. For more than 15 years he has traveled to natural areas across the United States to learn, practice and live the lifeway that he so dearly loves--primitive wilderness living. Mark served proudly as a soldier in the U.S. Army for four years and is an Infantry Combat Veteran (Iraq 2004). He is a long time student of Tom Brown, Jr., and has studied bow making under Jim Hamm. Mark also works with the Lipan Apache Indians in south Texas on survival programs and events. Mark believes that the primitive living skills are an art and science that give people not only a greater sense of security and the outdoors, but a connection to the Earth in a real way.
