full description of the project: - PRIMITIVE SURVIVING PROJECT (stone age and wilderness living -so called survival- skills, and experimental archaeology); Welcome back to Stone Age by living in and from the wilds!

!NEWS: This Project have been conducted from October 2010 to Jully 2011 and is now in stand-by, with eventually a continuation in 2012 (NOT CONFIRMED YET).
Please refer to email of the leader of this project (11jozf@gmail.com) if you want to find out more informations about a possible continuation of this Stone-Age and Wilderness-Living Project in Finland.
With all my wishes of your interest in this website and project,
Joseph Favre-Felix (11jozf@gmail.com).

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Experimental-archaeology revival of Stone-Age daily life from the finnish wilds

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The aim of the project is to offer the possibility for volunteers to learn and experience in the Finnish wilds:

• lake ancestral fishing techniques
• wild food harvesting (plants, berries, mushrooms)
• widerness-living basic skills
• handcrafting from natural surrounding materials
• initiations to stone-age technologies
• group solidarity and teamwork in hard conditions
• ancient rhythmic of living

Humans have not always being eating food that they had grown themselves.
For a very very long period of the human past, nomadic hunting-gathering and fishing was the common way of life of mankind.
Today, in the 21th century, primitive hunter-gatherers have almost completely disappeared from the surface of the earth.
This way of life could still be experienced, before we loose all the knowledge about wild forest harvesting...

The idea of this project is to offer initiations to Stone-age daily life in the wild woods of Finland.
Finnish and international volunteers can inscribe to join the project.

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The primitive daily life courses consist in teaching how to live and survive from the natural wild resources.
One branch of the project is to support in that way the promotion of the richness of the Finnish forests, the knowledge of the edible flora and fauna, and the idea that men can find their place in the wilderness as a sustainable part of the forest.

Nowadays, the interest about prehistory and the human origins has been explored more passionately than ever. Museums and universities have grown in the 20 last years the wish to understand prehistory with the new prism of the stone age handicraft reproductions.
Speaking of other periods of human history more close to our time (antiquity, middle age, world war times...), a lot of reproductions of daily life, battles, dances (etc) are performed, in a lot of countries.
These performances are showing people the dimension of time, and also are recovering the interest of daily life history.
In this field, prehistory has not become yet one of the popular period to reproduce. Mainly probably because our knowledge about this period are far more little.

‘primitive surviving project’ has for purpose

to be a revival of a daily stone age life.

The idea includes also the very interesting perspective of testing in real conditions the hypotheses made by archaeologists about prehistoric daily life... Testing hypothetically reconstituted stone age materials, and exploring the every-day wilderness survival group psychology and what it implies is one of the first experience of this kind in our modern times...
The project is run in Finland, due to the very woody character of the country, and also notably because the Finnish stone age specialists and museums are very active.

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BASIC ORGANISATION OF THE PROJECT:

A base camp (already built in Yli-Ii) is used, made from wood, in the old prehistoric techniques, provided by the Kierikki Stone Age Center.
This base camp is the monthly meeting place for coming and leaving groups of volunteers.
That base camp have many interactions (exhibitions...) with the public structure Kierikki Stone Age Center.

Some small fishing-gathering camps are organized all around that base camp in a radius of maximum 100km.

Each month (exept january) until may 2011, the project opens 7 places for Volunteers (Finnish and international) to join.
The group of 8 persons is learning the skills of gathering, fishing and basic bushcraft in the forest, as well as some more typical work as collecting stones and fire wood for winter. The program is changeable considering the expectations of the volunteers and the meteo, but most commonly, we are staying in Kierikki-base-camp in weekdays and we move around in weekends.

One leader (Joseph Favre-Felix European Volunteers onm this project) is responsible for the group life managing and teachings.
Local forest villages inhabitants are very welcome to interact with the group, notably in teaching how to use forest and in suggesting about lakes fishing... We aim to bring a bit of new life and internationality in Yli-ii.
We want to promote the maximum interaction with any Finnish organisation or individual persons, in relation with nature, surviving, wilderness harvesting, fishing, stone age...

Students from Oulu university are as well very welcome to participate and interract with the project, one page on the website of the project is dedicated to them.

The groups is carrying GPS and all kind of emergency kit, plus a lot of extra food.

Teachers and students from MYNÄMÄKI ANCIENT CRAFTS DEPT. OF SOUTH-WEST FINLAND’S SCHOOL OF CRAFTS AND DESIGN (Mynämäen käsi- ja taideteollisuusopisto) and other primitive teaching structures are invited to come (also as volunteers) during each camp to offer some courses about basic prehistoric crafts and survival knowledge. BUT their coming is not confirmed yet... In any other ways, the teachings are assumed by the leader of the project, Joseph Favre-Felix.

The material used for fishing-gathering is as much as possible hand made from the forest and wilds, with many exceptions..

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CONTACTS:

· KIERIKKI STONE AGE CENTRE The stone age center, very actively participating by hosting the base camp of the project is linked also by many other possible interactions (photo exhibitions...). The public of the Museum will naturally link the ‘primitive surviving project’ with Kierikki.
>>>
CONTACT: MISKA SLIDEN
Museum curator at Kierikkikeskus/Kierikki Stone Age Centre.
Museoamanuenssi
puh. (08) 8170 491, 050 5750 718
<miska.sliden@kierikki.fi>
>>>
The Kierikki Stone Age Centre is an archaeological exhibition and activity centre. The archaeological museum and the reconstructed Stone Age village form a unique combination telling about Finnish prehistory. Ongoing excavations, an archaeological exhibition with finds dating up to 5,000 BC, and hands-on activities at the Stone Age Village enhance the fascinating view of how people lived in Stone Age Finland.
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KIERIKKI
Archeological exhibition and activity center in Yli-Ii.
Pahkalantie 447
91200 YLI-II
tel: +358 8 8170 490
fax: +358 (0)8 8170 494
e-mail: asiakaspalvelu@kierikki.fi
http://www.kierikki.fi/

· Teachers and students from MYNÄMÄKI ANCIENT CRAFTS DEPT. OF SOUTH-WEST FINLAND’S SCHOOL OF CRAFTS AND DESIGN (Mynämäen käsi- ja taideteollisuusopisto, previously Lounais-Suomen käsi- ja taideteollisuusoppilaitos) Teachers and students from this school could take a fundamental part in the project by offering classes of stone age cratf knowledge during the first week of each new camp (how to build a shelter, a fire; how to work with wood, skin, bone...). BUT their coming is not confirmed yet... They are mostly CONTACTS about primitive technologies in general.
>>>
CONTACT 1: MIIKA VANHAPIHA
Teacher of Primitive Skills & Ancient Craft at Ancient Technology Dept. of
South-West Finland´s School of Craft and Design; Owner at Tmi Miika
Vanhapiha; Founding member at Kuttelo - Stone Age Action Group.
Puh: +358440160602
<miikavanhapiha@gmail.com> or <miika.vanhapiha@iki.fi>

· ALLIANSSI (Suomen Nuorisoyhteistyö) The publication of the project in aim to find volunteers will be done mainly via Allianssi national and international network. A motivation letter would be requested.
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CONTACT: TIINA HOKKANEN
Head of youth exchanges at Allianssi Youth Exchanges <tiina.hokkanen@alli.fi>
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Allianssi Youth Exchanges works for intercultural learning and global understanding.
We believe in "learning by doing" and provide young people volunteering and working opportunities in different countries.
Allianssi Youth Exchanges is owned by the Finnish Youth Co-operation Allianssi (alli.fi)
>>>
ALLIANSSI YOUTH EXCHANGES
Asemapäällikönkatu 1
FI-00520 Helsinki, Finland
tel:+358-20-752604 fax:+358-20-7552627
email:vaihto@alli.fi
www.nuorisovaihto.fi

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NEEDS of the project:

FISHING NEEDS (lake fishing):

Fishing management fee in oulu Region is 29 euros per year per person.
Net-fishing price is 6 euros per net.

In total,we need to use about between 5 and 15 nets, put in different lakes at different moments as written bellow:

Here are the lakes where we are fishing:
from October to February, we are mostly staying around Kierikki area. Fishing in the Iijoki, and a
few lakes very near, like Koutuanjarvi, Halajarvi (eventually Iso-Isterinjarvi)
We are staying close to Kierikki for safety reasons.

But
from May to October, IF SOME CAMPS ARE HELD IN THIS PERIOD, WICH IS NOT AT ALL CONFIRMED, then we would spend ( TO BE CONFIRMED!!) each camp divided
in 3 weeks, one week in Kierikki to learn the basics, and two following
weeks in the areas around Taivalkovski.
We would like, for these weeks, to ask those permissions for the lakes:Susijäarvi, Harjajärvi,
Kylmäluoma, Hoikka Ulku, Turpeinen, Kostonjärvi, Korvuanjärvi, Sarvi and Valkainen.
TO GET TO THESE LAKES, FROM TAIVALKOSKI, WE WOULD WALK ALONG THE FOLLOWING SNOWMOBILE TRACKS:Taivalkoski-Posio moottorikelkkaura, Taivalkoski(Harjajärvi) - Hossa moottorikelkaura, Kylmäluoma-Tyrävaara moottorikelkkaura, Metsäkylä-Pisto moottorikelkkaura.
WE WOULD CAMP NEAR THE FOLLOWINF FIRE PLACES/LAAVU, THAT ARE ALL NEAR THE SNOWMOBILE TRACK: Ahma laavu, Syvöojansuu laavu, Harjajärvi kota, Kylmäluomajärvi länsipään laavu, Kylmäluomaharjun laavu, Turpeinen laavu, Kälkäjä kota, Korvuanjärvi laavu, Kylmäluomajärvi kota, Valkeinen laavu, fro safety reasons notably.

The methods that will be used to catch enough fish to survive should be Nets-fishing mainly.There is also fish trap called "katiska" made out of metal net. It is very sturdy, handy and easy. One othermethod is a long line (app. 100 meters) that has hooks between every 50 cm.

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WHAT PARTNERSHIP WE COULD EXPLORE WITH THE FOREST AUTHORITIES:

Helps by some cooperation between the group and Forest workers or hunters (for example the Forest workers or hunters could help sometimes like by teaching a bit about nature, or by providing time to time some animal that they killed, skins, bones, because it is very difficult for volunteers themselves to hunt...).

We hope Forest authorities could provide some fire wood for the camps.

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WHICH FORESTS HOST THE PROJECT:

In spring/summer/autumn (april-october), the forests situated in a radius of 100km around Yli-Ii will host the project.

The idea is to work in forests with a sufficient plant diversity, with easy access to water (lakes and maybe seaside), and situated close to the base camp, which stands in Yli-Ii (Kierikki).
Northern Ostrobothnia (Pohjois-Pohjanmaa / Norra Österbotten) is the region where stand these camps.

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PROJECT LEADER:

Joseph Favre-Felix

11jozf@gmail.com

Joseph Favre-Felix is working for the three last years (2007-2010) in initiating, organizing and leading volunteering projects in very various countries (France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Russia, Finland, Morocco).
He graduated from University of History and he is teacher of Dry-Stone traditional building techniques.
He will intend to be an European Volunteer (EVS) on this project during the first year.
“I think that this last project, ‘primitive surviving project’, is somehow the most important of my career, because it implies a lot of reflection about philosophy of life in the modern world, and about the nature of man; about how surprisingly humans are well adapted to live in wilderness...” Joseph.

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APPROXIMATIVE BUDGET FOR THE FIRST YEAR
(SEPTEMBER 2010-JUNE 2011):

Unconditionally Needed:

-Amount of food (1 year= 12 camps= about a total of 100 volunteers during 3 weeks= at least 6000 Euros).

-Fishing material and licences (about 500 Euros of material per year, 1500 Euros for fishing licences)

-Raw materials (Skins, Flint, wood): 1500 Euros.

-Firewood: 6000 Euros

Extra Needed:

-Transports of the volunteers from Base camp to forests (3000 Euros).

-Transport for the movements of the leader to promote the project in Finland (500 Euros)

-Winter clothes (all equipments and tents for 10 persons): 8000 Euros

-Gps material: 1000 Euros

-Skis and snow shoes: 500 Euros

and IF the special teachers are confirmed:

-Transport for the Teachers coming to teach to the camps (1500 Euros).

-Amount of food for the Teachers: 1500 Euros

-Board of the teachers: 1500 Euros

-Salary for the teachers (one year round): 3000 Euros

Total:

15500 Euros as a very minimum Budget for one year.

36000 Euros for a comfortable Budget for one year.

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The funds are required for:

By: Joseph Favre-Felix (Project Leader), and Kierikki Stone Age Center.

The Official fund receiver would be Kierikki Stone Age Center

Funds contact: Joseph Favre-Felix, 11jozf@gmail.com

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