Ep 27: Arthur Haines on Rewilding Ourselves

Arthur Haines is a hunting and recreation guide, forager, ancestral skills mentor, author, public speaker, and botanical researcher. He grew up in the western mountains of Maine, a rural area that was home to swift streams known for their trout fishing. He spent most of his childhood in the Sandy River Valley hiking, tracking, and foraging. 

Arthur now runs the Delta Institute of Natural History in Canton, Maine, where he teaches human ecology, focusing on the values of foraging, wildcrafting medicine, and primitive living skills. He continues to spend a great deal of his free time practicing his skills as a modern hunter-gatherer. 

In 2017, he authored "A New Path", a comprehensive work on nature connection and rewilding, detailing how to incorporate ancestral practices into modern living. As a research botanist for the Native Plant Trust, he completed an inclusive flora of the New England region titled "Flora Novae Angliae" and has authored over twenty publications in peer-reviewed journals and books, including naming species of plants new to science. His series of YouTube videos has inspired thousands of people interested in foraging wild edible and medicinal plants. 

Quotes:

"Don't jump to a solution."

"There's consequences to people going into the wilderness, but there is greater consequence to people staying in the city." 

Topics Discussed:

• Definition of a hunter-gatherer 
• The progress culture
• The four C's:
  • Comfort
  • Convenience 
  • Class
  • Culpability
• Arthur's upbringing & the wilderness
• Using grief as a motivator
• The loss of various species
• Soil depletion
• Thoughts on war, famine & pestilence
•  The waning number of hunters
• Rewilding our lands & wilderness degradation 
• Conserve & not preserve
• Rewilding in the East vs. the West
• Becoming apathetic toward the outdoors
• European vs. American mindset on building things 
• The importance of leisure
• Ancestral foods 
• The three sisters: corn, squash & beans 
• Chronic disease & wild foods
• Fire & its effect on civilization

Resources Mentioned:

• Website: Arthur Haines
• Book: A New Path
• Books: Tom Brown Jr
• TED Talk: What's Wrong with our Conservation Paradigm 
• Facebook: Arthur Haines 
• Community Facebook Page: Wilder Waters Community
• Podcast: ReWild Yourself
• Podcast: Wellness Mama
• Podcast: WildFed

The Adventure Made Podcast is sponsored by Rewild Gear. Essential gear built for the great outdoors, designed to fuel your next adventure. Come find your wild at RewildGear.com!