The Rewilding Podcast w/ Peter Michael Bauer

For millions of years, and in some places still today, hunter-gatherers raise competent and capable children. They do this while navigating challenging environments, with predators, dangerous tools, and most notably: without any school. Contemporary societies have created learning environments that are a mismatch with the expectations of our genetic evolution: we weren't meant to sit in boxes all day. The system of compulsory education that spans the globe and shapes our perception of education was designed in the 1700's specifically to create dutiful factory workers for rising nationalism. They were not designed based on human evolution or human needs, but the needs of capitalist entrepreneurs looking to increase obedience and efficient producers of wealth for them. So then, if not in schools, how are we best adapted to learn? What does learning look like in societies without schools? If hunter-gatherers represent the way of life most closely to that which humans evolved in, what do they do to educate their children and prepare them for life as an adult? What can we learn about ourselves by studying these societies? To talk with me about this topic is Dr. Gul Deniz Salali.Dr. Salali is a PhD in Evolutionary Anthropology. Since 2013, she has been conducting anthropological fieldwork with the Mbendjele BaYaka hunter-gatherers in the Congo rainforest, studying their social learning, cooperative childcare practices, and the cultural evolution of their plant knowledge. Her research projects explore the learning of ecological knowledge, childhood and childcare, and cultural evolution in hunter-gatherer communities.Notes:Dr. Gul Deniz Salali WebsiteRaising Tomorrow- BaYaka Hunter-Gatherer Childhoods and Global Perspectives on Child DevelopmentDumbing Us Down by John Taylor GattoSand Talk by Tyson YunkaportaHunt, Gather, ParentMaking by Tim IngoldMothers and Others by Sarah HrdySupport the show

For millions of years, evidence suggests that humans lived in relatively equal societies, where food acquisition and child raising were shared activities among community members both men and women, together. It is apparent that our environments of evolutionary adaptation, selected for humans with evermore prosocial traits. Domination and competition were minimized in favor of collaboration and partnerships of mutual aid. The idea that any human was superior to another would have been an absurdity. Contemporary forager societies also exhibit collective regulation of resources and power, diminishing anyone who may try to take more than their fair share or exhibit dominance over others. Only within that last 10,000 years or so, does the evidence show that a small number of societies turned to systems of domination, who then conquered the world and created hierarchies of rank, class, and everything else. Rewilding is an endeavor to live more closely to how we evolved to live, and in order to do so we must dismantle the mismatched environment that these dominating societies have created. How and when did this switch to domination happen, why did it happen, and is it possible to work our way back to egalitarianism? These are central questions to the rewilding movement, and they also happen to be the life's work of anthropologist Douglas Fry, who has come on the podcast to discuss this with me. Douglas P. Fry is a researcher at AC4 at Columbia University and Prof Emeritus at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his doctorate in anthropology from Indiana University in 1986. Dr. Fry has written extensively on aggression, conflict resolution, and war and peace. He is currently researching how clusters of neighboring societies, peace systems, manage to live without war. He has authored countless academic journal articles on the subjects as has written many books, such as Beyond War and The Human Potential for Peace, as well as serving as co-editor of Keeping the Peace: Conflict Resolution and Peaceful Societies Around the World and Cultural Variation in Conflict Resolution: Alternatives to Violence. His most recent book, Nurturing Our Humanity, is co-authored with Riane Eisler. Eisler and Fry argue that the path to human survival and well-being in the 21st century hinges on our human capacities to cooperate and promote social equality, including gender equality.Notes:Douglas Fry UNC Greensboro Faculty PageDouglas Fry @ Research GateNurturing Our Humanity at Bookshop.orgSustaining Peace ProjectSocieties within peace systems avoid war and build positive intergroup relationshipsMentions:Brian Ferguson's “Pinker's List: Exaggerating Prehistoric Mortality”The Chalice and the Blade by Riane EislerHierarchy in the Forest by Christopher BoehmBringing Down a DictatorBlueprint for RevolutionGlobal Nonviolent Action DatabaseWhy Civil Resistance Works by Erica ChenowethSupport the show

Creating ancestral skills communities is central to rewilding. We need people sharing skills together, we need people tending land together. These communities don't form over night. It takes time to build them. I spoke with Lucy O'Hagan in February of 2020, in one of my first episodes of the Rewilding Podcast. Now it's February of 2025 and a lot has changed in the last five years. Their community has grown, our friendship has deepened, and I continue to be deeply inspired by their work. Last August I traveled to Ireland to attend the first ancestral skills gathering on the island, facilitated by Lucy through their organization, Wild Awake Ireland. It was a life-changing experience for me, which was something I really didn't expect. If you haven't listened to our first podcast together, I would recommend going back and listening to it before you listen to this one. In this episode, I hope to pick up the conversation from where we left off five years ago, ask Lucy to share insights from the last five years of building a rewilding community in Ireland, and share my own stories of visiting Ireland.NOTES:The Rewilding Podcast, Episode 4: Complex Contexts w/ Lucy O'HaganWild Awake IrelandLanguage Movement: an dream deargThirty-Two Words for Field: Lost Words of the Irish LandscapeWisdom Sits in PlacesSupport the show

One of the key aspects of wildness is adaptation. Being able to change and adapt to different needs, in different environments, is a cornerstone of resilience. While a large part of this involves getting to know the land where you dwell, it helps to know multiple landscapes. It can teach you how to think on your toes and figure out how to do things in new ways. While rewilding leans more toward longer term ancestral living within a culture, and survival is more about meeting immediate needs in a context removed from culture, survival skills are a necessary base that culture builds on top of. In this way, people into rewilding should consider practicing survival skills in multiple environments, as a way of building the foundations of resilience. To talk with me about this today, is Tom McElroy from Wild Survival Skills. Tom McElroy has taught Survival and Primitive Skills to more than 15,000 students worldwide over the past 23 years.  During his twenties Tom spent an entire year living 'off the land'.  He built and lived in a shelter made from forest material, rubbed sticks together to make fire, purified water naturally and hunted, fished and gathered his own food.  Tom has taught at various schools around the world, including Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School. He holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Geography from Rutgers University and a Master's in International Policy related to Indigenous Peoples from the University of Connecticut and has studied with indigenous people all over the world. Notes:InstagramYouTubeWild Skills SurvivalDesert Island SurvivalSupport the show

I'm fond of saying, “There's no one right way to rewild.” A friend once asked me, “Sure, Peter. But is there a wrong way?” For this episode I wanted to do something fun for this episode that I haven't delved into much before in this space, so I invited my friend on to talk about the “wrong” ways to rewild. Don't be fooled by the candy bar image, I love elements of contemporary society that are in some ways more aligned with ancient ways… But what I abhor is when people water down rewilding to make it less about escaping from the captivity of civilization, and instead, focus simply on making captivity more comfortable while the world burns.   Notes:Geeks, Mops, and Sociopaths in Subcultural EvolutionRewilding, Dispatched"Urban Hunter-Gatherers" Chapter excerptCambodian genocideAfter the RevolutionEcotopiaSupport the show

When some human societies made the shift from wild, procured foods to domesticated, produced foods there is a corresponding decline in the health of those people in the archaeological record. Today, the majority of people eat domesticated staples, and our health has taken a huge decline on a global scale. Wild foods are an important nutritional component to the human diet. Rewilding can mean rekindling the relationship to wild foods that humans have historically had. To talk with me about this on the Rewilding Podcast, is Monica Wilde. Monica Wilde, known as Mo, is an ethnobotanist and research herbalist. She lives in Scotland in a self-built wooden house where she's created a wild, teaching garden on 4 organic acres, encouraging edible and medicinal species to make their home. Mo holds a Masters degree in Herbal Medicine, is a Fellow of the Linnean Society, a Member of the British Mycological Society and a Member of the Association of Foragers, which she helped to found in 2015. She has been teaching foraging and herbal medicine for several decades. Mo wrote the award-winning book The Wilderness Cure: Ancient Wisdom in a Modern World, in 2022, that imparts what she learned from her year of living on only wild foods. Afterwards she started the Wildbiome® Project - a citizen science study tracking the health changes seen on wild food diets. The next arm of the study is in April 2025.Monica's InstagramWild Biome Project InstagramThe Wildbiome™️ Project ResultsThe Wilderness CureThe Ethnobiology of Contemporary British Foragers: Foods They Teach, Their Sources of Inspiration and ImpactSupport the show

Humans evolved in social, cooperative bands, using this cooperation as an evolutionary advantage. These days, rugged individualism still seems to dominate many outdoor activities from regular camping to bushcraft and even to rewilding. When people think of ancestral skills, they think mostly of the hand crafts like basket weaving, pottery, or archery, and not the invisible, social technologies like conflict resolution, mentoring, or practices of sharing. This is a challenge that many skills practitioners and leaders of schools and other community organizations often come across. If rewilding is returning to our human roots, then community building works as the primary ancestral skill. Everything else stems from this. Today to talk about this with me, is Luke McLaughlin. Luke is the founder and director of Holistic Survival School in North Carolina. His work centers around connecting people to the natural world through ancestral living skills, to help remember how humans lived in balance with their environments in times past. He learned his skills working at a wilderness therapy program in the deserts of Utah. After spending hundreds of hours on the trail and helping hundreds of people, he witnessed firsthand how important these skills are for life lessons and personal growth. He has demonstrated his skills on the Discovery Channel's show Naked and Afraid and their offshoots, Naked and Afraid XL and Naked and Afraid: Alone. Luke's main focus is making deep connections and providing a life-changing experience through the Deep Remembering immersion program.NOTES:Venmo Luke, 6788Holistic Survival SchoolLuke's InstagramSupport the show

To attain the level of resilience that cultural rewilding calls for, requires moving away from an economy based on extraction for profit that lays waste to local ecosystems and destroys ancient ways that people have lived from the land. To move away we need alternatives, and examples of how other people have found and maintained sustainability. How have humans lived in a myriad of ways for millennia without destroying their land and not living in greatly unequal societies? What is a subsistence economy and what makes them so resilient? To talk with me about this today is Dr. Helga VierichDr. Vierich was born in Bremen, west Germany and immigrated with her parents to Canada, growing up in North Bay, Ontario. She began her studies at the University of Toronto in 1969. From 1977-1980, as part of her research, she lived in the Kalahari among hunter-gatherers in the Kweneng district with Richard B. Lee supervising. During this time she worked as a consultant on the effects of the extreme drought in Botswana. She was awarded her Ph.D. by the University of Toronto in 1981 and went to work as a Principal Scientist at the West African Economics Research Program, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (headquarters in Hyderabad, India). She worked as a visiting professor of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky from 1985 to 1987, then as an adjunct professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta from 1989 to 1997. From 1999-2022 she worked as an instructor at the Yellowhead Tribal College in Alberta. Now retired, she spends her time on a rural farm with her husband. Notes:• Dr. Vierich's Website• Why they matter: hunter-gatherers today• Before farming and after globalization: the future of hunter-gatherers may be brighter than you think• Changes in West African Savanna agriculture in response to growing population and continuing low rainfallPhoto by Vasilina SirotinaSupport the show

Rewilding is about seeking a reciprocal relationship to the environment and to one another. Material and cultural conditions kept humans in relative check with their ecologies for potentially millions of years, so what were they? If we are to understand this, we must hold up a lens and look at the diversity of hunter-gatherers (both past and present) to fully realize what their cultural and environmental limitations were–and are–today. Why did some abandon that way of life while others have fought to the death to defend it? What led humans to switch from one subsistence strategy to another, and what were the social and ecological effects of these changes? Is it possible to fully know? What do we know? To talk about these core rewilding questions with me, is Dr. Robert Kelly.Dr. Kelly first became involved in archaeology in 1973, as a high school student. He received his BA from Cornell University in anthropology in 1978, his MA from the University of New Mexico in 1980, and his doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1985. He has taught at various Colleges since 1986; from 1997 until retirement in 2023 he taught at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Kelly is the author of over 100 articles, books, and reviews, including The Lifeways of Hunter-Gatherers, The Fifth Beginning, and Archaeology, the most widely used college textbook in the field. He is a past president of the Society for American Archaeology, past editor of American Antiquity, North America's primary archaeological journal, and past secretary of the Archaeology Division of the American Anthropological Association. He has been a distinguished lecturer at many universities around the country and the world, including Argentina, Germany, France, Finland, Norway, Japan, and China, and he has worked on archaeological projects in Nevada, California, New Mexico, Kentucky, Georgia, Maine, Chile and, for the past 25 years, Wyoming and Montana. He has received over two million dollars in funding, with multiple grants from the National Science Foundation. Since 1973, the archaeology, ethnology, and ethnography of foraging peoples has been at the center of his research.Notes:Robert Kelly, Professor Archaeology at University of WyomingThe Fifth BeginningThe Lifeways of Hunter-Gatherers: The Foraging Spectrum (Revised) CARTA: Violence in Human Evolution – Robert Kelly: Do Hunter-Gatherers Tell Us About Human Nature?ANTHRO, ART, (CLOVIS) and the APOCALYPSE: Live from the field with Dr. ROBERT KELLY | DIH Podcast #1Human Behavioral Ecology (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology, Series Number 92) 1st EditionSupport the show

City landscapes are perhaps the most decimated and human centric habitats in today's world. These landscapes are in need of thoughtful rewilding. Cities are some of the most domesticated places, but also positioned in some of the most historically fertile places. Cities were built where they are, because these places had access to a diverse array of resources. Many think rewilding means running away to the wilderness–but that's not the case. For one, this is not a practical reality for most people. Two, because of their prime location and social capital, cities are both ripe for, and in desperate need of, rewilding. Permaculture, with its inspiration and core principles deriving from more regenerative sedentary, delayed-return societies such as indigenous horticulture, can be an effective tool for the urban rewilder. Using permaculture for place-making, becoming a part of your place, is a great way to start this journey. To talk with me about this today is Mark Lakeman.Mark is the founder of the non-profit placemaking movement and organization known as The City Repair Project. He is also principal and design director of the community architecture and planning firm Communitecture. He is an urban place-maker and permaculture designer, community design facilitator, and an inspiring catalyst in his very active commitment to the emergence of sustainable cultural landscapes everywhere.  Every design project he is involved with furthers the development of a beneficial vision for human and ecological communities. Whether this involves urban design and placemaking, permaculture and ecological building, encourages community interaction, or assists those who typically do not have access to design services, Mark's leadership has benefited communities across the North American continent.Notes:CommunitectureCity Repair ProjectMaya Forest Garden, by Anabel Ford  and Ronald NighA Pattern Language by Christopher AlexanderPhenologyPhoto by Greg RaismanSupport the show

The longer a culture exists in a place, the more stories they have of that place. These stories act a way for people to interact with the land where they live and also act as social filters for how to perceive the land as well. Stories also engage people with the landscape through their imagination and when linked to a physical activity can make the connection more embodied and enjoyable. Humans learn through play, and playing with stories can be a great way to reconnect ourselves with the landscape and its inhabitants. To talk with me about this on the podcast, is a returning guest, Jason Godesky. Jason Godesky is an independent tabletop roleplaying game designer and world builder. He and his wife Giulianna Lamanna are the creators of the Fifth World, an open source shared universe that imagines what the future that we in the rewilding community want could look like.Notes:The Fifth WorldThe Power of Myth by Joseph CampbellIf This Is Your Land, Where Are Your Stories? By J. Edward ChamberlinWisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache by Keith H. BassoSupport the show

There are few opportunities for people living in modern contexts to experience what life would be like living in a band of hunter-gatherers. While there are still several cultures in the world living this way, most are protected from outsiders through organizations like Survival International. While rewilding isn't a synonym for primitive living, or a total return to hunting and gathering societies, we can learn a lot about how to live in a regenerative way through contemporary hunter-gatherer societies, as well as experiences that can replicate aspects of those societies. Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) in Utah is one such place to get a taste of the immediate-return hunting and gathering experience. I recently attended their Hunter-Gatherer course, and here to talk about it with me is one of the core instructors for that program, Randy Champagne.Originally from Michigan, Randy found his way to the deserts of Utah after taking a survival course that sparked his love for the wild. He has been at the Boulder Outdoor Survival School since 2008 where he's been teaching and practicing ancestral and modern survival skills. His passion is in traditional hunting and gathering techniques. He was a participant on the television show ALONE, testing his skills solo on Seasons 2 and 5 on Vancouver island and in Mongolia.NOTES:Randy Champagne InstagramBOSS Hunter-Gatherer CourseSupport the show

Fascist ideology has been on the rise, with a calculated effort on the part of fascists, to infiltrate environmental movements. Rewilding has seen its fair share of this over the years. As a return to our egalitarian roots, rewilding is the political opposite of fascism. And yet, there are foot holds of sort, within the ideology and world view that fascists can exploit for their own gain. To protect ourselves from this fascist creep, we need to be aware of it and also aware of the problematic aspects of where our own ideologies can be misconstrued to lead us astray. In this episode I'm chatting with Cara Delia Schwab.Cara is an anthropologist with a masters degree from the University of Heidelberg. Her thesis was on racism and resistance through media and art in the US. She went back to school to get a B.A. in social work and has been working in that field since 2015 (with immigrants and refugees mostly). She is a “wilderness” instructor in training with Wildnisschule Odenwald. Her plan for the future is to teach foraging classes through her business www.wildnisliebe.de. She has an allotment garden, where she grows her own food. Her ideal life would be writing and spending the rest of the day outside somewhere weaving baskets and working with her hands.NotesCara Delia Schwabwww.wildnisliebe.deCara's InstagramWildnisschule Odenwald—The Rise of EcofascismHierarchy in the ForestMothers and OthersThe Lies That BindNo Politics But Class PoliticsSupport the show

In this episode I'm talking shop with my friend and colleague Sharon Kallis. Sharon facilitates a community organization similar to Rewild Portland in Vancouver BC called Earthand Gleaners Society. She is an award winning artist who focuses on fiber arts through a locavore lens, by growing, foraging, and gleaning raw materials and processing them into fiber and weaving them into finished products. She is known for her community art installations wherein she connects people to their place through creative collective works of art, often with garden waste, invasive species, or other locally available materials. Her book, Common Threads: weaving community through collaborative eco-art, was published by New Society Publishers in 2014 and is used in many post secondary programs as a model for creative engagement in shared green spaces. I met Sharon through our shared passion for using invasive species for arts projects. As fellow community organizers within an urban rewilding context, Sharon and I often converse to share ideas, commiserate over similar challenges that we face, and celebrate our successes. In the following conversation you'll get a bit of all three of those as we discuss the ins and outs, and triumphs and failures, of running community rewilding organizations in the city. Notes: Sharon Kallis Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sharonkallis/ Earthand Gleaners Society https://earthand.com/ Common Threads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer https://bookshop.org/a/24844/97815713...Support the show

On this episode I am once again chatting with my friend and colleague Woniya Thibeault. This episode contains spoilers for the television series ALONE, of which Woniya has been a contestant on twice. If you haven't watched season 6 or Alone Frozen, I recommend doing so before listening. Woniya came in second place on ALONE season 6, and more recently won half a million dollars when she came in first place on Alone Frozen. Both times she brought a rewilding, relational perspective to her experience and to the public. However, when creating a show there is always a lot that ends up being edited out. To increase awareness for her journey and to teach the public more lessons that didn't make it onto the show, Woniya wrote a book titled “Never Alone” about her experience on Season 6 of the show. Woniya has always been someone who has inspired me through her dedication and passion for living in a way that is more connected to our ecologies. In this conversation we talk about her new book, her experiences, survival challenges, and more. Notes:Never Alone by Woniya ThibeaultWoniya's PatreonBuckskin RevolutionYouTubeInstagramALONE: FrozenSupport the show

Rewilding looks different in places all around the world, but also shares many similarities: from settler-colonialism to mainstream co-option. In this episode we'll be looking at Rewilding in Eastern Australia. My guest is Eva Angophora.Founder of Wild Beings, barefoot wanderer Eva has spent the most part of the last 5 years living outside in various wild locations, learning and practicing living skills such as friction fire, natural tanning, leatherwork, animal processing/using the whole animal, weaving, natural rope making, wild foods foraging and bird identification. Passionate about sharing a more connected wholesome culture and providing spaces where people can connect with the Old Ways and incorporate more of these skills and practices into their lifestyle choices that lead to connection & a more empowered way of self sufficiency. Eva is a Bushcraft educator working in schools and facilitator of Ancestral Skill Sharing Gatherings, rewilding  workshops, wilderness immersions and women's rewilding gatherings through Wild Beings, co-facilitating alongside Wildcraft Australia for their seasonal family village camps.NotesEva's InstagramWild Beings WebsiteWild Beings Instagram---Rewilding 101What is the difference between mob, clan, tribe, language group?Fish Leather: tanning and sewing with traditional methodsALONE AustraliaAI will increase inequality and raise tough questions about humanity, economists warnThe Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph TainterSupport the show

Subsistence–the way we acquire our food–is a central aspect of rewilding. To talk with me both about the anthropology of subsistence but also the challenges and practicality of it is James V. Morgan. James is a former professional anthropologist who has spent nearly two decades studying and working with indigenous hunter-gatherers on three continents. He has spent years trying to understand the relationship between anarchist theory and action and indigenous politics and lifeways. He is currently working on three different books surrounding these topics titled, "Human Rewilding in the 21st Century: Why Anthropologists Fail" and “Anarchy After Graeber” with the third book yet to be titled. His previous writings have appeared in Hunter-Gatherer Research, Human Ecology, Oak Journal, Black and Green Review, Wild Resistance, and Alaska Fish and Wildlife News. More than only pursuing research and writing, Jaime is also an active subsistence hunter and forager, extensively involved in the material arts of rewilding and bushcraft, mostly off-grid in the far north.NOTES:Anarcho-Primitivism/Primal AnarchyGreen Anarchy MagazineOak JournalBlack and Green Review/Wild ResistanceUltrasocial: The Evolution of Human Nature and the Quest for a Sustainable Future by John GowdyPhoto by Elly Furlong on UnsplashSupport the show

Permaculture is a design science for creating regenerative landscapes. In rewilding, we often perceive it as a kind of technology based on ancient hunter-gatherer-horticultural subsistence strategies from around the world. While there are many valuable criticisms about permaculture (just as there are about rewilding), it is still one of the most effective tools for creating alternative subsistence strategies to the extractive ones that dominate our world today. To understand how far we've come, we need to listen to the elders of the movement and hear all they have endured and accomplished to get us where we are today. Hazel Varrde is one such elder for me, and the rewilding community.Hazel began gardening around age five. They earned degrees in Forestry and Systematic Botany from Syracuse University and SUNY College of Forestry in 1969. Hazel taught Wild Edible Plants and Woods-lore at Laney College in Oakland CA in the early 70's and helped Bill Mollison teach the first Permaculture Design Course at Evergreen State College in 1982. Hazel has taught various Permaculture courses ever since, becoming a notorious teacher and proponent of social forestry. I first met Hazel in 2009 during my Permaculture Design Certificate course with Toby Hemenway. Hazel was the only guest teacher in the class who seemed to share my vision of a rewilded future, and I knew that I needed to go and learn from them directly. I took their Social Forestry class in 2015, and then came back as a guest teacher the following year. I've since continued to practice various forms of social forestry, while sending many people their way. Land tending is an integral part of rewilding, and social forestry is an inspiring model for us to use. Hazel has finally finished their book on Social Forestry, and you can pre-order it now. I am happy to help get the word out.NotesSocial Forestry by Tomi Hazel VaardeSiskiyou PermacultureMentionsPlaying with Fire: Social Forestry with Hazel by Peter Michael BauerSupport the show

For regular listeners to the podcast, and those entrenched in the rewilding movement, we know that rewilding looks different in various places, and has different meanings (sometimes often leading to conflict). While human, anarchic rewilding has been around just as long as conservation rewilding, they often seem to be at odds–especially when it comes to the support of state institutions. Which is no surprise. Often times conservation efforts are state sponsored, leading to displacement of people in the name of resource conservation rather than creating regenerative systems of land management. States have it in their best interest to control food production, and conservation falls under this form of management. It's not liberatory, nor is it a long term solution to an economy based on extraction. Human rewilding, in contrast, is considered a radical approach that aims to connect people to their place through direct land management and subsistence practices. This circumvents state power, pitting people against the institutions that aim to control everyone. In order to gain more resources from the current power structures, rewilders must walk a fine line between what is acceptable, and what we can get away with. In the end, if it seems like we may be making too much headway in creating an alternative way of life, the state will take away whatever resources it has lent us.One organization I see facing this dilemma at the moment, is The Rewild Project, a non-profit focused on environmental education and ecological restoration, based in the in the United Kingdom. Their mission is to re-connect people to nature and their ancestral heritage through arts and crafts, growing food, outdoor learning and community-building projects. To talk with me about their programs and the challenges they have faced and are currently facing is their director, Scott Baine. Scott has led a life of eco defense activism, nature connection, traveling the world learning survival skills, and community organizing around rewilding and rewilding related concepts. He returned to the UK to study land tending practices of permaculture and regenerative agroforestry, with the aim to create edible forest gardens. Scott is passionate about rewilding people, not just the landscape.NotesThe Rewild Project WebsiteRewild Project on InstagramRewild Project on Facebook—Green Anarchy Magazine Rewilding Issue Ishmael by Daniel QuinnEdible Forest GardensInclosure Act 1773Half of England is owned by less than 1% of the populationRight to RoamThe Book of Trespass by Nick HayesFor Wilderness or Wildness? Decolonising RewildingRewild group kicked out after taking children for walk on frozen lake to teach them of the dangersSociocracySupport the show

I first learned about animism in the book The Story of B by Daniel Quinn. While the term animism was initially invented by anthropologists as a way of classifying place-based, indigenous religions the world over, it has taken on a much deeper and expansive meaning in recent years. In many ways it transcends the notion of religion or spirituality to more of an ecological ethos encoded in stories, to shape a person's perception of the environment in terms of reciprocity. For this reason, animism is a prevalent way of perceiving and engaging with the world in the rewilding movement. Through animism, we can once more find belonging to people and place, and align ourselves with the cycles and systems of the ecologies where we dwell. Here to discuss the topic of animism with me today, is Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen. Rune is an historian of religion, Ph.d., educated from the Universities of Uppsala and Copenhagen. Rune has lived in many countries and done fieldwork in a number of contemporary (primarily Afro-descendant)  religions, but since childhood he has had Nordic religion as a strong field of interest. Today Rune is working on applying contemporary developments in anthropology to rethink the way we address Nordic religion both in terms of scholarship, but also as a reservoir of cultural knowledge for environmental activism and sustainability sensitization. Rune Hjarnø's ongoing work on developing the Nordic Animism perspective can be supported through this Patreon profile.NotesRune Rasmussenhttps://nordicanimism.com/https://www.youtube.com/user/Runehrhttps://www.patreon.com/nordicanimismMentionsThe Story of B by Daniel QuinnAn Animist Testament by Daniel QuinnAnimism by Graham Harvey The Handbook of Contemporary Animism Edited by Graham HarveyPerceptions of the Environment by Tim IngoldPanpsychism, the philosophy of Animism - Interview with Prof. Arne Johan Vetlesen.Saving the Indigenous Soul with Martin PrechtelTerry Jones' The BarbariansThe Primitive Celts https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x72r71pThe Savage Goths https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x42a2epThe Brainy Barbarians https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x72r71rThe End of the World https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x42v7ipSand Talk by Tyson YonkaportaMaori SpiralBraiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall-KimmererCover Photo by https://unsplash.com/@michael957Support the show

Rewilding means a return to living in reciprocity with the ecologies in which we dwell, and with each other. It is a movement that critiques and rejects social hierarchies and authoritarianism as the “natural” state of humanity. Through contemporary anthropology, paleoanthropology, and archaeology, the rewilding philosophy pieces together how humans created and thrived in egalitarian societies for tens of thousands of years-perhaps hundreds of thousands of years. In one sense, it is essentially a call to anarchy: stateless societies, with collective decision making.Hierarchy at the scale of what we call “the state” only becomes possible from the intensification and the control of food production, through the growing of annual grains. This sedentary, predictable surplus provides the material conditions for a small group of people to force a larger group of people to produce this food for them. These authoritarian societies take many different shapes, from less violent and coercive to the most extreme forms of control and domination, so abhorrent, we recognize them as so-called “crimes against humanity.” Through the rewilding lens, fascism can be seen as the ultimate pinnacle of the authoritarian, hierarchical state, of domestication to the fullest extent possible; using the most modern technologies for total and complete submission of people and of nature. Fascism is the furthest, most oppositional force from our innate wildness. This means that rewilding is inherently anti-fascist.When rewilding as a buzzword for “returning to a wild state” hit the mainstream mostly through diet and fitness culture (such as the so-called paleo lifestyle), it was watered down and perceived by a public that has been taught misconceptions of “wildness.” Projections of grunting cavemen and social darwinism's notions of aggression and competition stand in for actual anthropology of living, thriving, egalitarian societies. This biased and incomplete picture of wildness has cast an oppressive shadow over the term rewilding, allowing in individuals who promote hate and inequality as the natural state of humans. As we have seen in the past, fascism is often a reactionary attempt by the people to maintain order during a decline or societal collapse. As we enter a time of economic uncertainty, climate crises, and more, fascism is a growing, ever present threat. To keep rewilding on course, to educate people on the collaborative, mutual aid relationships that define human wildness, rewilders must actively work against fascism today, and the fascist creep, into our ideologies and movements.To talk with me today about this growing threat, is Alexander Reid Ross. Alexander is a scholar with a diverse background. He earned his PhD in the Earth, Environment, Society program at Portland State University. He is the editor of the book Grabbing Back: Essays Against the Global Land Grab, and authored a book on the transnational far right called Against the Fascist Creep. He is a researcher whose focus is on exposing the far right and fascist movements that exist today.Notes@areidross on twitterAgainst the Fascist Creep by Alexander Reid RossPalingenetic ultranationalismHierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior by Christopher BoehmThe Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout Support the show

Anthropology is at the core of rewilding. Understanding the various ways in which humans act and why, helps us draw a picture of what is possible for humanity. Rewilding pulls its inspiration from the millions of years that humans lived in relative harmony with our environments–without causing the sixth mass extinction and without creating large-scale inequality, and how these crises came about. To make cultural transformations, we have to understand where material determinism and intentional idealism come together.On this episode of the Rewilding Podcast, I've invited Daniel, the host of the What is Politics YouTube channel, to explain how this all works. What is Politics is a compelling series that delves into the natural histories and anthropology of politics, in the form of didactic storytelling. I came across Daniel's long form videos on YouTube last year when I was complaining about how off the mark David Graeber's book the Dawn of Everything is, (how much it omits, how much it ignores, how much it simply pretends doesn't already exist on this subject) and someone sent me a link to the What is Politics critiques. People had been asking me to write a review, and I couldn't get past the first 100 pages of what I considered a misdirection. The amount of time it would taken to review the book felt daunting, and I kept putting it off. I was super relieved to find and watch the What is Politics reviews, to see that someone had gone through the whole book with a fine-tooth comb and so much deeper than I ever could have. Now when people ask me what my thoughts are on the Dawn of Everything, I just send them to the What is Politics YouTube channel. It's a huge relief to be honest. For these reasons and more, I'm excited to have Daniel as a guest on the Rewilding Podcast, to talk about the material realities that give rise to, and/or provide the fuel for, certain human political and social organizations.NotesDaniel's What is Politics YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@WHATISPOLITICS69Hierarchy in the Forest by Christopher Boehmhttps://bookshop.org/a/24844/9780674006911Chris Knight WorksDawn Review: https://mronline.org/2021/12/20/the-dawn-of-everything-gets-human-history-wrong/Early Human Kinship Was Matrilineal: https://libcom.org/article/engels-was-right-early-human-kinship-was-matrilinealThe Science of Solidarity: http://www.chrisknight.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/The-Science-of-Solidarity1.pdfDid Communism Make Us Human: https://brooklynrail.org/2021/06/field-notes/Did-communism-make-us-humanThe Human Symbolic Revolution: http://radicalanthropologygroup.org/sites/default/files/pdf/pub_knight_power_watts_big.pdfThe Pseudoscience of 'The Secret'https://www.livescience.com/5303-pseudoscience-secret.htmlNo Time for Bullies: Baboons Retool Their Culturehttps://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/science/no-time-for-bullies-baboons-retool-their-culture.htmlThe Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph TainterhttSupport the show

In this episode I'm chatting with Kara Moses. Kara is a biologist and educator teaching nature connection, rewilding, wild living skills and woodland management. She is a writer, a climate activist, chair of the Cambrian Wildwood project in west Wales, she created Radical Nature Connection at the Ulex Project in the pyrenees which brings nature connection practice into relationship with our struggles to challenge interlocking systems of oppression, such as racism, patriarchy, colonialism, and ableism and our efforts to build movements forging a life-affirming future. You can learn more about her work at her website rewildeverything.org and her social media handle RewildEverything.Kara and I discuss the different ways rewilding has been used and the ways it has been perceived, and the challenges of using the word. We follow Kara through her transformative journey from primatology to direct action climate activism to nature connection, how she came to rewilding and beyond. This is a fun and deep conversation from a fellow rewilder who has dealt with similar and very different challenges than myself, in terms of spreading rewilding.Notes: www.RewildEverything.orgTwitter: @Kara_L_MosesInsta: @RewildEverythingFacebook: @RewildEverything• www.CambrianWildwood.org• How lemurs fight climate change• Meet Kara Moses, the activist who helped shut down a Welsh coal mine• Feral by George Monbiot  • Wild Awake Ireland• ‘It'll take away our livelihoods': Welsh farmers on rewilding and carbon markets• Anthropogenic heathlands: disturbance ecologies and the social organisation of past super-resilient landscapes• Radical Nature Connection (RNC)• My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem• Queer Nature• Rewild Portland • Weaving Earth• We are the 99%• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall-Kimmerer• The Old Way• Access to You is a Privilege• What Kinship is and What it is Not by Marshall SahlinsSupport the show

In this episode I chat with Tao Orion. Tao holds a degree in Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture from UC Santa Cruz and a MSc degree in Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She is the author of Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration. Tao and I chat about invasive species, transforming people's perceptions of them, learning to manage them without the  use of herbicides and how we might start rethinking land management especially as global food growing and distribution systems start to shrink and collapse.Show Notes:Tao's WebsiteBeyond the War on Invasive SpeciesSilent Spring by Rachel CarsonTending the Wild by M. Kat AndersonThe New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature's SalvationIn contrast to green image, Portland continues using weedkiller Roundup in parksWhat Will They Do with His Garden?Finisia MedranoSupport the show

My guest for this episode is ​Samantha Zipporah. Samantha is devoted to breaking the spells of oppression in reproductive & sexual health through education, healing & liberation.  She has over 20 years of experience honing her craft as an educator, guide & caregiver tending to fertility, sex, & cycles spanning the full womb continuum. Sam's work rises from an ancient lineage of midwives, witches, & wise women​. A fierce champion of critical thinking skills, her knowledge is integrative & inclusive of modern medicine & science​ as well as traditional & ancient healing practices. S​am provides vital education for everyone from professionals to preteens in her books, courses, & live classes. Her online community The Fruit of Knowledge features monthly live workshops & an abundance of resources & dialogue for womb wisdom keepers & seekers.In this conversation Samantha and I talk about rewilding contraception, and a few of the threads connected to that.NotesSamantha's Websitehttps://www.samanthazipporah.com/Samantha's Linktreehttps://linktr.ee/samanthazipporahSamantha's Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/samanthazipporah/Other Mentions:Peter's “How to Rewild Yourself” MemesSeeing Like a State by James C. ScottSand Talk by Tyson YonkaportaCaliban and the Witch by Silvia FedericiIUD Side Effects Facebook GroupIUD Awareness WebsitePlease Bleed: Plants and Practical MagicConscious Contraception SkillshareMiscarriage and Abortion Support CourseIncidence of Post-Vasectomy Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSupport the show

Hannes Wingate is an artist, builder, designer, and outdoor survival-skills instructor. He was educated at Central St. Martins College of Art in London. He is known internationally for constructing giant, human sized nests from natural materials found within close range of the build site. He has traveled the world, spending time living with and learning traditional skills from the Sami, Maori, Basque and Native American cultures.In this conversation Hannes and I discuss his practice as an artist, looking at how he transforms people's perspectives through his sculptural art, storytelling. We touch on some interweaving philosophies and practices like biomimicry, ancestral skills and how creativity lends itself to state resistance. In the second half, Hannes debriefs my experience at Boulder Outdoor Survival School.Notes: Hannes' InstagramBurnside NestBoulder Outdoor Survival SchoolMaking by Tim IngoldEli Loomis InterviewSupport the show

In this episode I talk with my friend, Rachael Rice. Rachael is an artist, writer, death worker and certified weirdo who crafts scroll-stopping content for people who want to shape change. Her work centers collapse-informed learnings about grief, death, myth, magic and meaning-making in pale times. A neurodivergent queer witch navigating multiple health diagnoses and broadly coded as a white cis woman, Rachael is of Swedish, Scottish, Irish, French, German and English ancestry living and loving with her partner whose income supports her work on the lands of the Chinook in Portland, Oregon. She works in a dozen kinds of media, plays four instruments, speaks three languages, parents two children, and hollers at one cat, usually not all at once. In this conversation, Rachael and I discuss what it means to be “collapse aware,” what death work is and how it relates to societal collapse, and ways you can engage with it. Notes:Rachael's WebsiteRachael's InstagramMentions:Collapse Care w/ Carmen Spagnola“Curse of Knowledge”Death Doula/MidwifeLotka Volterra CycleDiminishing-ReturnsSupport the show

In this episode of the Rewild Podcast I talk with David Ian Howe about dogs and rewilding. David is a professional archaeologist trying to popularize the science of anthropology, most often through comedic videos. He is known for his interest and expertise in understanding ethnocynology–the study of the ancient relationship between humans and dogs. As rewilding is in part, a critique of domestication, the relationship between humans and dogs is an interesting area of exploration: at what point does mutualistic symbiosis become parasitic, or vice versa and is the human and dog relationship reflective of that? Listen in as David and I discuss this ancient relationship, among a few other topics. Notes:Links to David's WorkDavid's WebsiteDavid's YoutubeDavid's PatreonDavid's InstagramDavid's TikTokMentionsAshkelon dog cemeteryPrehistoric Dogs as Hunting Weapons: The Advent of Animal Biotechnology by Angela PerriCompanion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness by Donna HarrowayWolf In Dog's Clothing? Black Wolves May Be First 'Genetically Modified' PredatorsWolves in the Land of Salmon by Dave MoskowitzDomestication Gone WildNeotenyFoxy Behavior: how a Russian fox farm uncovered the basis of canine domesticationWolf Totem Jiang Rong Wolves and RavensBadgers & CoyotesDid Dog-Human Alliance Drive Out the Neanderthals?The dark side of oxytocin, much more than just a “love hormone”Riot DogThis Article Won't Change Your MindAncient Anxiety and ADHDDonny DustConsuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian SocietySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

On this episode of the Rewilding Podcast, I converse with Carmen Spagnola about the necessary self and community care that comes with the realization that we are living in a collapse. Carmen works at the intersection of somatics, trauma recovery, attachment, and mysticism. Her approach to collapse – navigating the converging emergencies of large scale cooperation dilemmas – weaves Wendell Berry sensibilities with Octavia Butler realities. Her book The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes and Rituals for the Wheel of the Year, comes out in the fall of 2022. Notes:Carmen's Social MediaCarmen's WebsiteThe Spirited Kitchen BookUtne Reader/Geez Magazine: Preparing for a Beautiful EndIshmael by Daniel QuinnPeak OilTruth and Reconciliation CommissionThe Oil DrumJohn Michael GreenSharon AstykCarolyn Baker: Love in a Time of Apocalypse & Conscious CollapsingThe Collapse of Civilization May Have Already BegunWilderness First ResponderPeter LevineStephen PorgesBelievers by Lisa WellsThe “Collapse” of Cooperative Hohokam Irrigation in the Lower Salt River ValleySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

Seven in ten Americans identify as Christian. For a movement like rewilding to gain more traction, it must intersect with the belief systems of the culture at large on some level. I am not a Christian, though I am interested in the intersection of rewilding and christianity. Since I live in the United States, I feel it's important to understand enough about the dominant cultures here and where to find common ground in rewilding narratives. In this episode I chat with two friends of mine who are both pastors. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin and Aric Clark. Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin is an ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church, a spiritual director, grief coach, writer, author of the book: What is the Way of the Wilderness: An Introduction to the Wilderness Way Community, and co-editor and contributor to A Grounded Faith: Reconnecting with Creator and Creation in the Season of Lent. Solveig helped found EcoFaith Recovery, and founded and pastored the Wilderness Way Community for eleven years. She and her husband Peter are raising two teenage boys in NE Portland.Rev. Aric Clark is pastor of Mt. Home and Sherwood United Methodist Churches. He is also a writer, a speaker, and an activist who lives in Portland, Oregon. He is the co-author of Never Pray Again: Lift Your Head, Unfold Your Hands, and Get To Work, a book which challenges readers to embrace a concrete other-centered spirituality, and editor of Faithful Resistance: Gospel Visions for the Church in a Time of Empire. When not pastoring, writing, or protesting he is parenting two teenagers and indulging a love of tabletop gaming.Our conversation topics range from anarchism, feminism, death, grief, decolonization and the histories of the church, the challenges of working in institutions and much more. Notes:Christian AnarchismBread Not Stone: The Challenge of Feminist Biblical Interpretation by Elisabeth Schussler FiorenzaIshmael by Daniel QuinnCatholic Worker MovementThe Smell of Rain on Dust by Martin PrechtelFinisia Medrano Hildegard Von BingenBelievers: Making a Life at the End of the World by Lisa WellsRewilding the Way by Todd WynwardChed MyersWatershed DiscipleshipEcofaith RecoveryBecoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth by Randy WoodleyA Grounded Faith: Reconnecting with Creator and Creation in the Season of LentThe Leaven CommunityWhat is the Way of the Wilderness?Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

In this episode I converse with writer Sophie Strand. I've found her writing to be particularly inspiring to my rewilding journey in terms of understanding and thinking about masculinity. However, we cover much more than that. Our conversation branches off in many directions, though the main thread is around connecting our personal narratives in rewilding to the larger cultural narratives found in our mythologies–and the mythologies that make the most sense from a rewilding perspective. It was such a pleasure to converse with someone as deeply researched and passionate about this topic as Sophie is. She has many insights to share and I'm honored to have her on the podcast. Looking forward to reading her book when it comes out this fall!Notes:Sophie's Linkswww.sophiestrand.comcosmogyny on instagramPre-Order Her Book: The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred MasculineMentionsSophie's Favorite Mythologists/Writers:Shawn KingRobert BringhurstUrsula LeGuinnDonna HarawayMerlin Sheldrake• Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life by Carl Kerényi• Beard Tax• Matters of Ancestry by Jason Godesky• Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death by Bernd Heinrich• Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds by Thomas Halliday• Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation by Rupert Sheldrake• Toxoplasmosis: How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy• Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom• Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World by Lisa Wells• Shamanic Voices: A Survey of Visionary Narratives by Joan HalifaxSupport the show

Recently one of my patrons asked me what my day to day rewilding looked like. This is a glimpse into some of that, but also with perspective on what it might look like for others. Support the show

My guest today is Jason Godesky. Jason is an old friend and colleague of mine. We met in the early 2000's on an internet chat board called “Ish Con” short for Ishmael Conference. It was a place to discuss the ideas presented in the books by Daniel Quinn. It was here that I gave Jason the nickname, “The Machine Gun” for his ability to remember and rapidly deploy facts, journals, studies, ethnographies, and more to back up many of the positions in what we would later call Rewilding. When ishcon closed down in 2006, I bought the domain rewild.info and invited Jason to help create a new online chat board specific to rewilding. Jason is well known for his essays on his now defunct blog, The Anthropik Network. A few years ago when Rewild Portland acquired rewild.com, I asked Jason to write the content to help people describe what rewilding means. These days his main focus is on using storytelling and gaming to promote the concepts of rewilding. Though, every once and a while he'll post a new essay on a particular topic of interest. It's his latest essay, entitled “Overpopulation” that we'll be discussing here on the rewilding podcast today. Notes:Jason's ProjectsOverpopulation by Jason GodeskyThe Fifth WorldThe Fifth World PatreonMentionsIshmael by Daniel QuinnMaking Kin Not Population Perceptions of the Environment by Tim IngoldPopulation Growth Daniel QuinnLotka–Volterra equationsLaw of Limited CompetitionEurope & The People Without History by Eric WolfThe Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph TainterAgainst the Grain by Richard ManningAll Things Being Equal: A Review of The Dawn of EverythingOvershoot by William CattonThe Neolithic refrigerator on a Friday nightWhy These Bears “Waste” FoodJevons Paradox: The Efficiency DilemmaDisinterpretationDegrowthSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

In this episode I return to the theme of this podcast: rewilding. It's used in so many contexts now, from video games to outdoor clothing to lifestyle branding. But what does it really mean? Where did it emerge? How can we stay authentic to the meaning as it gets absorbed by mainstream capitalism? This is a good refresher for those familiar with my work, as well as a nice starting place for those who have recently come across the podcast. Notes• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn• Against the Grain by James Scott• The Maya Forest GardenSupport the show

I've lived with depression for most of my life. I've learned to manage my symptoms in order to function and live a more fulfilling life. I've dedicated this episode to working through some of the areas of overlap between depression and rewilding. This is a very personal topic that lives close to my heart. I was originally planning on doing this one solo, but I realized that it would be more impactful if it were in conversation with someone who shares similar but different experiences with depression. My guest on this episode is Sheila Henson. Sheila received her BA in History and an MA in Education, spent twelve years as a behavioral respite worker for children with special needs, working for many of those years at the Serendipity Center in Portland. Today she is an ADHD Coach, and is a well known and respected educator on tiktok. The drive to understand how to be kind, collaborative, and restorative within our social and ecological communities led her to Rewild Portland, where she now serves on the board of directors, heading up our transformative justice committee. Sheila and I also co-teach a Rewilding Your Health class through Rewild Portland. Notes:List of National Suicide Hotlineshttps://support.google.com/websearch/answer/11181469Sheila's Websitehttps://www.sheilahenson.com/Sheila's Tiktokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@adhdcoachsheilaSleep & Depressionhttps://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health/depression-and-sleepExercise & DepressionThe Challenges of Treating Depression with Exercise: From Evidence to Practicehttps://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2006.00022.xMeditation & DepressionAn update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depressionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3500142/Diet & DepressionDiet and Depression—From Confirmation to Implementationhttps://www.anp3sm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/jama_berk_2019_ed_190008.pdfMusic & DepressionMusic therapy for depressionhttps://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004517.pub3/fullGreen Spaces and DepressionGreen spaces deliver lasting mental health benefitshttps://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_349054_en.htmlGardening & DepressionGardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysishttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5153451/Soil Microbiome & DepressionDirt has a microbiome, and it may double as an antidepressanthttps://qz.com/993258/dirt-has-a-microbiome-and-it-may-double-as-an-antidepressant/Crafting & DepressionAntidepressive response of inpatients with major depression to adjuvant occupational therapy: a case–control studyhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12991-016-0124-0Plant Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

Lisa Wells is the author of Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World, The Fix, and winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize. Her essays have been published by The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, Granta, The Believer, n+1 and others. She lives in Seattle and writes a column for Orion Magazine called Abundant Noise. She's also one of my oldest and closest friends. In her latest book, Believers, she sought out many different people all seeking to find a way to live sustainably in the world, as we sit on the precipice of a collapsing civilization. In this conversation, we chat about the book, some of the subjects (including myself), the writing process itself, the role of storytellers as culture building, and much more.Notes: • Lisa Wells Website• Instagram Account• Believers: Making a Life at the End of the WorldSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

In this episode I converse with someone who has greatly inspired me, Delia Ann Turner. Delia co-owns and operates The School of the Greenwood: For Creative Rewilding. Delia is an amazing craftsperson and educator. Our topics wandered from making hand crafts, living off the grid, traveling to learn from communities where hand made crafts are barely holding on, integrating what we learn back in our own communities, to her philosophy in carefully crafting adventure and fantasy camps for children, to running a small business and the contradictory aspects of living a wild life but also utilizing tools like social media to increase the reach and impact of her work. It was a wide-ranging conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Delia's Links:Delia Ann Turner InstagramSchool of the Greenwood WebsiteSchool of the Greenwood InstagramMentions:Coyote's Guide to Connecting with NatureThe Art of Not Being GovernedMushroom at the End of the WorldNancy BasketsEoin Donnelly (Timber Framer)The Bear and the NightingaleSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

In this episode I'm chatting with my friend and colleague, Jessica Carew Kraft. Our conversation ranged from what taking rewilding ideas to the “mainstream” might look like, dissecting some larger trends with rewilding themes, taking a look at rewilding through the lens of motherhood, and much more. There were some technical issues with this recording, and our mutual friend Fern (who I conversed with in my Embodied Anthropology podcast) did some pretty fine editing to minimize the issues. So I want to send my thanks out to Fern for assisting us with that. Follow Jessica: WebsiteInstagramNotes:Hunt, Gather, ParentFree Range ParentingLast Child in the WoodsAttachment ParentingCollapse of Complex SocietiesHunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st CenturySex at DawnWhen We Are Human by John ZerzanDeep AdaptationPom PokoNausicaä of the Valley of the WindThe Dawn of EverythingThe Egalitarians: Human and ChimpanzeeBoulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

In this episode, I answer three questions from my patrons on patreon:1.  What is your advice for people just beginning on their rewilding journeys?2.  What is your favorite part of rewilding?3. What are your favorite books for rewilders to use for help rewilding?Support the show

Today I'm chatting with Clementine Morrigan, a prolific writer and podcaster covering a range of topics. In this conversation we talk about “cancel and call out culture” and the challenges of transcending punishment and imprisonment, in order to move toward a more egalitarian, transformative justice process when conflict arises–as it inevitably does–in our communities.Notes:Clementine Morrigan's Work• Lnk.bio• Instagram• Fucking Cancelled Podcast• Fuck the Police Means We Don't Act Like Cops to Each Other ZineOther Mentions:• So You've Been Publicly Shamed• Conflict is Not Abuse• The Sociopath Next Door• Cursed Cancellations InstagramSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

Eli Loomis is an instructor and Executive Director at Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) in Utah. At 53 years old, BOSS is the oldest survival school in the country. It is notorious for its long, minimalist desert treks, including a 28-day field course. In this conversation, Eli and I talk about the history of BOSS, the psychology of survival and “The Won't to Live,” the lack and need for Rites of Passage, context specific training, running non-profit wilderness schools, the transformative experience, and personal and psychological growth that can happen in survival courses, and so much more.LinksBoulder Outdoor Survival SchoolBOSS InstagramBullet Ant TestAmerican Guy Try's Bullet Ant TestJohn Leach “The Won't to Live”John Leach's Survival PsychologyRabbit Proof FenceMartin Prechtel - Long Life, Honey in the HeartKhalil GibranBarkley MarathonsThis episode is in Memorial of my friend Alex Leavens, my first ancestral skills teacher. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

Patrons of The Rewilding Podcast get access to new podcasts two weeks early. Also, when folks become a patron, for even just $1, you can ask me a question or throw out a topic for me to talk about from a rewilding perspective. In this episode, I will be answering more questions:• Can a wild world meet the needs of 7.5+ billion human beings?• Do you know any rules about natural burial—for yourself or relative, esp in oregon?• What are your thoughts on personal boundaries especially on the rewilding journey?• What are your thoughts on ableism, and the way we can show up for and support differently abled bodies as we rewild, both before collapse, and after?• How can rewilding help people with limited physical/mental energy/ability deal with the impending climate crisis, etc?Become a patron and ask me something. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

Today I'm chatting with John Zerzan, long time anarchist author, speaker and host of Anarchy Radio out of Eugene, Oregon.  John's writing has been instrumental in crafting the rewilding narrative. In this conversation, we jump right into some of the themes and history of primal anarchy, and work our way around various topics. Notes• John's Website• When We Are Human• Oak Journal• Future PrimitiveSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

This episode is the first half of a conversation between myself and Natasha Tucker from Primal Anarchy Podcast. The second half will be released by them and a link posted here will connect you to it. The last time Natasha and I conversed this much was in my living room after the Rewilding Conference in January of 2020. It was great to catch up and chat about the things we are working on and thinking about at the moment. Take a listen and check out their site:Primal Anarchy PodcastNatasha TuckerSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

I've started a patreon to help fund the podcast. Patrons of the podcast get access to new podcasts two weeks early. Also, when folks become a patron, for even just $1, you can ask me a question or throw out a topic for me to talk about from a rewilding perspective. In this episode, I will be answering the first few Patron Prompts. Here are the Questions for Patron Prompt #1: From Patron Susan Avery:  "What are your favorite wild edible or medicinal plants?"From Patron Nicki Youngsma: "What are criticisms of the megafauna overkill hypothesis and/or competing (and/or complementary) theories for megafaunal extinction? What are ways we can use this information to inform present and future living? How can such information and framing support healthier relationship with land and nonhuman kin that affirms human existence, rather than instills shame?"From Patron Ilse Donker: "Do you know something about prehistoric child birth and death rate?"From Jermayne Tuckta (not a Patron, but wanted to answer this one): "One method of rewilding includes reintroducing apex predators and other key species back into the area. Presently, wolves have returned back to Oregon and Washington. What other key species can you think of reintroducing? They have already attempted to reintroduce the Sea otter to the Oregon coast, but no success. Is it possible that the environment can no longer sustain the Indigenous species that once inhabited the area?"Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

In this episode I chat with Lise Silva Gomes, an artist who works with fiber, knots, paint and more, who has spent a great deal of time thinking and teaching about community grounded art practice. A huge aspect of rewilding is the practice of ancestral skills–learning to use your hands to create the technologies that we need to live, from the elements of nature that grow and dwell near us. I came to Lise's work when searching out ethics, etiquette, and boundaries around communities of artists and creatives. Lise is an innovator in this field and has created some amazing resources around this topic that I'm excited to share with you.Notes• Lise's Instagram• Lise's Linktree• Craft & Practice: Meditations on Creativity & Ethics ZineSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

“The earth's biodiversity depends [very directly] on its human diversity.” - Stephen CorryIn this episode I chat with Stephen Corry, the former director of Survival International, a global organization that supports indigenous peoples in their struggles against colonialism. We talk about why the organization is important, and how it relates directly to rewilding. Stephen discusses the central myths of civilization and the prejudices that it generates in order to justify its destruction of tribal people. In the end our conversation lands on the problematic aspects of conservation, and the challenges that members of Survival International have faced in this work. Please support the podcast by donating to my patreon. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on apple podcasts and other podcast directories. Thanks for listening. Links:Survival Internationalhttps://www.survivalinternational.org/Stephen's Book:Tribal Peoples for Tomorrow's WorldStephen's Twitter:@StephenCorrySvl• New report details indigenous struggle for land rights• Savaging Primitives: Why Jared Diamond's “The World Until Yesterday” is Completely Wrong• Why Steven Pinker, Like Jared Diamond, Is Wrong• The Fierce Anthropologist• Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States by James C. Scott• Who was Ötzi?• Sahlins resigns from NAS as Chagnon enters• The Great Dance; a Hunter's Story• The Big Conservation Lie• WWF Funds Guards Who Have Tortured And Killed People• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn• Willamette; The Valley of an 8,000 Year Old CulturePhoto Credit: Gleilson Miranda / Governo do AcreSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

Episode 11: Embodied AnthropologyMuch of the narratives found in rewilding originate from the study of cultures outside of civilization, through the discipline of anthropology. In this episode I chat with two of my friends that dwell in the academic world, around the challenges of navigating the benefits and problems with the institution of anthropology and the practical applications of it outside of academia. We talk about the history of anthropology, contemporary ethics behind it, and the potential for continual cultural transformation. How do we take anthropology beyond the institutions, in order to *do* anthropology in the real world? How do we leverage the study of culture(s), in a just and careful way, to help us understand more about humanity and our place in the world? What are the best practices behind an embodied anthropology?Fern Thompsett grew up in Australia, and is now working on a PhD in cultural anthropology through Columbia University, on Lenape land in New York City. Her research looks at how people define, critique, and live outside of civilization. She is also a co-founder of the Brisbane Free University.Josh Sterlin is working on a PhD at McGill University as part of the Leadership for the Ecozoic program. He is researching how rewilding might help us rethink classic anthropological categories and thinking, and how that might help us change the way we live. He was previously trained in environmental anthropology, and is also a graduate of the Wilderness Awareness School's Anake program. When he's not doing that, he's canoeing across the Quebec wilds. You can get in contact at jsterlin.org.NotesFragments of an Anarchist Anthropology:https://libcom.org/library/fragments-anarchist-anthropologyThe Undercommons', by Stefano Harney and Fred Moten: https://www.minorcompositions.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/undercommons-web.pdfKlee Bennally's 'Accomplices not Allies': https://www.indigenousaction.org/accomplices-not-allies-abolishing-the-allSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

Months ago I asked my facebook and instagram audience if they had questions that I could answer in a podcast. I finally delved into the well of inquiry, and only got to the first three questions:Zack Rouda asked: “Why bother?”Pat Craig asked: On the problem of the lack of access to land for most people. At least land that one could hunt/forage or garden on. How can people who do not have easy access to land practice rewilding in a meaningful way?Will Dutch asked: How do you see rewilding co existing with the modern city? Do you see the new global awareness of the climate crisis being a catalyst for new thinking of rewilding?If you have more questions around rewilding to ask me, hit me up on social media and I will add these questions to the queue. Hope you enjoy this one. Photo by Rachel OlsonSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

Popular culture likes to tell us that modern men are still just cavemen that masquerade in suits. That they are really just big dumb brutes, bent on domination to get their way. Deep down, their urges for violence (and sexual violence in particular) are simply part of their biology. Where does this mythology come from and why? What does rewilding masculinity look like–and where do we even start? In this episode I interview Dr. Martha McCaughey, professor of sociology at Appalachian State University and author of the book "The Caveman Mystique" as we explore these concepts in depth.Dr. McCaughey's BooksThe Caveman MystiqueReal Knock OutsReferencesThe Feminine MystiqueThe Egalitarians: Human and ChimpanzeeWhy everything you know about wolf packs is wrongExploring Prehistory: How Archaeology Reveals Our PastSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)

In this episode I speak with Dr. David Lewis, historian, anthropology professor and member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. We talk about the importance of learning the history of your place, what it's like being a bridge for cultures, ideas for being an ally, among many other interesting things. Dr. David Lewis Website:https://ndnhistoryresearch.com/David's Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/coyotez-Books for Further StudyNative ScienceDecolonizing MethodologyNative Americans and the EnvironmentWhat Kinship Is-And Is Not - Marshall SahlinsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/petermichaelbauer)