5 Unexpected Ways to Be Primitive (or Re-Wild Yourself)

Of course, we recommend getting sunshine, exercising & moving your body, socializing with loved ones (face-to-face, regularly), spending more time inside and less time outside, spending less time on social media, and all of the typically-recommended activities that subtly primitivize one’s life. After all, changing small habits accumulates (with interest) over time, so every time you choose to make a friction fire instead of checking your instagram post, you’re slowly investing in your own self-sufficiency and happiness over time…
However, I digress. There are many other things that we, humans, should probably be engaging in, as it is likely our ancestors have been up to such activities for untold amounts of time.

1) Be Bilingual

Most primitive people were at least bilingual and probably knew at least several languages outside of their Mother Tongue’s. They probably spoke in multiple languages even within their own homes or home ranges. Take Cynthia Ann (the white woman who became Commanche and was later “rescued” by Texans) for example. Cynthia of course spoke Commanche when she was with the tribe, but by all reports she also mixed in a healthy amount of Spanish into her speech. Spanish was essential for Commanches of the time to trade with Commancheros and other spanish-speaking folks. By the time she returned to white society, she had forgotten almost all of her English, but she retained a sort of broken pigeon English she could use for basic communications. She may have spoken some other native languages at the time, like Kiowa.

In The World Until Yesterday, Jared Diamond remarks on the linguistic capabilities of his New Guinean friends. He mentions that of a sort of random census based on his immediate companions, the most languages spoken by an individual was 12, and the least was 5. Imagine being fluent in 5 languages, and being the LEAST linguistically-inclined or able of all your friends! Papua New Guinea is an extreme example, as the islands contain myriad languages, often only separated by a mountain peak or 2. However, the example goes to show that being a primitive person requires being able to communicate with many other tribes. Diamond illustrates a couple examples in his book where knowing a language (or at least a few words) can make the difference between receiving happy and joyous feasting and hospitality, or an arrow in the chest.
Bilingualism changes the brain, as we are so primed for learning language in general—it is likely that given the vast array of language prior to homogenization of language from Empire-building (languages are rapidly going extinct and diversity of world languages is rapidly declining), most humans had a brain conditioned to speaking several languages so that they could communicate between several tribes or peoples at once. Language was often synonymous, or at least heavily correlated with identity in cases like Papua New Guinea. Speaking a language or not in a primitive encounter with a stranger could change one’s outcome from certain death to a much more favorable warm meal and trade goods.

So, what can you do? Learn a language! I like the Pimsleur langauge app, although most apps like duolingo etc. use their psychological approach. I don’t have a monetary affiliation with any. Languages do require practice to upkeep, so I recommend learning one that is relevant and that you’ll be able to practice. I enjoy using Spanish when I am in my Colorado home (we have many spanish-speakers here), and thoroughly enjoyed learning Swahili prior to my trip to visit the Hadza in Tanzania (you can read a couple articles pertaining to my experience with them here, and here).

2) Trade

Humans have been trading, bartering, and negotiating for untold amounts of time. Likely before we were truly even human. In fact, being able to trade, cooperatively exchanging items of value may have even made us human in a way. Trading as we do is not seen much outside of the human species. Sure, chimps will exchange bananas for sex and viseversa (truly the oldest occupation, I suppose), but they are not exchanging bananas for apples, or bananas for sticks/tools. Primitive peoples often would trade or even give “gifts",” with the implicit expectation that they’ll receive a gift from the receiver at a future point. This reciprocity and negotiation has kept humans alive in a critical way—if my tribe catches more salmon than yours this year and we hook you up, maybe next year the opposite circumstances will occur. This reciprocal relationship between groups (or individuals) is almost miraculous as far as nature is concerned, a true anomaly of the natural world. Trading and negotiating (“I’ll trade you my salmon for 2 of your bananas, not 1…”) is a uniquely-human trait that is a potent psychological venture. It forces us to consider our present and future situations, as well as the present and future situations of other people. It forces us to consider the psychology of the other (“I like that man’s axe—I wonder what he’d be willing to give it to me for…?”), and likely gave us reason to think and expand our empathic abilities. It is a foraging of a kind, obviously not literal—but exercises like trading, negotiating, and the requisite psychological considerations to do so likely expanded our brain power and social capabilities. Being able to trade also likely led to some specialization, which allowed for expanding capabilities of one’s tribe and greater society.

If you’re jaded by the ultra-capitalistic tendencies of modern western society, I would highly encourage you to produce something of your own, and try to trade and barter it rather than selling. Perhaps ironic, I enjoy trading our bison goods at conferences and actually much prefer it to what can feel like cold, cash-mongering capitalistic and pure sales. See what you can get for your goodies, it is an exciting venture and oppertunity to express your humanity!

3) Celebrate—Especially the little things

One of the things I found most memorable from my visit to the Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania was that they celebrated through song and dance. They also laughed—a lot, which is a celebration of a kind. Every day, the men would go into the bush with the dogs hunting for game. Literally every day, upon their safe and successful return, the women would sing and dance and welcome the men home. Sure, they weren’t overflowing with exuberance every time—but the sort of ritual and gesture that this made for struck me. It sent a message to the men, “Great! We are so happy you went hunting and found food. We are so happy you are all safe and nobody is harmed. Our tribe and life can continue” seemed to be the implications (although this is filtered through my own personal and non-professional lens). It gave me pause and I have considered it a lot since returning stateside. When I return home to my girlfriend and loved ones, I sincerely appreciate them being happy to see me and to welcome me home. When they don’t, it feels like something is missing. So, our household now makes a point to welcome one another home with happiness and thanks. After all—this is probably the only point in human history when coming home safely is the expectation, rather than something exciting to be celebrated. I think that by expecting our loved ones to return home healthy everyday, we have lost the gratitude, humility, and appreciation that comes from living in a dangerous environment.

The Hadza would even celebrate every time they successfully made friction fire with a hand-drill. It is not something easy to do, although they’ve been practicing their whole lives. And when they achieved an ember, they would smile and cheer.

I really think we take so many things for granted in modern western living. Warmth, health, plenty of food—all of these things have been celebrated by peoples. I have found that in my own life, by introducing small celebrations of the essentials we often take for granted, it brings the fundamental elements of gratitude and appreciation back into my life, and offers me perspective on how really amazing we have it in western society. If you’re reading this, you have reason to sing and dance—you’re alive after all!

4) Make Things (Or Do something) With your Hands

Primitive peoples, and human beings in general, are obviously specialized with our opposable thumbs. They allow us to create, craft, manipulate, grasp, and so many other things. Making things with your hands has been shown to stave off dementia, to decrease anxiety, and improve mental health. That alone makes it worth doing, not to mention all the cool stuff you can make! People have made tools (such as bows, arrows, knives, etc.), jewelry, vessels (think gourds, pottery, etc.), artwork, clothing, and so on with their hands since we have been people—and actually, even prior. Stone tools for example, have been around for literally millions of years. When visiting the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, I was fortunate enough to hold a 3 million-year-old hand tool that was used to butcher big game in the gorge by Homo erectus. What a trip to hold that tool, and consider the pre-human being that wielded it, likely butchering all kinds of exotic (well, exotic to me anyway) game. Humans have been flaking flint and other various tool-stones for millions of years, and really we only stopped recently—within the last few thousand years as metal has taken the spotlight from tool-stone. I personally like to flake obsidian and other tool-stones and make my own arrowheads, spearpoints, atlatl dart points, etc., but you don’t need to knap stones to be primitive. I think crafting anything with your hands can accomplish a similar mental effect, whether it be woodcarving, glass-blowing, carpentry, construction, wire-manipulating, sculpture, jewelry-making, painting, building, or just about anything else in a similar vein.

I think if our ancestors have done things for a long time, and we choose NOT to do them, we’d better have some good reasons. Considering humans and hominid ancestors have been stone knapping and otherwise manipulating stone for tool use for millions of years right up until—well, actually some people in the world today still use and make stone tools—we’d better have a good replacement for it. Find something to do with your hands aside from twiddling thumbs (or using them to manipulate joysticks with a virtual screen and world in front of you), and you’ll be better off for it!

5) Explore & Travel

Humans wouldn’t be everywhere if we didn’t go everywhere—it may seem obvious, but the tendency to want to explore or travel to new lands is probably in our DNA, in a literal sense. Traveling to new places and encountering new cuisine, language, culture, skills, knowledge, pursuits, value structures, and virtually everything else that comes with travel is a perspective-widening experience, as well as one that I have found to improve my own quality of life. When traveling “right,” the exercise may even increase release of BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor), a potent molecule which helps us learn, aids in brain plasticity, and adapt to new circumstances. It is a pleasurable molecule to experience too, and prevents us from aging as quickly. Travel can expand one’s mind, experiences, and perspectives and keep us young—certainly worth doing, and something virtually all of our ancestors reaped the rewards of. If you stay in one place you might get stuck!

Key Takeaways & conclusion

• Humans and our ancestors have been doing human things for a very long time. These things likely impact our physical and mental health as well as general overall well-being. I think it is, generally speaking, a good idea to do the things our ancestors have been doing for a long time.

• Humans are wired for language—even multiples! Learning a 2nd (or 3rd, or 11th) language changes the brain, and is a deeply-human activity.

• Trading and negotiating gives us insight into other humans, forces us to consider our own situations (both present and future) in the abstract, and improves our chances for survival as well as our overall quality of life. Trading and reciprocity gives us a deeper understanding of psychological motives of other humans as well as ourselves, and is a deeply satisfying activity. Giving something valuable makes us feel, well, valuable! Being able to receive something we want for something we have is rewarding.

• Celebrate small things like health, food, good company, laughter, warmth, and every other life essential you take for granted. By celebrating these things, we show an appreciation, and by definition no longer take them for granted! Little things make up our lives, and being able to appreciate the small things means we really appreciate our lives as a whole.

• Travel! Get out and experience new places, new cultures, new people, and new ways of doing things. You’ll have both tangibles and intangibles of value to come home with and cherish for years to come.