NWTF Michigan Brings Hunting Heritage to Earth Craft Event

Davis started the weekend by leading a class about hunting as a sacred practice, which provided participants — many of whom were non-hunters — a space to have candid conversations to learn about hunting. The group discussed how hunting heritage belongs to all humans because it can be tied to just about every ancestral lineage. It’s a tradition that unites us all.  

Attendees had conversations about popular culture’s misconceptions of today’s modern hunter and dispelled ideas some had about trophy hunting. This course also gave Davis the opportunity to share common hunting practices and the ethics and laws hunters follow. After this course, participants were more understanding and welcoming to the idea of hunting.  

“That class went really well with what we’re trying to share with the community at Earthcraft,” said Brenna Pixley, founder of Earthcraft Skillshare. 

Pixley had the idea of creating this event years ago, after attending her first ancestral skills workshop. She wanted to start a similar community in her home state, where there wasn’t as much of an opportunity for those interested to get involved.  

“These skills are a gateway and an access point back to the land,” Pixley said. “When people are exposed to making things with their hands, making tools, bows, cordage and knowing the land and the landscape, it gives people the confidence knowing that they can do these things. Not everybody needs to use these skills every day, but they can come to these events when they need and be with other people who also use these skills. We see that a lot of traditional ecological knowledge is lost, and we're so lucky to have a strong Indigenous community that attends our gathering and is a part of teaching and continuing the skills of heritage and tradition.” 

The weekend also featured Davis’ Archery Through the Ages course, thanks to an NWTF mobile archery range Davis secured with help from L.L.Bean. After covering a brief history of everything from long bows to crossbows, participants tried their hand at many different types of archery equipment on the range. The station also offered an opportunity to try “atlatl,” or spear-throwing.  

“Other similar events don’t have that same access to allow all ages of all skill levels to try different types of bows and atlatls,” Pixley said. “It was cool to get our hands on those.” 

One of the weekend’s more popular classes was Davis’ Hunter’s Amulet class, which was a unique hands-on conversation about how humans find meaning by holding onto mementos. Davis came up with the idea for this class through her own experience collecting bones and other materials from the woods during her hunts. She offered her unique perspective on turning those keepsakes into jewelry.   

“There is a history of human beings and art overlapping with hunting stories,” Davis said. “We looked at examples of ancient carvings and cave drawings and discussed hunting heritage as a belonging to all humans. We discussed the human need for meaning making and looked at some examples of mementos kept from animals that were hunted in remembrance of the story. We also talked about photographs and ‘trophies’ and had some difficult conversations about conceptions of a ‘trophy hunter.’ We used bones I found and craft items to make our own amulets and continued the conversation as we worked.” 

Pixley noted that the greatness of this class was attributed to Davis sharing her stories and experiences with the group, creating a safe space to reflect on the reality of taking a life and honoring it.  

“Putting it [a memento] into an amulet you can carry with you from hunt to hunt is a gift that keeps on giving,” Pixley said.   

The Earthcraft Skillshare gathering was the perfect group to open conversations about hunting heritage. Attendees had practiced foraging for wild mushrooms and wild plants, and most are ready for the next step — hunting. Davis does an excellent job introducing people to hunting, as she was similarly introduced to hunting.   

“Many of us in the conservation space understand the importance of recruiting, retaining and reactivating hunters and shooting sports participants,” Davis said. “However, we often look to people who are already on the path towards hunting and shooting. If we want to have a big impact on increasing the number of hunters and shooting sports participants, we need to reach outside of our traditional comfort zones. The best way to reach a new group is to go to them and ask what they need. For Earthcraft Skillshare and the homesteading, foraging and ancestral skills community, the biggest ask was around archery and a mindful approach to hunting.”  

Although this wasn’t a traditional hook-and-bullet event, the NWTF is proud to help welcome people of all backgrounds into our hunting traditions. As we engage in conversations about the things we hold dear, we continue to find that we are united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.