The Rewilding Podcast w/ Peter Michael Bauer

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 TainterSupport 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