Description
Rewild Your Mind
- Classroom Sessions, Wednesdays, February 5, 12, 19, and 26 || 5:30pm-8:00pm (Pacific)
- Location || Rewild Headquarters, 8940 N. Bradford, Portland OR 97203
- Four weeks, as detailed below
The concept of rewilding, of undoing the domestication of the last several thousand years, is gaining mainstream attention fast. Recent studies show that spending more time in nature, eating a “wilder” diet, and planting back native ecosystems is beneficial to human health and the health of the environment. However, rewilding is more than just a “back to the land” movement, and this is not an “ancestral skills” class. Rewilding is not a set of skills, per se, but rather, a world view. This class focuses on the ideological side, the hows and whys of rewilding, along with its ecological, anthropological, and psychological principles. You’ll learn the myths we’ve constructed about prehistoric peoples, the problems that came with the innovation of agricultural civilization, and the benefits of indigenous horticulture. We will look at the barriers that stand in the way of rewilding, the various ways in which people are rewilding, how to rewild in a way that is respectful across cultural boundaries, and take a look at how it is shaping up in the mainstream.
In this class you will learn how rewilding improves quality of life and how it helps us understand humanity’s ancient strategies of interacting with the land and each other. Gain awareness of the social and environmental hazards that arise with civilization. Examine the various groups that are rewilding around the world and how you can follow their lead.
Week 1: Exploring Prehistory
What is “pre” history, and why should we care about it? What is our “common knowledge” of cavemen? Plus, we’ll review a timeline of human evolution.
Week 2: Defining Rewilding
What is our concept of ideas like “wild” and “wilderness”? How are people using the term “rewilding”? How do hunter-gatherers change the landscape? We’ll also start to look at things like land access and how it pertains to Native Americans.
Week 3: Barriers & Etiquette in Rewilding
We’ll address what stands in the way of rewilding, how to rewild in a respectful manner.
Week 4: Rewilding in Action
What does rewilding look like? What are some barriers to rewilding? We’ll look at examples of current rewilders and see possibilities for rewilding in the future.
This event is brought to you by Rewild Portland, a nonprofit organization serving the Portland area and the rural and wild areas beyond. Proceeds from this event go to supporting Rewild Portland's mission to promote cultural and environmental resilience.