Matthew Knight – Connecting To The Earth With Primitive Skills

Matthew Knight talks about Primitive Skills

“We cooked over the fire, walked a mile to the spring to get water with a bucket we made, and twisted up fire with sticks we gathered,” Matthew Knight recalls with enthusiasm. Although his story sounds like a scene out of another century, Matthew, and his partner, Jahnia, live in modern-day Chico, CA, where they co-founded Earthbound Skills, a naturalist school for primitive wilderness skills. The couple has an eight-month-old daughter, Layanna, whom Matthew affectionately describes as “a gift from God.” Read Matthew’s insight on the vital importance of mentoring North State youth in the art and science of wilderness living:

NSP: Tell us your story; what led you to co-found Earthbound Skills?

Matthew: I was born and raised on the East Coast, but I was really able to open up my heart to appreciate nature when I started traveling. While traveling on the West Coast, I was deeply moved by stories of Tom Brown Jr’s profound reverence for nature as a temple (trackerschool.com). My partner, Jahnia, and I both attended his school, then lived in a primitive situation in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey for 14 months. We built our own shelter out of wood and debris, and it kept us warm amid three feet of snow!
We ended up in Chico about 13 years ago and co-founded Earthbound Skills in 2012 because we felt called to share what we had learned with others, especially kids. I wanted to be a bridge to connect children to what I wish I had—someone who truly loved nature. I feel so blessed to be called onto this path, especially with Jahnia.

NSP: How do you teach kids in your wilderness programs?

Matthew: We offer a wide variety of community-based, naturalist-survivalist programs year-round. We use the coyote teaching method; if you ask me the name of a plant, I will give you 101 questions to lead to the answer, because working through that information together means you’re going to truly remember it.

We also use play, including games like Tail Tag, which gets kids out of “tunnel vision.” Humans are the only creatures on the planet that can go into tunnel vision; everything else is fighting for its survival in every moment. With Tail Tag, we give kids tails and they’re trying to take other people’s tails while being hunted at the same time. This forces them into “wide-angle vision,” this highly perceptive awareness. It’s a playful, deeply engaging way to learn and build connections with the space and their peers.

NSP: Why are wilderness skills important in today’s modern life?

Matthew: Learning wilderness and primitive skills creates confidence and connection so kids are not afraid of nature. People who are afraid of what they don’t know destroy it; kids who understand the earth will protect it. I think our society is disconnected from our source, and when people lack that connection, they resort to drug abuse. We repeatedly see experiments echoing this truth: isolated lab rats given cocaine water and regular water will drink the cocaine water until it kills them, but rats enclosed with other animals and toys do not drink the drug. They’ve found stimulation and connection through what is living and real. Similarly, connecting with nature makes people’s senses truly alive and engaged, which comes through in their art, creativity, and production as good citizens who have a right relation with what’s living.

NSP: How does your work help kids cope with the shelter-in-place mandate?

Matthew: Even in this time of loss and upheaval, our students can still go out and have connection with nature. They all have set spots where they go for a moment of nature, where they quiet their minds and observe what’s happening. Our students also gain confidence to move through any situation; our motto is: “I can survive anything.” I always tell kids, “You could lose your backpack, your tent, or your water bottle. But nobody can take your knowledge.”

NSP: What inspires you?

Matthew: I’ve been inspired and blessed by many teachers and messengers. I remember first hearing of Tom Brown Jr. and being mesmerized by his stories and spiritual connection with nature. Participating in primitive skills gatherings across the nation is also inspiring; being surrounded by hundreds of people seeking knowledge and teachers who have mastered a specific skill like basketry or arrow-making—sacred knowledge that can take a lifetime to perfect.

NSP: What is your favorite book?

Matthew: One of my all-time favorite books is The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr. He doesn’t just tell the story; he relives it.