What are Ancestral Skills?

Reconnecting with the Old Ways to Build a Better Future

At Forgotten Skillz, our work begins with a question: What if the way forward is hidden in the wisdom of the past?

In a world flooded with convenience, screens, and automation, many of us feel a quiet pull back to something older, slower, and more rooted. We see it in the rising interest in bushcraft, foraging, and traditional crafts. We hear it in the voices of people seeking a more sustainable life. We feel it every time someone touches hand-woven cloth, hears the ring of a hammer on steel, or tastes a meal made entirely from scratch.

This longing is not a fad. It is the call of our ancestors. And it is the reason ancestral skills matter now more than ever.

The Mission Behind Forgotten Skillz

At Forgotten Skillz, we teach, preserve, and celebrate ancestral skills from across the world. Our workshops, events, and resources are designed to bring people together in hands-on experiences that reconnect us to the land, to each other, and to timeless human wisdom.

Our mission is rooted in a simple belief: that ancestral skills are not just historical curiosities—they are blueprints for sustainable living, personal resilience, and global understanding.

What Are Ancestral Skills?

Ancestral skills refer to the practical knowledge and lifeways that sustained humans long before modern industry. These include skills like fire-making, tracking, shelter-building, wild food harvesting, hand tool use, natural medicine, traditional navigation, hide tanning, storytelling, and many others. But more than just survival techniques, ancestral skills represent a way of engaging with the world that is deeply relational.

They ask us to observe. To adapt. To take only what we need. And to give something back.

These skills evolved within diverse cultures across every climate and continent. Some are Indigenous in origin. Others come from early agricultural or pastoral traditions. Still others were developed by nomadic, maritime, or mountain peoples. What binds them all is this: they were passed from one generation to the next because they worked. They endured.

Today, as we face ecological uncertainty, cultural fragmentation, and widespread disconnection, these skills offer more than nostalgia. They offer tools for resilience.

Ancient Innovation That Still Shapes the Modern World

Much of what we consider modern technology has deep ancestral roots. Historical tools and systems—refined over generations of observation and necessity—inspired many of the devices and processes we now take for granted.

Rammed Earth to Passive Design

Rammed earth construction, used for centuries in Asia, Africa, and the American Southwest, involved compacting layers of earth to form dense, durable walls. Today, this method is being reimagined through high-performance passive buildings that regulate temperature using thick, insulating earthen walls combined with modern airflow systems. The structure of ancient homes is now being paired with smart ventilation to cut energy usage and reduce carbon footprints.

Dugout Canoes & Streamlined Hull Design

Carved from single logs, traditional dugout canoes prioritized balance, hydrodynamics, and strength. These core design principles have shaped the hull designs of modern kayaks and expedition boats. Engineers have studied ancient Polynesian voyaging canoes to improve cargo capacity, durability, and speed without the need for powered engines.

Clay Cooling Vessels & Sustainable Refrigeration

Clay pot refrigeration, used in parts of the Middle East and Africa, works through evaporative cooling: a smaller pot sits within a larger one, with sand and water between the layers. Modern companies now use this principle to design off-grid refrigerators for food storage in rural and developing areas—no electricity needed.

Biochar & Soil Regeneration

Pre-Columbian Amazonian societies created “terra preta,” or dark earth, by mixing charcoal, bone, and organic matter into the soil. This process of creating biochar is now being replicated in regenerative agriculture around the globe. Biochar enhances soil fertility, sequesters carbon, and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers—offering a tangible link between ancient land care and climate change solutions.

Cordage to Aerospace

Cordage may seem simple, but it’s among the most enduring of all ancestral skills. Modern climbing ropes, paracord, and even fiber-optic cable insulation draw on techniques used in ancient basketry and net weaving. NASA’s early reentry parachutes used braided designs based on Indigenous cord construction for strength under dynamic tension.

In every workshop and article we produce, Forgotten Skillz highlights how these “primitive” technologies continue to influence—and inspire—our modern lives.

Relevance Today: More Than Just Fun & Games

We love seeing people make their first ember with a bow drill or taste a wild edible for the first time. But at Forgotten Skillz, these aren’t just weekend pastimes. They’re doorways to deeper learning.

Every shelter you build from branches teaches you about thermodynamics and design. Every fire you light without matches builds patience, presence, and hand-eye coordination. Every knot you tie connects you to people who needed that knot to survive.

And perhaps most importantly: every moment spent practicing ancestral skills strengthens the part of you that remembers how to adapt—how to meet challenge with curiosity instead of panic.

We don’t teach ancestral skills to escape the modern world. We teach them to live better within it.

Creating Connection Across Cultures

One of the greatest gifts of ancestral skills is their ability to connect us—not just to nature, but to each other. No matter where our ancestors came from, all human beings relied on the same basic knowledge: how to find food, make tools, shelter from storms, and care for the next generation.

At Forgotten Skillz, we strive to honor cultural origins while also building bridges. Our events are inclusive and respectful, focused not on what separates us, but on what we share. We believe there is power in remembering together—especially when that remembering includes diverse voices and perspectives.

In our workshops, you might learn how Indigenous peoples boiled medicine in hollow logs, how Vikings shaped clay oil lamps, or how early African civilizations used cordage in ceremonial construction. These stories matter. And the more we listen, the more we see that the human experience is a web of shared ingenuity.

Awakening the Senses: A New Way of Knowing

Modern life trains us to be passive consumers. Ancestral skills train us to be active participants. When you gather wild plants, shape stone, or learn to listen to bird calls, you’re reawakening sensory intelligence that has been dulled by screens and schedules.

This isn’t just about technique—it’s about transformation. People often tell us that after a few hours on one of our Possum Walks, they start to see differently. They hear more. They feel calmer, more grounded. That is no accident.

Our bodies were designed for this kind of learning. And our ancestors knew that.

Sustainability Through Skill

There is a growing hunger for sustainable living—but sustainability isn’t just about solar panels or composting. It’s about behavior. And ancestral skills offer a direct pathway to change.

When you forage your own food, you learn what grows near you. When you carve your own spoon, you think twice before buying plastic. When you learn to repair, reuse, and repurpose, your footprint shrinks—because your awareness grows.

Our workshops are designed to help you make that shift, one skill at a time.

What Forgotten Skillz Offers

• Workshops for All Ages: From youth nature walks to adult intensives, our programs meet people where they are.
• Cultural Storytelling: We connect hands-on practice with historical and cultural context.
• Seasonal Themes: Shelter-building in spring. Wild food in summer. Cordage and preservation in fall. Fire and warmth in winter.
• Custom Events: Schools, libraries, community groups—we’ll bring the experience to you.

Join the Movement

At Forgotten Skillz, we don’t believe these skills are lost. We believe they’re waiting. Waiting to be picked up, passed on, and practiced again.

If you feel that same calling—whether it’s a quiet curiosity or a deep yearning—we invite you to walk with us. Come to an event. Subscribe to our updates. Try a new skill. Ask questions. Share stories.

Together, we can remember the knowledge that kept our ancestors alive—and find in it the wisdom we need to live well today.

Explore upcoming workshops and events at www.ForgottenSkillz.com/events

Michael A Evans is a passionate advocate for preserving and reviving ancestral knowledge through modern applications. As the founder of Forgotten Skillz, he is dedicated to teaching the skills of self-sufficiency, bushcraft, and sustainable living, drawing inspiration from historical practices to empower individuals in today’s world.

Michael’s work extends beyond survival skills; he also leads Vision Martial Arts in Patchogue, NY, where he guides both adults and children in realizing their potential through martial arts. Additionally, Michael contributes to the educational field as a collaborator on the “Little Laurie Science Stories” book series and the Ninja Née Science Education Program.

With a background in therapeutic massage from the NY College of Health Professions, Michael continues to provide holistic care as the lead therapist at Massage LI.