The Prepper Broadcasting Network - THROWBACK THURSDAY: Native American Survival Skills on The Next Generation

Episode Date: July 23, 2026

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Self-re-Lines is a bit-dance. The Pepper Broadcasting Network. We have to hit the reset button and create a true culture of preparedness, starting at a very young age and filtering all the way up. And welcome to the Next Generation Show, where we delve deeper into the little things in life. Here we explore the lost art of fatherhood, parenthood, and the fundamental preparedness for the world today.

I'm your host, Ryan Buford, along with co-host Young Master Collin, and today we're broadcasting from the heart of the position. Northwest. We thank you for joining us today and there's not a moment to lose, so let's saddle up and get right to it. First off, I just want to say thanks for listening to all of you out there and I wanted to give you all a heads up that if you're interested you can join us on the live stream. That's right. If you'd like to take a more interactive approach to your listening experience, feel free to join us in the chat room. If you go to prepperbroadcasting.com, there's a simple

blue button there on the main page that says join the live chat and when you click on that you can select a username and you're in I'm in there along with several like-minded listeners so feel free to stop by and say hi during the weekly broadcast every Sunday at 3 p.m. Pacific 6 p.m. Eastern Time thanks everyone for being in the chat room today and helping me out with the audio to make sure that we're keeping it on par with what you guys are hearing out there I also wanted to let folks know out there that we do have a, what do you call, a giveaway. That's like a, what do you call it?

It's a, I don't know what else they call it. It's not really a contest, you can sign up. Basically, it's something that Dandy over at the gunmetal armory was able to acquire from the Henry's rifle company. He was able to get a hold of a Henry's 22 survival rifle pack worth over $250. So I'm going to go ahead and drop the link for those of you in the chat who'd like to sign up for it. You can take your chances and if you get an opportunity to, or if you're interested, go ahead and send me an email at prepperdad at mail.com or you can get a hold of me on social media.

So all my social media contacts, for those of you out there, is on the Prepperbroadcasting.com website. Click on the Next Generation Show page, and there you'll find the links to our Facebook page, Mewe, Instagram, Twitter, and again, you can always email me at PrepperDatatatMail.com. So today's topic, for those of you who joined us last week, we had a conversation about cowboy survival skills and, you know, come to some of the things that they did to help survive in the West, the American West. And in order to balance that out, I thought that it would be appropriate to have today's shows basically highlighting some of the Native American survival skills. And for me, the connection with Native American culture and lifestyle has been a long one. And when this weekend, I was driving through the mountains of Northern Idaho, and it was interesting to be driving through some of these civilized areas, you know, some of these communities and towns and larger metropolitan areas.

But before there was that urban sprawl and the continuing urban sprawl of what's happening now in the northern Idaho region right. around late Cordo Lane, there was a bunch of logging camps and mining towns. But before there was those mining camps and logging towns, there was nothing more than wagon trails. And before all those wagon trails were all the explorers and frontiersmen. But even before that, there was something that had been in the region for centuries, for generations. there was a nation, several nations, across the West, that survived for centuries. Now, here, less than 150 years since settlers and explorers started to set foot over the plains and mountain ranges, there were these nations of people, these strong cultures,

and inherent within those cultures were survival skills that had been home since the Ice Age. Now, there are many things that have been lost or extremely isolated as a result of the westward expansion in America. A lot of things were romanticized in the John Wayne-style westerns that shed a much different light on the reality of the end of the nations and peoples that inhabited America west of the Mississippi. But one of the universal truths about these cultures is the power of exchange. the exchanging of ideas, the exchanging of technology, resources, spirituality, languages, skill sets, and more. I mean, just to name a few. So on today's show, Colin and I are going to be exploring some of the ways that Native Americans survived at an everyday level in their homelands. Now there's no way we can cover everything that every tribe across the country were able to do.

I mean, there were variations in lifestyles, food choices, shelter decisions, you know, what types of animals were hunted, large game, small game, fish, you know, that sort of thing. So there's far too many to try and get into every single survival aspect. but we wanted to at least give you a taste of some of the things that we felt were predominantly some of the strong points of Native American culture that allowed them to survive for centuries before white men and women even crossed foot into this area. So we're going to do our best to share some of those top traits that we came across when it comes to wilderness survival from the Native American perspective. But first, before we light up this topic, Colin, would you like to share your fun fact of the week? Yo, yo, yo, yo, fellow listeners. I am the co-host of the Next Generation Show, Colin Buford, speaking with my father and the host of the show, Ryan. And today we're talking about prepping with the Native Americans.

But before we get too far into that, I'd like to quickly cover the Crafty Colin Fun Fact of the Week. For those of you who aren't aware of the Crafty Colin Fun Fact of the Week, It's a segment on our show that gives you a fun tidbit of information of something that's usually related to the show topic. Some of you might have already known and some of you might have had no clue. So, without any further ado, let's get right into it. Today's CraftCon fun fact of the week is A pregnant Iroquois woman would stop eating turtles so that her baby would not grow up clumsy on land like a turtle. In Navajo communities, pregnant woman would untie their braided hair and cut her.

free animals like horses in hope of creating a free passage and safe birth for their baby. So, I mean, you can't call them dumb or stupid or anything like that. They just didn't know. That about, oh, yeah. Well, I think a lot of that was tied to a spiritual belief and childbirth and, you know, the birth of, you know, a people was something that was very sacred. And I was mentioned earlier today with Colin about this is there there was also other tribes that would consider warriors to be deemed warriors at birth. And one of the things that mothers would do is take the umbilical cord from a newborn baby and bury it in a battleground.

And a lot of this was rooted in some of the deep cultural beliefs and tokens that they, kind of held on to so strongly. And we'll probably get into some of that a little bit later. Again, there's so many different aspects of religious viewpoints from tribe to tribe and language to language. So it's definitely something that, I mean, it's hard enough to try and segment our own Christian or Judaism or Hindu or Muslim beliefs. into all the different factions.

But keep in mind that the Native Americans also had several religious beliefs that were, you know, different even between nations. So I guess what we're going to do is we're going to do it very similar to last week. We just went back and forth. I kind of presented my idea of the first topic or whatever it was, and then Colin presented his. So I think we'll go ahead and keep that tradition. If anyone in the chat room has something that they'd like to add, just shout out and we'll see what we can do to squeeze it in or do some research on the spot to try and get some of that information out there. So I think the first thing that I found across the board was something that was a Native American skill set that we could very much learn from, especially in today's society and environment.

is simply resourcefulness. And what I mean by this is across the board, Native American culture made absolutely sure that nothing was wasted. Absolutely nothing. So, for example, one animal is considered food. Say you've got, you know, like a deer or an elk or an antelope or a bear or a buffalo or even fish. and that one animal had all the parts and pieces to do several different things. For example, one animal was enough to provide a small amount of shelter, and in a lot of ways, they would, you know, the hides that they used would be developed into their home.

So you could tell how good of a hunter someone was by, the size and quality of their tent or their teepee excuse me and on the other side of it you know someone who didn't have you know a very good hunting background or wasn't able to do other things as well enough to barter for you know hides to make his own tent was usually sharing a tent with someone else or not in a teepee at all so that same animal also contributed to weaponry. Everything from bones to sinew, which is a line that was actually made out of tendon and different forms of binder like wax and things like that. Tree sap. Those, you know, they were able to use the bones for, you know, different forms of

weapons like I can't think of an example right off the top of my head I mean just basic hatchets and things like that were sometimes used with bones digging tools animals are also used for cordage obviously mentioned the sinew before that's a cordage that's very strong

and it's made out of animal tendons but like we were at a leather store just yesterday and one of the things that they were talking about was how you can take, or this might have been something dad told me, but you can take a hide and start in the middle and start to spiral outward on that hide, and you can use that hide to create cordage, excuse me, for like lashings or, you know, if you need thread or halters for horses and things like that. An animal can also be used as jewelry.

One of the things that people would use animal bone for is to create breast plates. A lot of the warriors would use those, but they'd also use that same, you know, create bone jewelry. And they were able to take that jewelry and use it as barter items when they encountered other tribes or people that were traveling, you know, other frontiersmen that were out there. And I think you mentioned bartering was another skill that, um cowboys used a lot yeah and that's something that come along with some of the interaction aspects that we'll get into that a little bit later too um so i mean one this whole idea that one animal has multiple uses and they didn't waste anything uh you know it's it's clothing for them it's comfort it's shelter it's cordage it's weaponry it's tooling it's food uh all these

different things. But perhaps most importantly was this idea that one animal is a soul and that soul is a gift and a reason to give thanks because in order to survive they had to take the life of that animal and that animal would in turn provide all these different forms of survival. And the cost of that animal doing that was that it would lose its life. So they had a very, very close tie in with, you know, spirituality, life and death, survival, and resourcefulness all around to make sure that nothing at all ever went to waste. Yeah. And another skill that I read up on was that they were just respectful to nature in general because it provided everything for them.

So, yeah. So that was my first one. What did you have, buddy? So for me, my first one was just keeping their people healthy. And in doing this comes skills like keeping medicine on them. And the remedies and medicines that they had were all plants. So plant identification is a big skill for sure. and for those of you out there who have seen into the wild,

we all know why knowing your plants is important. But a couple of the plants that we use today are, for example, blackberries, which they used for stomach aches. They used rosemary for sore joints, memory, and muscle pain. Hmm. And they also used it for their nervous system.

And the one that I found most interesting was they used the cat tails. I saw that too. It's good for your digestive system, apparently. And just to, in general, it's good for, illness just to help you get well. And I just couldn't imagine eating that stuff. It seems flurry. Yeah, it doesn't...

Oh, yeah, the tops of them. I was really surprised when I read that too. I was like, I... Because the cat tails are known as the, what I think is the weed of the swamp or something like that, the grass of the swamp. But it's surprising because it, I mean, it goes... grows almost everywhere.

And anywhere, you know, anywhere you have a body of water, especially standing water, the stuff grows like crazy. And rarely does anybody even approach it as having a useful, you know, benefit. But, you know, for ages, they had been able to use that. And one of the things that I noticed that I read when it came to their plant identification is they would watch the animals. to see what they ate when they were feeling certain ways or, you know, if they went through a certain patch of something, if they were feeling a certain way on their skin or whatever. And that's how they learned what plants to stay away from and what plants they could potentially use for healing purposes.

Yeah. So I thought that was definitely an important one for them because that's just what they had. to keep their tribes healthy and stuff. Yeah, that's a good one. That's a really good point too because, I mean, you know, they didn't have, it's not like you'd have modern medicine, but they were able to find medicine like aspirins or things that were similar to pain relievers

by looking at bark on tree, that sort of thing. And that's something that we have picked up in some instances over time. So, yeah, that's definitely, I mean, it's a pretty big deal. So one of the other things that I noticed on what I found was food preparation and preservation. And this was, to me, it was kind of, you would think that if a people have access to, you know, grounds and, you know, good farmland or whatever, and there, because there were some tribes that were primarily farmers and others that were hunters, some that were both. You know, you would

think that they would just use up what they had and just kind of graze and do whatever, but there's actually a lot of work that goes into food preservation so they could survive through the winter, especially those who would farm. Yeah, they didn't have chest freezers and food saver bags. Right. They're not going to whip out their vacuum sealer and five-gallon buckets and put all their grains and stuff in there. So to me, that was pretty cool. And the one, so I've got three different things with regard to food preservation.

One was stone ground grain. So this would be like your corn, wild weeds, grains, quinoa, things like that. And to me, I never really realized, especially when I was a kid, I never realized how grains wound up in my pantry until I went to a place called, it's the Mesa Verde National Park down in the southwest. and this specific national park is the remnants of where a tribe had built their entire village into a rocky hillside and for those of you who are interested it's M-E-S-A-M-E-S-A-V-E-R-D-E National Park and you can actually go in there and walk through and walk in the same places where people had lived centuries ago. And there was a guy there who was kind of giving a tour,

and he kind of pointed out something on the ground where we were standing, and it was just kind of a dip in the rock formation. And this dip was kind of like a concave circular dip. Maybe, oh, five feet in diameter, four feet. something like that, and it dipped down to maybe two or three inches below the surface above. And it looked like a really, really shallow bowl. And the guy asked us, well, what do you think that was used for? And when we were like, oh, I don't know, maybe it was a bird bath or, you know, who knows?

Maybe they were the ceremony or something like that. Well, it turns out what it was actually used for hand grinding grains or course. or whatever meal they had. And what they would do is they would take a long, narrow stone and work it around in the circles and just keep adding grain, adding grain, and then rolling that stone back and forth until they reduced it to a powder. And that powder was what they would use for cornmeal or wild grain flour. And by preserving it in this fashion, they were able to do.

a lot more with their baking and, you know, just general food stuff, you know, making fry bread and things like that. And it is time consuming, but it was a really interesting thing to know because, you know, here they were just, you know, just to survive, they were hand grinding all of their meal. And by doing that, that meal was something that they could use and dip into when times were rough or food was scarce. Some of the other things was, or the next one that I had was dried and smoked food. So drying and smoking was very important, especially when it came to meat storage. So things like pemmican and jerky and smoked fish or other meats, even vegetables or grains like corn and roots,

sometimes they would do different herbs and spices and all these different things they would they would have areas where they would smoke them out whether it was an entire teepee or you know they would have especially the smoke houses in the southwest and some of the long houses i don't remember the name of them but they used them especially down i want to say in carolina's down in that area and it was kind of neat to see how the different housing methods still applied the same techniques when it came to food preservation. And one thing that was kind of cool to note is on a recent interview for one of the folks who was on that TV series alone was on a podcast that I heard recently, Forrest Garvin

over at the Prepping Academy. And one of the things that they mentioned was, when they were sent out, the only thing, the only food source that they had was a block of pemmican. And pemmican is basically a cluster of like either greases or fats, dried meat and berries and sometimes grains or seeds like sunflower seeds and things like that. And it was really cool to hear that, you know, regardless of how much time has passed, that one survival staple was the only thing that they were allowed to take with them aside from I think they had one tool that they could use and that was it or whatever they mean they could only keep whatever they could pack on them the one thing that they were provided was that pemmican and that

just kind of spoke to how important that idea of food preservation and storage was and then the last thing I had it's a little bit different but I did want to bring this out because it kind of ties into the previous one about resourcefulness because resourcefulness and preservation

kind of go hand in hand and this next one that I had was actually brain tanning I mentioned before like all the hides that they would have and they would use those hides for different things obviously you know whether it was

saddles or clothing or shelter or whatever. But it was really important that they took the time to preserve those things and to make sure that they were accessible. And, oh, Flying Dutchman in the chat room back on the previous point mentioned that they, for that show alone, they get 10 items. And from what I understand, that was one of them, was a pemmican. But back to brain tanning. When it came to Leathers, one of my bosses in the past was,

I want to say half Colville tribe. I think his mom was 100% full blood Calville Indian. And his mother

showed him how to brain tan and one of the things that he mentioned to me was that no matter what animal you have there's exactly

enough brain within that animal to perform the tanning process on the hide from that animal. And I thought that was pretty interesting to think that something like that is scalable. So, you know, if you're going to be tanning a rabbit hide,

the brains from that rabbit should be enough for you to tan the hide from that animal. And the same amount, if you have a buffalo. So if you've got an entire buffalo hide, there's enough brains to be able to do that. So kind of a neat, point to to kind of share with you folks about that

because it's not very it's not exactly common knowledge but coming straight from the horse's mouth I guess if you could say that's something that I don't think you'll read on many websites or blogs so yeah I took up a boatload of time on that one but go ahead buddy I think it's your turn

all right so my next skill is probably going to have to be being resourable And although dad kind of already went over this, mine has more to do with their everyday carry items, being resourceful with what they already have. Like their tomahawks and bow and arrows and weapons and blades and stuff like that. Because when they go hunting and they try to make everything, they try to make everything. everything that they have to they have to give everything that they have use but with what they

already have they also have to um you you know they have to like i don't really know how to put it because it's good not to waste things but they need to save what they have like arrows and arrowheads and stuff like and things like that um and they also had to save their plants which were their remedies along with their fire starting um their fire starting techniques like um you know I know they have a bow and drill which is another thing that they carry every day and they also have to be resourceful with their jewelry and ceremonial um items because that's part of their culture um another thing that they're resourceful with is their uh silver casting because that's what they make their blades and things like that out of although they um use a lot of sharp blades and things

like that obsidian um they also have to use what they have and know about silver casting um to i don't know i don't know because there's there's a couple ways to put being resourceful like the way you put it not letting anything go to waste but also not wasting it like not using too much of anything. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I see what you mean. So being, yeah. So you're not miserly,

but you're paying attention to what you're using because everything you use is generally required, like at 100%. You can't just go and waste whatever you have on you because you have to use it to the best of its, whatever its abilities are. Right, so you want to use everything, but at the same time you don't want to use everything.

Right. And it's a fine balance. I mean, it's not like today where you can, you know, where your knives are disposable in a lot of ways. And, you know, you're bombarded with cheap equipment and materials, you know, from your big box stores or whatever. You know, if you want a real value of something, you have to pay more for it. And when you pay more for it, you understand the value of it. And I think they had a different sense of value. that was more along the line of everything costs more because it's handmade or, you know, like that. So, yeah, and with that comes bartering. If you have stuff that you're not using, they're not using anymore, then they can go out and trade it for something that they will use. So they don't want to waste perfectly good ammunition, arrows and arrowheads and blades like that if they can get something else out of it. Right.

Something for the good of the end. entire tribe. Well, that's a, that's a, I mean, it's a, it's a good spin on that same aspect. I mean, that's, that's a pretty good theme here too, because a lot of these centralize around this, this kind of overarching theme, I guess you could say, of how they viewed their world and, and where, where they fit within that. So let's, let's take a quick break. Give a couple minutes to some of our old, our other, our other, um, our other, um, so let's, we'll,

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that we've been able to kind of learn and admire on the Native American side. So I think Let's see, was it, do you have one more left or two? Yeah, I've got one more left. We've got one more left. So if each got one more left, we'll go through these really quick, and then we'll get on to the Pint Size Prepper Project of the week. So the one, so the last one that I had, and again, these are in no order of importance or significance.

I just do, these are the ones that I felt were pretty interesting when it came to their survival skills. But one of the things that I really, admired was their ability to harness alternative forms of communication. Here's what I mean. So I broke it out in three different ways. One of them was smoke signals. Another was hand signals.

And the last one that I had was animal sign and tracking. So first off, smoke signals. Now, smoke signals kind of goes along with some other long-distance form of nonverbal communication. And a lot of, so smoke signals, for those of you who don't know, is something is a technique where one person would light a small fire and then get it nice and hot, and then put some wet media on top of it to generate a fair amount of smoke. Then they would cover the smoke, and in doing so, by covering it momentary, they could create a break in the smoke. Then they would release that cover and then a plume would go up. And then they could cover it again and continue this.

And by doing so, they would go through and they would be able to send a signal into the air that would be visible from miles away sometimes. And this basic form of communication was something that they could use over vast expanses of land, anywhere you might have flat surfaces or even densely forested areas it allowed tribes to communicate between scouting parties for war or for food resources like for example if a herd was spotted and the scouts wanted to communicate to each other on where it was they could send these signals up and be able to flank entire herds to make sure they got the most action out of their hunt. They would also use this for wartime communication when war parties would go

out and need to communicate and coordinate their attacks. It was also used for seeking help or safe passage. So obviously if you were lost or in territory that you were unfamiliar with, which could sometimes happen, they would wind up using this as a form of communicating with other people so that they knew, or someone knew that they were out there and that they were alive and that they needed help. And then it was also used for warnings or coordination. So if centuries were able to see something that was approaching, maybe a storm or another tribe or some sort of hazard, even you know, you know, American soldiers approaching off in the distance, they could use this to communicate back to wherever they were held up

and allow them time to escape or evade whatever scenario was happening at the time. I wonder if there were ways to make those extinct, like stand out, or not extinct, but distinct. Distinct, yeah, I mean... I mean, like for different scenarios, you know, if they were being held hostage and they just caught a break for a second? Yeah, I mean, you just basically, so we have Morse code, which is something that was developed, I want to say right around World War I,

where they just used dots and dashes or a point when a sound was made and then a gap where a sound could be. And that was enough to where they could communicate entire alphabets or messages. and that's very similar. So what they would do is they would recognize a certain pattern of smoke that meant something specific. And just by watching those patterns, they could communicate a very clear message without the use of, you know, cell phones or text messages or mail or anything like that. And you could pass over miles and miles of land and see exactly what's happening. and that would send a message much faster than the encroaching threat would be

or it would allow you to speed up or slow down your movements. So it was a pretty powerful tool. And then another one on alternative communication I had was hand signals. This was extremely important for several reasons. Because there were so many tribes and so many different languages and so many different dialects, hand signals was one way that they were able to completely eliminate language barriers between tribes and even between races. So when people who were predominantly white or Hispanic were approaching them and trying to engage them in trade activities or whatever it might be,

they were able to use hand signals to make sure that the communication was going properly. they were able to use it for navigation, allowed for trade, commerce, barter, storytelling, all that kind of stuff. I remember that reminded me when you said for trade that in the first semester of our school year, they had us make cards with trade items on them and then go out in a field

and different history classes were split into groups and then we all had to meet in the middle. And because we didn't all speak the same language or we couldn't all understand each other, we weren't allowed to talk. We're only allowed to show each other our cards or point or, you know, make emotions on your face. Yeah. So. So that form of nonverbal communication was something that kind of transcended language barriers. And it allowed them to be open to other cultures and tribes for things like trade or people.

peacemaking or whatever it may be, navigation. So it was a really powerful tool. And then the final one that I had was just for alternative communication. It's a little bit different, but the whole idea of animal signs or tracking. And this was something that was very important. It allowed them to read and understand the weather or important things that were happening nearby. and it allowed them to track animals, obviously, for hunting, but it also carried over to tracking people.

And because of this, a lot of this skill set was honed to a point where the United States military started recognizing it and realizing that their ability to track was something that could be harnessed during pretty much every war. that Americans had fought on American soil. And it actually went overseas as well because the ability to track was deployed in Vietnam, World War II, the Korean War, and a lot of Native Americans were recruited specifically for having those heightened tracking abilities. And one fun fact to know about that is that some of those skills, those tracking skills,

those tracking skills have been adopted into survival seer training, survival school training that a lot of Air Force pilots or Marine pilots have had to go through. So they learn how to track based on a foundation of Native American techniques. So I thought that was pretty cool. So you want to do your last one? Yeah, sure. So I'm going to have to end this one with the adaptation. the skill of adaptation that Native Americans had.

And like Dad and I mentioned earlier, they had a strong respect for nature because nature gives for them. But it can't just, it's not going to be paradise living like, you know, bushcraftins, bushcraftins. I don't know. So they had to adapt to their enemies for hunting and people who were on.

their tariff. So one thing that they did was camouflage. Mm-hmm. And a few things that they've invented to adapt are things that we still use today. Like syringes. They used... Really? Yeah, they used bird beaks for syringes.

Wow, I never knew that. And, yeah. So like you also mentioned. mentioned earlier, they had their own form of aspirin from American Black Willow Bark. So it was like they were like our original form of today's nation only there's a lost skill of respecting nature in today because nature still gives for us, but we don't necessarily give back in any way. Um, so at least not to the same extent. Yeah, not to the same extent, right?

So I think that was another big thing as far as skills go. Yeah. Well, that's a, that's a good point to make across the board. And, you know, last week we spoke of the, the Cowboys and the Code of the West and how it helped to retain some form of order in an otherwise lawless environment. and to balance this, I sought out a similar code of the Native American side, but what I found was kind of a copy of a copy of a copy of some watered-down version that I can only guess is some kind of white cultural cliche assembly. and I was going to share that, but I honestly, I think it would make more sense,

and it would honestly be more respectful to refrain from saying something that may or may not be true. And if anyone's listening, I would like to mention that if you or someone you know is an elder and would like to come on to the show and talk survival skills from the true Native Americans, perspective, let me know. I'd be honored to have you or them on as a guest, and, I mean, it'd be something that I think our listeners would really appreciate. In general, the code, I guess you could say, that I found had a list of 20 ethical codes, I guess, that were printed in an article of the Intertribal Times in the October 1994 edition.

And a lot of people these days are actually looking back on that as a resource for personal growth and development. And I put a link in the chat room for those of you who are interested in looking at it. But in general, that code or that idea speaks to the idea of being tolerant, accepting, having a sense of self-recognition, respecting elders and the life around you, speaking and listening with respect, being truthful, honest, and balanced, and being conscious, just to name a few. So rather than go through this list that I may or may not find as true, to paraphrase, breathe in the world around you, whatever season, and become a part of it, and make sure you listen and understand the power of listening.

And I think that's a big part of Native American culture that I think is gaining momentum in our society today. So with that, let's take a moment and get into the pint-sized prepper project of the week. So tribes around the world have been getting along just fine without modern conveniences or technology. But we have become over-accustomed to refrigerators and power usage. So this week, we explain one way that tribes in Africa, and possibly even parts of the Americas, were able to keep fresh vegetables up to 10 times longer. And by doing this, this project is basically what's known as a zir pot. So, Colin, why don't you go ahead and explain what that is to our listeners?

And so it worked. Yeah, like Dad said, we made a zeer pot, which is a form of preservation that he didn't get too deep into for their goods. but once again we have we've turned the regular old everyday terracotta planter pot into a form of prepping from the past so for this zir pot all you're going to need and you can scale this but is one large terracotta pot we used a one in 10 inch diameter and you're going to want a smaller one that's roughly about six to five inches in diameter you're also going to want a base that you would put underneath one of those pots to put on top of the literal one

littler one and then the only other thing that you need is water and vermoldah vermiculite but you can also use use sand or dirt, any sort of media that will help fill some of the gap and retain water. Right. So, yeah, you're just going to start by plugging up the terracotta pots because most of the terracotta pots, unless they're handmade, are going to have holes in the bottom of

them. So you're going to want to plug them up with corks or water-stealing tape, anything. the smaller pot and the larger pot. And basically what you're doing is you're making like a cooling insulation kind of thing between the water and the vermiculite and the two larger and smaller pots. So that's,

I mean, that's really it. Yeah. And this is kind of a neat project. What it is is an evaporative cooler. So essentially what happens is, is as, so the inside pot, so you've got an outer pot and then insulation and then an inner pot. And that inner pot, you can put fruits or vegetables in and they will remain cool and dry. And some of the information that we found on this showed about 30 to 40 degrees cooler than the ambient temperature outside. So if you're in an environment that's, you know, 85, 90 degrees, you can get a 60 degree temperature inside those pots by simply adding water to the outside.

And as it evaporates, and, you know, especially it works better if you have a little bit of a breeze too. So if you have a little bit of a breeze and your general evaporation, you will be able to keep a temperature steady at, you know, like I said, 30 to 40 degrees lower than the ambient temperature. as it evaporates because when it evaporates, the heat goes up, and then what's left is all the cooling inside the center pot. So it's a really, really cool project. It's a great way to convey this idea of resourcefulness, using materials for other than their intended purposes. It's a great way for a grid-down engineering for food preservation. And it's also a kind of a good way to understand. and teach kids how the layers of earth, physics, and life can work together. So, you know, with that, I think as a final takeaway on today's show, I think it's important

to know that there's a lot to be learned from the life and the life lessons that Native Americans have to offer. While their traditions are sacred, their rituals are private, and answers are sometimes kept at bay, and maybe for good reason, it's hard to overlook some of the ways that Native American survival skills have already managed to cross over into the preparedness community that we know of today. Bushcraft, fire skills, hunting, shelter making, communication, honor, integrity, balance, barter, food preservation, it's all there. And then some. And while it's hard to cover everything to possibly know on our end, it's easy to see how much we've managed to pick up from the cultures

that survived here long before us if we just take a moment to stop, listen, and look around us. So wherever you are, I encourage you to take a look at some of your gear, maybe some of your food stores, or some of your skill sets, and really take a step back. Take a moment to ask yourself if you be willing to put your survival skills to the test, and be honest now. and determine if you think you could match the level of wilderness survival that was everyday life for the native cultures long past in your region. Whether you're in South Dakota or South France, New Jersey or New Zealand, there's a pretty good chance that long ago there were cultures that walked the earth where you live and survived without technology, roads, or modern conveniences that we're used to today. Lastly, in case you missed it, on last week's show we talked about the cowboy skills that ruled the West, where we had a conversation about some of the life skills that kept them alive during their day-to-day duties out West. Remember that if you missed out on any of our shows, you can always check out the previous episodes on the show page or on your favorite streaming service.

But while you're there, be sure to leave us a five-star review. It helps to boost our presence and allow us to share this message with others. Next week, we will be looking into a new rotating topic that we're trying out on the show. And this is going to be themed, what, or was blank a prepper? This is going to be a fun show series that we'll drop in here and there, where we're going to focus on a personality or a famous figure or something like that to see if they fit the definition of a quote-unquote prepper and why. No, it should be a good time. Be sure to join us here next time.

and we hope to have you here. That's it for today, everyone. Thanks for joining us on the Next Generation Show, and don't forget to tune in next Sunday, where we explore another aspect of the little things in life that make all the difference in the world. This is your host, Ryan Buford, and your co-host,

Colin Buford, reminding you to stay informed, get involved, and be prepared. Have a great night, everybody, and make it a great week. Whoops, roll one, see this one. Have great night, everybody.