Koa Windsong was raised by his Native American Grandmother to the time he was twelve years old. She taught him that there was no seperation between the physical and the spiritual world. They played when they were doing laundry or weeding, so nothing was work. Koa then went to live with his father when she died when he was twelve. His father had no spiritual life, and was all about work which he hated, even though he was very wealthy. He was always going to the doctor, whereas Koa's grandmother never got sick. These extremes showed the two realities of living close to the earth, as opposed to the complicated modern world.
Koa has never stepped into a bank or lived in a house since, and the last time he worked for anyone else was 40 years ago selling shoes when he was 19. He has raised three children, made musical instruments and art, and cultivated his extensive knowledge of bush tucker and survival for over 35 years by living in the bush.
In the last four years, Koa has been working with film makers, to spread the vital knowledge of bush foods and survival to a wider audience, and promoting the wisdom of walking in a spirit of love with mother earth and each other. At the moment he is spreading his vision of a pure earth, with pure water and pure food with an exciting new dance troupe.
It is important to read this before viewing any of the videos or reading the survival guide. Since I hsve made these DVDs and written the survival guide, I have learned that all species in a particular family are not edible, because they simply have not done the studies. Even if some survival guides say they are, it is still controversial. Therefore, please disregard the statements I have made that all plants in a species are edible. Be sure to positively identify any plant before you eat it. If in doubt, put it to the edibility test, which is on Walk Softly 2. Only eat small amounts of any plant in these videos, to see how your body reacts. Children should have parental guidance under 15, when viewing these videos.
In respect
Koa
In respect
Koa
We recently had a chance in Australia to catch up with a remarkable human being "Koa Windsong" who lives completely off the land in the beautiful northern NSW region behind Byron Bay.
After tracking Koa down off the internet , we managed to pin him down for a crash course in bush tucker and living in the wild. Koa was accompanied by Gareth Wise and betweeen them both these two guys are a walking talking encylopedia of edible Australian plants.
It was amazing to see how much substantial food that you could get from the local bush and some of it was actually quite delicious. We also learnt that some Australian plants are highly poisionous and with an incorrect identification you could wind up seruously sick if not dead.
Koa's grandmother was a Cherokee Indian and in this video he shares some interesting insight into some Hopi signs that alert us a big change is near...Enjoy!
After tracking Koa down off the internet , we managed to pin him down for a crash course in bush tucker and living in the wild. Koa was accompanied by Gareth Wise and betweeen them both these two guys are a walking talking encylopedia of edible Australian plants.
It was amazing to see how much substantial food that you could get from the local bush and some of it was actually quite delicious. We also learnt that some Australian plants are highly poisionous and with an incorrect identification you could wind up seruously sick if not dead.
Koa's grandmother was a Cherokee Indian and in this video he shares some interesting insight into some Hopi signs that alert us a big change is near...Enjoy!
Naturalist Koa Windsong says bush lore is a way to help children feel connected to their world
Why is it so important to help our children to connect with nature? This question says a lot about our current human society. Have we gone so far from the natural world that we as parents have to contemplate such a question? Maybe first we should ask what kind of person do we want to support our children to grow up to be?
Like most parents you probably would like your child to grow into a creative, respectful, compassionate, happy and healthy human. I’m sure you are already making choices every day to facilitate that dream. Like choosing cotton over plastic, real foods over junk foods, we intuitively know natural is better for our children. It is hardwired into us and every living thing to live in balance with nature. In fact, it’s not only the children that need to connect with nature but all of us.
So how do we help our children to interact with the natural world and not be consumed by the virtual reality of the digital age? Take the initiative and interact with nature. Grow a garden. No room? Then grow a sprout garden. My family had a ‘family patch’ and each child had their own patch. People would ask me, ‘How did you get all of your children to love vegetables?’ When a child prepares the soil, plants the seed, weeds and waters, they experience the miracle of life. Then when they harvest with heart and hands they are thrilled to eat it!
My grandmother taught me the whole earth is a garden and I passed that knowledge to my children. They learned all the wild foods and medicines and how to harvest them respectfully. This gave them incredible confidence in the bush. The child that has an intimate relation to nature will grow into a happy, healthy, self-empowered human.
Bush tucker is Australian terminology for the huge variety of herbs, spices, mushrooms, fruits, flowers, vegetables, animals, birds, reptiles and insects that are native to the country.The Aborigines have been eating bush tucker for 50,000 years. It is said that in colonial times the pioneering white settlers who learned about local foods from Aborigines and utilised this knowledge fared much better than others who did not. But to many white people the plants are still a mystery. Becoming knowledgeable about the tasty foods available from the earth and in the wild gives children an important sense of belonging to the whole.
A special note from Koa — never eat anything in the wild unless you are sure it is edible. Also, when in the bush, use a long walking stick (parents: making a walking stick together is a great activity). Not only does it help support you over uneven terrain, it frightens snakes away. Snakes cannot hear, but feel the vibration of walking and rustling. If you thud the stick down in front of you as you walk, any snakes in the area will quickly move off.
Why is it so important to help our children to connect with nature? This question says a lot about our current human society. Have we gone so far from the natural world that we as parents have to contemplate such a question? Maybe first we should ask what kind of person do we want to support our children to grow up to be?
Like most parents you probably would like your child to grow into a creative, respectful, compassionate, happy and healthy human. I’m sure you are already making choices every day to facilitate that dream. Like choosing cotton over plastic, real foods over junk foods, we intuitively know natural is better for our children. It is hardwired into us and every living thing to live in balance with nature. In fact, it’s not only the children that need to connect with nature but all of us.
So how do we help our children to interact with the natural world and not be consumed by the virtual reality of the digital age? Take the initiative and interact with nature. Grow a garden. No room? Then grow a sprout garden. My family had a ‘family patch’ and each child had their own patch. People would ask me, ‘How did you get all of your children to love vegetables?’ When a child prepares the soil, plants the seed, weeds and waters, they experience the miracle of life. Then when they harvest with heart and hands they are thrilled to eat it!
My grandmother taught me the whole earth is a garden and I passed that knowledge to my children. They learned all the wild foods and medicines and how to harvest them respectfully. This gave them incredible confidence in the bush. The child that has an intimate relation to nature will grow into a happy, healthy, self-empowered human.
Bush tucker is Australian terminology for the huge variety of herbs, spices, mushrooms, fruits, flowers, vegetables, animals, birds, reptiles and insects that are native to the country.The Aborigines have been eating bush tucker for 50,000 years. It is said that in colonial times the pioneering white settlers who learned about local foods from Aborigines and utilised this knowledge fared much better than others who did not. But to many white people the plants are still a mystery. Becoming knowledgeable about the tasty foods available from the earth and in the wild gives children an important sense of belonging to the whole.
A special note from Koa — never eat anything in the wild unless you are sure it is edible. Also, when in the bush, use a long walking stick (parents: making a walking stick together is a great activity). Not only does it help support you over uneven terrain, it frightens snakes away. Snakes cannot hear, but feel the vibration of walking and rustling. If you thud the stick down in front of you as you walk, any snakes in the area will quickly move off.
A collection of the most important survival and bush tucker information
http://www.big.com.au/koa/koa.pdf
http://www.big.com.au/koa/koa.pdf
Koa Windsong and Willie Brim, an Original teacher talk about Original knowledge, culture, survival and the need to pass on the ages old wisdom to contemporary society. The audio is from Koa's latest DVD shot in 'Bulwai Country', which is located around Davies Creek, North Queensland near Cairns
http://media.libsyn.com/media/nimbinradiomedia/sdo_bulwai_country_koa_and_willie.mp3
http://media.libsyn.com/media/nimbinradiomedia/sdo_bulwai_country_koa_and_willie.mp3