Ancestral Skills and Intergenerational Learning Come Together through Spoon and Gourd Bowl Making at Sandstone Ranch
Written by CI Field Instructor Cooper Perrine. The Backyard to Backcountry ancestral skills workshop took place at the historic Sandstone Ranch in Longmont, a fitting place to learn skills practiced hundreds of years ago. This event drew such a lively crowd of intergenerational people interested in connecting to the natural resources at their disposal and their own human resourcefulness.
We offered the ambitious projects of burning and carving your very own spoon or carving and ornamenting your own gourd bowl. It was beautiful to see everyone’s eyes light up with the possibility that raw material offers you. A childlike wonder appears when you pick up a piece of aspen and begin to imagine what it could become at the guide of your own hands.You can also feel the majesty of the gourd that has served the human race as the perfect container for centuries.
The spoon making process consists of splitting a thin log, tracing the outline of your spoon, blowing on a coal on the scoop of your spoon, and carving the shape of your handle. Knife blades and fire were intimidating to some at first, but after some time people were burning and cutting away with confidence.
Making the gourd bowls consists of cutting the top of your gourd off, sanding the cut edge, engraving the bowls with a hot iron, and waxing the interior (optional). Everyone had such unique designs for their spoons and bowls, and they were so immersed that it was hard to get them to stop, even for pizza. The real value of events like this is that families and friends get to connect and relax in a serene natural space, working on something tangible, for their own pleasure.
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