Hello everyone, this is my first post here and from scanning the forums it doesnt seem my vision/idea/dream has been tried… so im curious.
First ill start with, i have been dreaming of starting my own eco village since about 2009. Im currently about 3 months away from my 39th birthday, i have less than $100 in my bank account, neck & back issues from my time in the Army, and my better half of 20 years wants nothing to do with this lifestyle. So at this time, this is more of a thought experiment or dream im “planning”
Anyways, has anyone tried to start a Primitive IC? If so what are the major issues that caused thier failure? I know there are many ics out there but they all seem to mix modern living with community.
My vision is basically for a small founding group of 5 or 6 families that embark on the adventure of settling “new” barron land. It would be a truly primitive community, build our own houses, work the land, mine?, survive, and thrive only on the provisions packed in on day 1 and what is available on the land itself. The current location iv been scoping is about a 2 day walk to the coast (salt) one way and 2 days walk to a major city (trade & purchase) in the opposite direction. Just like pioneers or settlers did before modern industrial practices.
Of course modern times require modern tech so there would be one building on the edge of the property that had solar or wind for paying property taxes, emergencies, animal purchases, and the like.
If you made it through this whole thing, thanks for reading. Id love to hear your thoughts and input!
TLDR: has anyone tried to start a Primitive IC and are there any like minded folks out there i can bounce ideas off of?
Amish is closest to what you are thinking? No idea anywhere in the world today you can do that with without money (or guns), as all usable land would be owned by someone.
Thanks for the reply! We would buy the land of course. By “settling” i mean we would live there like settlers of old and use the resources the land provides and not buy things. Amish is actuallyquit a bit more modern than im envisioning lol. And the um… religious? Aspect isnt my cup of tea.
Also I understand you can’t walk on private property, but we could get permision from owners and use roads. The 2 day walk is according to Google maps anyways, which is on roads or trails. Where there is a will there is a way.
Main issue is finding other likeminded people that want to completely(95%) remove themselves from modern society and live off the land, not just grow food on it.
We’ve considered a more ‘primitive approach’ to things. I think one cool YouTube video of a pretty primitive commune on YouTube you could check out just for fun: link here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmQ9WDmLe1w
Other then that, after putting in much thought we have seriously asked ourselves, why be too primitive unnecessarily. Not sure if you have read Walden Two. It is a good book in the sense they truly ‘built’ a utopia. There are some components of the book I don’t support, but as far as the primitive conversation goes, they do a good job arguing against being too primitive. check it out!
Solar power and biogas, is that considered primitive lol? If so I guess we’re more primitive then I thought.
I totally support what you are doing though. If ever in Oregon, come say hi!!
Hey Dj, thanks for the reply! I have already watched that video and others from tree and love what they are doing. And i will definitely check out the book, thanks for the recommendation.
As to your question about solar & biogas. Its a really tough one… biogas at least in the beginning would be to modern imo. Solar(or wind) however i understand to be a necessity. There will be emergencies, taxes to be paid, and staying connected to the rest of the world (like a trade route in my mind) but in my vision we would have a building on the edge of the property (i like to call it the lightning room) that had electricity and a few cars for emergency transportation. All modern activities would be done here away from “daily” life. I envision a community that isnt pulling out phones and laptops at all hours of the day. Living off the land is hard work and requiers commitment and dedication to survive and thrive.
As to the rest of it, going “too” primitive being unnecessary i want to agree but also what is deemed “too” primitive? I dont want to go be cave men and suffer. But at the same time, im unhappy with modern society, how detatched we have become from the land, and hiw much control the government has on what we can and cant do on our own land. Im not poor, but very lower middle class and never had or valued money much. So to buy some cheap land in the middle of nowhere and build cob houses farm the land, raise animals. And actually live without all the modern distractions and regularions. I dont want to go “live off the land” by paying some corporation to helicopter in a track house, paying someone to dig me a well, paying a company to buy new seeds every year. I want to be independent and free.
Of course this is a solo pipe dream at present and if it were to become a reality i understand that compromises and community may chage things a bit. But i also dont dream of living in a community of modern houses and cars all over the place.
I think a big part of it for me is im a huge fan of ancient societys and want to experience life as they did by working in harmony with the land and not just buying something expensive(but cheap) to be delivered 2 days later. Ancient people did so much with clay and stone thats still standing today. But we must buy $300k - $500k houses that will be falling apart in 30 years.
Anyways ill stop rambling, lots in my head, hard to get it all out in a coherent way. Thanks for thanking the time to read if you made it this far. Best wishes to you all up in oregon, im not far away, so id love to come visit someday… when i have a working car again
Im looking at Northern California, near the Mount Shasta area currently, but havent landed on any specific spot yet.
As for group size, I think smaller is better to begin with… im thinking 4 to 6 couples/families at this time. But havent really found anyone that is looking to remove themselves almost completely from society and to build a life with their hands and natural resources provide on the property instead of throwing out money for someone else to do thjngs for them with modern tech.
And for backers and or capital, i currently have none. Saddly my dad passes last year and left his house to us kids. So after we go through the court process and sell the house i will have the capital to buy (in Ca) a small plot of land.
Finding people that have the same vision as myself is the hardest challenge Im facing. Most people seem to want a community garden whikenstill going into town for work and money. At almost 40, im about done with society, working 9 to 5, and playing the capitalist game under stupid rules and regulations.
Im looking for REAL settlers, that wanna do the hard work of walking onto barren land with a few tools and supplies and building a life from scratch with (almost) nothing but the resources found on said land like our ancient ancestors did.
Now obviously im not too too far into dreamland, i realize that this is good ole American (and California lol) we will need at minimum a small “tech” building with solar power at the edge of the property to stay connected, pay property taxes, and possibly set up trade/selling ventures. But very little tech would be used on a daily basis.
Let me know if you have any other questions or woukd be interested invtalking some more.
There are definitely people trying to do what you describe. There was an eco-village in Northern California (the think it’s listed either on this site or ecovillage.org) that I believe is simply called Ecovillage. They are doing something pretty close to what you’re looking for. They had a lot burned down by fire last year, but they are rebuilding and could probably use some help. I visited another way up in the Andes in Peru that would be right up your alley. Everyone is building their own houses from local materials and trips to town are once a week at most. I was there a month and went to town once. They are not listed here, you can find them on Workaway and the site is near a town called Oxapampa. I encourage you to look at all the different places on this site and ecovillage.org. There is such a range of what people are doing. Even if they don’t fit what you’re looking for, they can be inspiration for your idea and great places to visit or network with to see what works for you.
Without reading the replies & [with] perusing the initial; “primative” intentional communities started with many creatures nigh as soon as the primortial soup bore life (obviouses elsewhere abound the Universe). Tribals/Natives continue their primitive intentional communities; with & without government interactions & manipulation/control. There’s also tribes governments hathn’t found/registered (illegally); many tribes hath been murdered for their lands (lest we forget our own Native Populations & the Amazon RainForest).
Resource power systems (solar, air, aqua) aren’t & needn’t be expensive; am aware they’re also expensive. Air and aqua systems are nigh as interchangeable than solar; items that hath electromagnetic motors (as obvious) are bidirectional & however perfect for air & aqua resourced powers; with additional obviouses using same control units. The batteries would be of however desired & obvious separated groupings (branding almost noth matters - safety!!!). Regardless of covering, if solar be of use, spotty canopies can still give affordable storages; if to clear any canopies, please ensure safety, arbour knowledges, & any laws that may apply. Any other factors needeth be isentified, noth excluding OSHA [home] regulations and addtional laws (as they rely on self observances & unknown inquizitries to find & learn). Electrical similar parameters will also needeth followed; depending on your design, likelihoods of inspections (ownings/rentings) will needeth be expected (at least an initial with plannings); if scratch designs, likelihoods of licenses be projected more than expected. If using predesigned battery & source systems, less likely needing legalities & inspections - if noth sited following the regulations & laws applicable, it’s technaically & likely illegal - other ways to learn what laws apply to certain products & likely simile parameters.
The pioneers settled new land with the latest technology available to them at the time (pre-electricity). They made do with hand-made tools and foraged or hunted for their food because they couldn’t bring enough with them to last more than a month or two. There was a lot more game then than there is now, and children often developed rickets and other ailments because the family didn’t bring a milk cow or goat with them. Lack of fresh vegetables during the winter months caused vitamin deficiencies like scurvy, weak bones, even blindness. Life wasn’t easy for the pioneers, but they had few alternatives, either stay where they were born and try to scramble up the ladder to success or move west and eke out a living in the wilderness. Todays settlers have it much easier, but it is still an awful lot of work to be self-sufficient. If I were you, which I’m not, I’d start preparing for your dream by learning to be more self-sufficient where you are now. Learn some of the primitive skills you’ll need, like building a wooden rake or replacing an axe handle, blacksmithing, marksmanship, bullet or arrow making, fishing with cane pole, string, and hook, basic survival skills like purifying water with sand and charcoal filters. Forage in the area you are in now, check with your county’s extension service for classes on mushroom identification, herbalism, etc.
After reading all your posts, I have to wonder why you only have $100 in your bank account. If you are working 9 to 5 even at minimum wage, you must be living beyond your means to have so little saved toward your dream. You will need to become a lot more frugal and put away 25% or more of your current income in order to reach your goal within 5 years or so, and that is just for a down payment on land. If you want livestock, you’ll need money for initial breeding pairs (think Noah’s ark) and their feed until you can grow your own. Most of the pioneers had a horse for transportation and pulling a plow.
You need to plan for and save for your dream to become reality.
I mean no disrespect, but the world has changed, and not for the better, in the past 5 decades. One who starts out poor today tends to stay poor, and not from lack of work. The system has morphed into such a horrible apparatus for extracting wealth from the lower classes, that the upper class is now in crisis, as the “poors” are waking up to the insane inequality, and is actively rebelling in many parts of the world. The ruling class is working to enter a very dangerous phase of “governance”, and We “poors” will suffer the most due to this.
These communities We are attempting to establish and populate should be THE places where these skills are taught, while also working to move on from the current paradigm. Most do not have the means to work AND go to school in this system, TODAY, and also “get ahead” in doing so, as easily as previous generations have been able to do.
I understand that in the past people didnwhat they had to with the technology available. Once i find a core group compromises could change things up a bit, im not trying to make people suffer but there are plenty of communities you can already go to with modern houses full of modern luxury. Im trying to distance myself from that as much as possible. Will it be hard? yes. Will there be struggles? Yes. Will it be worth it? I believe so.
As for my money situation… i have assets including 2 cars (one a classic) and a hiuse i would sell obviously. And saddly my father passed a year ago now, once the court lets us sell his stuff that will also be a big chunck of money coming in i can invest in this move/change. But yes currently in California i work fullntime and have a side gig on the weekend, this barely pays the bills and keeps food on the table these days. Plus modern capitalist society has deemed that i must spend money on bs and presents for every holiday and birthday and “special” day. Saving isnt really an option at this time… hell im driving to work illegaly because my car wont pas Ca rediculous smog laws and i can afford a new car.
Thats my whole point, i want away from the government slave program. I want to live free and do what i want and need to, to survive, not slave away for some stupid greedy rich board members but Ca and the government in general have made that almost impossible.
And i dont need to save that much $ to afford land (thats a modern thought/approach) barron land in the “middle of nowhere” can be cheap. I wont be putting a down payment on anything. Whatever land we choose will be bought in full and owned from day 1. Then we just need to figure out how to pay the evil property taxes that shouldn’t be a thing in the first place
Cimarron, you offer some very worthwhile suggestions. It is remarkable how some folks here seem unable to hear them, while being quite good at arguing for their own limitations. One even suggests that times are different now. Harder. What a remarkable thing to believe, as if it was original thought. Many in every single generation ever born believed the same. “If only I had lived in the good old days, life would be easier”. ~~Well, having lived in nine decades now, having experienced a great deal, and having studied a great deal more than that, I can tell whom-so-ever cares to hear it. Never has a person (in the history of the world) been so fortunate as those folks born in this place, in this time. And when a person quits the argument for limits, everything is possible.
To StoneGardenFarm, thanks for the support, and I agree with you completely. As screwed up as the world is, this is the best time to pursue one’s dreams, the opportunities are boundless, the law of attraction still works, and the only limitations are the ones we place on ourselves.
The free website CooperativeLivingCommunities.org is meant to help people form a founders group with high compatibility by matching up on 28 main questions about values and type of community. One of the commenters is on the site already. It helps sort out if someone is a good fit because you can go to the categories that are important to you, instead of reading through pages of random descriptions. The off-grid page would be a good place to start! Also, check out the member GroundShare. He’s got land in CA & OR letting people buy in at $5K. You probably are looking for something more remote, but his place could be a good model of how to set up the cooperative ownership structure.
