Indigenous Ability

“[I suffered] a succession of shivering fits which I was quite unable to stop and which took possession of my body until I thought my back would break, such was the strain placed upon it.” That is Apsley Cherry-Garrard writing in his fascinating book The Worst Journey in the World [1922] which is his first-hand account of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated Antarctica expedition. The Terra Nova Expedition , so named because of the vessel they travelled in, was ostensibly an endeavor for science but, at its heart, it was for man vs. the elements glory in an age of Great Explorers. Cherry-Garrard’s account is compelling, tragic, and, in more than a few sections, of high pragmatic instructional value. We can learn far more from the wise moves and, in many cases, the mistakes of actual men and women living in the raw than from all the theories and suppositions on the planet put together. Cherry-Garrard’s tale of enduring the hazards of cold weather is not particular to h...

ROUGH & READY Old World Strength & Conditioning for Modern Warriors [ The following is a preview of our upcoming book to be released this Fall .] “ A Western Apache warrior named Palmer Valor who came of age in the mid-19 th century recalled that his mother had encouraged him to swim in icy streams and endure other hardships when he was a boy so that he would be ready to take on any opponent .”- The Way of the Warrior Looking for a way to get in the best condition of your life? I’m talking real-world strong, life-tempered stamina, truly useful explosiveness and agility. Of course, you are, we all are. What if I told you there was a way to do this that required minimal gear [not a barbell in sight], cut out trips to the gym [not to mention gym fees], a way that turned out to be fun [albeit grueling], and oddly inspiring. Yeah, we’ve all heard those claims before. Consider this, Lewis and Clark with the Corps of Discovery Expedition made an 8,000-m...

Of the many Native American tribes of the southwest United States and Mexico the various bands of Apache carry a reputation for fierceness, resourcefulness, and an almost superhuman stamina. The name “Apache” is perhaps a misnomer as it refers to several different tribes that are loosely and collectively referred to as Apache, which is actually a variant of a Zuni word Apachu that this pueblo tribe applied to the collective bands. Apachu in Zuni translates roughly to “enemy” which is a telling detail that shines a light on the warrior nature of these collective tribes.             Among the various Apache tribes you will find the Kiowa, Mescalero, Jicarilla, Chiricahua (or “Cherry-Cows” as early Texas settlers called them), and the Lipan. These bands sustained themselves by conducting raids on the various settled pueblo tribes, Mexican villages, and the encroaching American settlers. These American settlers were often immig...