The Bushcraft of Charles Brewer-Carias
Page created by Mike Hardcastle from Wallabadah Australia
Page created by Mike Hardcastle from Wallabadah Australia
"I'm not a specialist; I am an encyclopaedist in the 19th-century sense. That's my century, the century of explorers and discoverers." - Charles Brewer Carias, Magazine article Geographical
Drone Pilot: John Brewer-Carias
Video edition/editor: Karen Brewer-Carias, @karenexplora.
Video edition/editor: Karen Brewer-Carias, @karenexplora.
This page is devoted to showcasing the extraordinary bushcraft and self-sufficiency skills and philosophy of Venezuelan Polymath, naturalist and explorer Charles Brewer-Carías. I would like to thank Charles for supplying me with the many brilliant photos and information included on this page and on a number of other pages on this website. Here displayed, are his multi- disciplinary skills ranging from bushcraft/jungle survival to natural history and exploration. Known as the "Humboldt of the twentieth century" and called a "popular hero" in Redmond O'Hanlon’s book, one could best describe Charles as a living archetype of the Victorian era adventurer and discoverers, in the tradition of the moustachioed great gentleman explorers like Fawcett, Livingston, Burton, and Howard Carter. Charles’s work and publications represent an interface between public interest and scientific investigation into the natural history of his beautiful country. Having led more than 200 scientific expeditions to isolated parts of the Venezuelan Guayana highlands and lived with the hunter-gatherer tribes such as the Yekuana, whose language he speaks, Charles is considered an expert on the Tepui region (table mountains) and has prodigious first-hand knowledge of the flora, fauna and geology of the Venezuelan Amazon. Charles rejects the moden tendency toward specialization when it comes to the acquisition of knowledge and is a true self-taught Polymath and generalist, viewing himself as an encyclopedist in the 19th century sense.
The following quote from Charles explains the many photos on this webpage showcasing his wilderness suvival skills, quote - “Here are some of what you call “Buschcraft pictures. These are not for a class room. These are a sample of my knowledge from the experience of 55 years on expeditions, among mainly two indian tribes: the Ye´Kwana whose language I speak and the Yanomamö, whose language I understand. They know different things . The other groups of indians living at the plains and savanna territory (teh Pemon) and the ones living at marshes (the Warao), have different knowledges.”- Charles Brewer-Carías
The following quote from Charles explains the many photos on this webpage showcasing his wilderness suvival skills, quote - “Here are some of what you call “Buschcraft pictures. These are not for a class room. These are a sample of my knowledge from the experience of 55 years on expeditions, among mainly two indian tribes: the Ye´Kwana whose language I speak and the Yanomamö, whose language I understand. They know different things . The other groups of indians living at the plains and savanna territory (teh Pemon) and the ones living at marshes (the Warao), have different knowledges.”- Charles Brewer-Carías
Links below to Charle’s website and the main page on my website about his work.
https://brewerexpedition.wixsite.com/charlesbrewercarias
https://www.cosmicpolymath.com/charles-brewer-carias.html
https://brewerexpedition.wixsite.com/charlesbrewercarias
https://www.cosmicpolymath.com/charles-brewer-carias.html
"I am an explorer, and I have dedicated my life to discovery, to exploration and to obtaining from that exploration new things for the world. I am a discoverer of plants, caves, crickets, frogs, Indian weavings - you name it." - Charles Brewer Carias, Magazine article Geographical
Charles Brewer-Carías examines his Buschcraft bow drills, used in fire making, including capstones, spindles, and fireboards.
"Charles Brewer Caria's discoveries and explorations of the inner cave world of the tepuis with its amazing new life forms is one of the greatest geographical and scientific achievements of our time. Now his life's work has become comparable to that of Alexander von Humboldt. " - Uwe George, Expedition Leader of GEO.
The Ancient Art of Bushcraft
Photo below shows Charles examining a table of jungle
nuts and fruits collected on a beach of the Cuyuni River.
nuts and fruits collected on a beach of the Cuyuni River.
As a practitioner of the ancient art of bushcraft, Charles has developed a compendium of vital survival skills and wisdom that have proved invaluable on his many scientific expeditions into the remote and pristine tupies “Lost Worlds” of the Venezuelan Guayana highlands. Drawing on the knowledge and experience of the hunter-gatherer cultures of the region and the highly sophisticated bushcraft skills that they have accumulated over thousands of years, Charles has compiled them into his 2013 book “Naked In The Jungle” published in the Spanish language. The book showcases practical skills and crafts that would allow one to fully utilize the natural riches of the South American wilderness. It is a practical survival manual intended for explorers and bushwalkers who venture into the wilds of the Venezuelan jungle.
Charles explains the purpose of his book in the following quote -“as a result of having lived with the Ye'kwana and Yanomamö Indians who for thousands of generations have been using the resources offered by that medium, I prepared to document with photographs what could be useful for anyone." - Charles Brewer-Carías “Naked In The Jungle”.
The book is abundantly illustrated with stunning photos of Charles and tribal indians practicing their time honored brushcraft skills and displaying their many wild foods and culturally useful plants. It includes chapters and descriptions of plant botany, fruits, resins, “Finding Water In The Jungle” and “Making Fire With Your Hands”. The chapter on fire shows Charles utilizing the bow drill fire making method, which is described further down on this page. A chapter on “Textile Plants” shows techniques for identifying, extracting and using natural jungle fibers used in hammocks, basketry, and rope making. Charle’s reputation and expertese in jungle survival is known world wide. In 2004 he was featured in an episode of the acclamed BBC television series, “Ray Mears Bushcraft”, called "Jungle Trek," talking about his exploration of the Tapui tabletop mountians and his bushcraft and self sufficiency survival philosophy, which was heavily infuenced by the years he spent living with the Ye´Kwana indians.
The biological riches of the Venezuelan rainforest being utilised by the native peoples with their ancient bushcraft techniques is explained beautifully by Charles in the following quote from ‘Naked In The Jungle’ -“Due to the diversity of species of insects, animals and plants that are continuously evolving in that place, this jungle distributed between the Amazon River and Orinoco river basins is considered the most important center of evolution of all the organisms that there is on the earth and therefore the place where man has at his disposal the greatest diversity of food and artisanal resources, thanks to which for millennia he has been able to live there without the need for a coat or footwear.”- Charles Brewer-Carías “Naked In The Jungle”.”
Adding to his resume and expertize in the art of living off the land, Charles has also designed his own survival knife, called the Marto-Brewer Explorer/Explora “Brewer Explorer Survival Knife.” A '6 1/4 inch stainless steel blade described in Redmond O'Hanlon’s book as impressive enough “to give Hitler the screaming ab-dabs."
Charles Brewer-Carías is a true anachronism straight from the era of 19th century gentleman explorers, and could well be described as a walking encyclopaedia of Amazonian bushcraft and natural history observation, keeping the Victorian ethos of discovery alive and well.
Charles explains the purpose of his book in the following quote -“as a result of having lived with the Ye'kwana and Yanomamö Indians who for thousands of generations have been using the resources offered by that medium, I prepared to document with photographs what could be useful for anyone." - Charles Brewer-Carías “Naked In The Jungle”.
The book is abundantly illustrated with stunning photos of Charles and tribal indians practicing their time honored brushcraft skills and displaying their many wild foods and culturally useful plants. It includes chapters and descriptions of plant botany, fruits, resins, “Finding Water In The Jungle” and “Making Fire With Your Hands”. The chapter on fire shows Charles utilizing the bow drill fire making method, which is described further down on this page. A chapter on “Textile Plants” shows techniques for identifying, extracting and using natural jungle fibers used in hammocks, basketry, and rope making. Charle’s reputation and expertese in jungle survival is known world wide. In 2004 he was featured in an episode of the acclamed BBC television series, “Ray Mears Bushcraft”, called "Jungle Trek," talking about his exploration of the Tapui tabletop mountians and his bushcraft and self sufficiency survival philosophy, which was heavily infuenced by the years he spent living with the Ye´Kwana indians.
The biological riches of the Venezuelan rainforest being utilised by the native peoples with their ancient bushcraft techniques is explained beautifully by Charles in the following quote from ‘Naked In The Jungle’ -“Due to the diversity of species of insects, animals and plants that are continuously evolving in that place, this jungle distributed between the Amazon River and Orinoco river basins is considered the most important center of evolution of all the organisms that there is on the earth and therefore the place where man has at his disposal the greatest diversity of food and artisanal resources, thanks to which for millennia he has been able to live there without the need for a coat or footwear.”- Charles Brewer-Carías “Naked In The Jungle”.”
Adding to his resume and expertize in the art of living off the land, Charles has also designed his own survival knife, called the Marto-Brewer Explorer/Explora “Brewer Explorer Survival Knife.” A '6 1/4 inch stainless steel blade described in Redmond O'Hanlon’s book as impressive enough “to give Hitler the screaming ab-dabs."
Charles Brewer-Carías is a true anachronism straight from the era of 19th century gentleman explorers, and could well be described as a walking encyclopaedia of Amazonian bushcraft and natural history observation, keeping the Victorian ethos of discovery alive and well.
Charles Brewer-Carías Website - Link
Article on Charles Brewer's new book entitled “Symbology of the Yekuana Basketry” - The Humboldt of the 21st Centuryes.aleteia.org/2019/08/10/el-humboldt-del-siglo-xxi-charles-brewer-carias/
Article on Charles Brewer's new book entitled “Symbology of the Yekuana Basketry” - The Humboldt of the 21st Centuryes.aleteia.org/2019/08/10/el-humboldt-del-siglo-xxi-charles-brewer-carias/
Charles Bushcraft book Naked in the jungle (Caracas, 2013)
Fire By Friction - The Bow Hand Drill
Charles Brewer-Carías has mastered one of the most ancient methods of fire making, the bow drill fire-by-friction technique, used by traditional indigenous peoples throughout the world in many cultures. The naturalist has also taught the skill in his well-known Jungle Survival course. Bow drill fire craft is a skill among many others that enhances the feeling of independence that you aquire from mastering your surroundings to the point that total self reliance is accomplished through bushcraft knowledge.
Using the pygmies of central Africa as an example, well known bushcraft expert and popularizer, Ray Mears, illustrates the dignity and beauty of the self relient/self sufficiency ethos that indigenous cultures have obtained through utilizing their practical fire craft skills, in the following quote from his book "Vanishing World a Life Of Bushcraft”, quote - “While I was there I was shown a box of matches that had been given to a group of pygmies by a westerner who’d been living with them. They went off into the forest for two years then they returned and gave him back the box of matches and not a single match had been used. That is part of the magic and dignity of these people, they are not dependent on outside aid".- Ray Mears
The bow drill is a hand-operated tool dating back to prehistoric times, consisting of a spindle, hearthboard, bow and the bearing block or rock. The underlying principle of creating heat through friction by forcing the drill to rotate on the hearth board, transforming kinetic energy into thermal energy and making a small pile of wood dust ignite into a hot coal that can then be used to light a tinder bundle. The bow drill friction fire method also requires one to have a basic knowledge of your local timer i.e. hardwood or softwood tree species that will be used in the construction of the spindle hearthboard and bow. Effective use of the bow drill friction fire method is a indespensable skill to have if one is living in the jungle or wilderness for an extended period of time.
The Yanomami Indians with whom Charles Brewer-Carías lived, use the fire stick technique but turn the shaft directly with their hands.
Charles proficiency with this ancient fire making technique is unmatched and he holds a possible world record for bow drill friction fire, being able to nurture the ember within the wood dust and transfer it to the tinder bundle and igniting a flame, all within 2.5 seconds, which is much faster then the indians themselves can acomplish turning the shaft directly by hand.
“maybe a world record in bowdrill: fire in 2.5 seconds...!” - Charles Brewer-Carías
Using the pygmies of central Africa as an example, well known bushcraft expert and popularizer, Ray Mears, illustrates the dignity and beauty of the self relient/self sufficiency ethos that indigenous cultures have obtained through utilizing their practical fire craft skills, in the following quote from his book "Vanishing World a Life Of Bushcraft”, quote - “While I was there I was shown a box of matches that had been given to a group of pygmies by a westerner who’d been living with them. They went off into the forest for two years then they returned and gave him back the box of matches and not a single match had been used. That is part of the magic and dignity of these people, they are not dependent on outside aid".- Ray Mears
The bow drill is a hand-operated tool dating back to prehistoric times, consisting of a spindle, hearthboard, bow and the bearing block or rock. The underlying principle of creating heat through friction by forcing the drill to rotate on the hearth board, transforming kinetic energy into thermal energy and making a small pile of wood dust ignite into a hot coal that can then be used to light a tinder bundle. The bow drill friction fire method also requires one to have a basic knowledge of your local timer i.e. hardwood or softwood tree species that will be used in the construction of the spindle hearthboard and bow. Effective use of the bow drill friction fire method is a indespensable skill to have if one is living in the jungle or wilderness for an extended period of time.
The Yanomami Indians with whom Charles Brewer-Carías lived, use the fire stick technique but turn the shaft directly with their hands.
Charles proficiency with this ancient fire making technique is unmatched and he holds a possible world record for bow drill friction fire, being able to nurture the ember within the wood dust and transfer it to the tinder bundle and igniting a flame, all within 2.5 seconds, which is much faster then the indians themselves can acomplish turning the shaft directly by hand.
“maybe a world record in bowdrill: fire in 2.5 seconds...!” - Charles Brewer-Carías
"A video about fire, maybe a world record in bowdrill: Fire in 2.5 seconds...!" - Charles Brewer-Carias
Charles Brewer-Carías extracting tree bark for their Natural fibers
"The trick of survival is to know everything around you," - Charles Brewer-Carias the guardian
Charles Brewer Carias is interviewed on the Ray Mears' Bushcraft
Television series
Television series
"Anybody can be a discoverer. It's a matter of preparation, of knowledge, of being interested in everything. The only limits are those of our imagination." - Charles Brewer Carias, Magazine article Geographical
Photo Gallery
Click on smaller photos above to enlarge
Charles Brewer Carias builds a jungle hammock from Natural fibers
Charles makes a torch from jungle fibers
All the photos on this page are the property of Charles Brewer Carias