On this path of building community and a neo-tribal village I've been asked why neo and what does it really mean anyway?
Neo is used as in new here. In a sense, as I see it, neo refers to linking ancient tribal knowledge or wisdom to modern science/biology. In the re-wilding world we often hear the term bio-hacking. This could be such things as using blue light filters in our homes after sun down to optimize our natural melatonin production. I hear that melatonin and serotonin are polar opposites. In other words, the more serotonin we produce, the more potential production of melatonin we can achieve. To bio-hack optimal production of melatonin, we need to jump start the day letting our body know it is time to wake up and be aware... a little exercise to get the blood moving and exposure to the sun will set the body up for high serotonin production.
There's a science behind having good regenerative sleep. In this post-industrial world, it takes a little practice, some diligence and a bit of work to making the bedroom and our habbits conducive to the same healthy sleep our indigenous ancestors were used to.
A neo-tribal village is just that, a place where the New meets the Old, a community where people can reconnect to ancient skills and wisdoms while taking advantage of modern knowledge to achieve sustainability and sovereignty .
Why do we seek this neo-tribal way of life or as it's been said so well by Arthur Haines in an article titled How to Live the NeoAboriginal Lifeway?
Because we have been disconnected from nature for so long, we wouldn't even know where to begin if we were let out of the zoo to survive into the wild.
I believe we are at an important crossroads in our existence, one where domestication of the human species has led to an inability for most to nourish, heal, and care for themselves. -Arthur Haines
I can also see the crossroads Arthur Haines is talking about, and it really feels we are ever so closer to a point of no return. The human species has proven to work best in tight-nit tribes sometimes making up larger communities, There are great things both in the wild human way of life and in today's domesticated societies but if we don't start acting human again, we may never be able to escape our extinction.
There's a balance somewhere between old and new, that's where the neo-tribal or neo-aboriginal lifeway should take us.
This is something we can already see taking some momentum in the form of preventive medicine versus modern medicine. While herbalism and natural medicine is becoming widely known for preventing visits to the doctors, we don't often ignore modern medicine for emergencies.
Do you see how the old and new can co-exist in harmony?
