Bushcraft is wildernesssurvival skills. It is about thriving in the natural environment, and the acquisition of the skills and knowledge to do so. Bushcraft skills include firecraft, tracking, hunting, fishing, shelter-building, navigation by natural means, the use of tools such as knives and axes, foraging, water sourcing, hand-carving wood, container construction from natural materials, and rope and twine-making, among others. The term was popularized in the Southern Hemisphere by Les Hiddins as well as in the Northern Hemisphere by Mors Kochanski and more recently gained considerable currency in the United Kingdom due to the popularity of Ray Mears and his bushcraft and survival television programs. It is also becoming popular in urban areas where the average person is separated from nature, as a way to get back in tune with their rural roots. The origin of the phrase "bushcraft" comes from skills used in the bush country of Australia. Often the phrases "wilderness skills" or "woodcraft" are used as they describe skills used all over the world.
Etymology
The Oxford English Dictionary definition of bushcraft is "skill in matters pertaining to life in the bush". The word has been used in its current sense in Australia and South Africa at least as far back as the 1800s. Bush in this sense is probably a direct adoption of the Dutch 'bosch', originally used in Dutch colonies for woodland and country covered with natural wood, but extended to usage in British colonies, applied to the uncleared or un-farmed districts, still in a state of nature. Later this was used by extension for the country as opposed to the town. In Southern Africa, we get Bushman from the Dutch 'boschjesman' applied by the Dutch colonists to the natives living in the bush. In North America, where there was also considerable colonisation by the Dutch, you have the word 'bushwacker' which is close to the Dutch 'bosch-wachter' meaning 'forest-keeper' or 'forest ranger'. Historically, the term has been spotted in the following books :
The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888 by Ernest Favenc; published in 1888.
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin; published in 1901.
Campaign Pictures of the War in South Africa by A. G. Hales; published in 1901.
The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work by Ernest Favenc; published in 1908.
We of the Never-Never by Jeannie Gunn; published in 1908.
The word bushcraft was trademarked by Bushcraft USA LLC. The application was submitted July 30, 2012 and issued November 12, 2013. This trademark is a service mark, for the general use of the word bushcraft and is not limited to electronic forms of communication or commerce. However, the validity of this TM is in question since the Mark was used in commerce, by Mors Kochanski in 1981, 31 years prior and again in 1988, 24 years prior to Bushcraft USA making claim to the Mark.
Promoters
The Irish-born Australian writer Richard Graves titled his outdoor manuals "The 10 bushcraft books". Canadian wilderness instructor Mors Kochanski published the "Northern Bushcraft" book in 1981 and an expanded edition of the book in 1988. He has stated on numerous occasions that book title was an explicit reference to Graves' work. The term has enjoyed a recent popularity largely thanks to Ray Mears, Cody Lundin, Les Hiddins, Les Stroud, Dave Canterbury and Mors Kochanski and their television programs. Ted Kaczynski was a notable advocate of wilderness survival and self-sufficiency.
