BIOGRAPHIES

AL COLLINS:        Now retired, Al shares a vast variety of skills and talent.  He has been attending GLP events for many years.  He is a landscape architect, design horticulturist, surveyor and irrigation designer.  A 4H challenge leader, Al is also involved with Voyager and Civil War Reenactment and black powder shooting.  In the
past Al has taught turtle drums and bags, birch bark hats, shell and bone jewelry, pottery and duck decoys.





HEIDI DAYRINGER:     Heidi has been practicing primitive skilols since 2006.  She has worked for the Nokomis Center in Okemos as a guide to Native American Wodland Indian Heritage.  Heidi has a knowledge base including survival skills, shelter building and story telling to any and all who will listen.  She has brain tanned 4-6 hides and will assist any one that is interested.





NICK DILLINGHAM:  Nick is an expert basket maker.  He has a vast history of constructing black ash baskets and using a mixed media of material for his handsome, utilitarian and museum quality work.  He also teaches the history and labor intense measures to secure and process black ash for basket making. You will have a completed basket to take with you.






ABE ELIAS:     Abe is a master knife maker, metal artist, master woodworker, fire maker and canoe paddle carver.  He is known around the world for his knives and metal work.  Abe is also an author and authority on knives, firearms and other primitive skills and has published articles in numerous magazines.






DAN HOVATER:  Dan has been digging, chipping and throwing for many years.  A flint-knapper that is a teacher of the youngsters and more seasoned participants of many events.  He is a member of the Chelsea Rod and Gun Club, Michigan Flint-knappers and AtlAtl Society.  Dan throws a mean dart with his own made atlatl and can hit a target with a modern or primitive bow.  He is also interested in many of the fiber arts.






GLEN KRUEGER:     Glen has been interested in metal smithing inluding all media for 7-8 years.  He is a self taught blacksmith who has gathered a large metal work knowledge base.   Glen travels the State holding demonstrations at local events.  He is also interested in antique tractors, reenactment history and participates in many encampments with the Voyageurs.  He has instructed at the Great Lakes Primitives over the past 12+ years.





TIM LAVOY:      Tim has been participating in the GLPG organization for many years.  He is a member of the Voyagers and often will show up at an event in Native American dress, sporting a mow-hawk, oh yes.  He is a seasoned story teller, entertaining children and adults, around the nightly campfire.  He has many skills to share with the group and has held a variety of classes and workshops over the years.





DALE LAPOINTE:      He has been interested in primitive skills since he was a kid.  He made his first stone arrow head when he was 10 years old.  Dale likes to work with fiber, cordage, wood and other natural materials.  He has taught cordage, rope making and making things with rope for many years.  He also has a keen interest in flint-knapping, archery, bow making and Atlatls and darts.






PHIL MEISTER:  Phil has a great interest in primitive and antique tools and hunting implements.  He will teach you to throw a boomerang, use a sling shot, throw a dart with an atlatl and tell you about his treasure of trade beads.







MOUNTAIN GUY, FIBER MAN: 











MARY MINNEY:     Learning to spin and acquiring a wheel in 1988., lead Mary down to the path of a love for the fiber arts.  After 33 years of teaching, she stills loves the profession and teaching and uses her skills with fibers.  She was part of French-Town Spinning Guild and weaves with friends at Farm Studio Weavers in Monroe.  Mary also demonstrates at Lost Arts events in order to spread and preserve a love of the fiber arts to the present and next generations.








RACHEL MIFSUD;          "Will Forage for Food" , Rachel is a gather, instructor, demonstrator and woman who has more energy than most of us could only hope to generate.  She holds wilderness challenge camp, foraging, and cooking the feast classes.  She is also knowledgeable in edible and medicinal plant identification and  ecology camp.  We are grateful to have Rachel with us and enjoy her expertise and skills that she is more than willing to share with GLPG.  This ongoing class of the day will recreate the feel of foraging, gathering and preparing the feast for our dinner that evening








MINYUNG GODFREY:       Interested in wilderness and urban foraging for plants to be used as food and medicine.  She will work along with Rachel Mifsud in the class on foraging for food, identifying and harvesting our groceries and the preparation of our dinner for Friday evening.










STEVE ROSS:        Steve is an expert animal caller, able to call a variety of animals into camp.  He has also been a member of the World Atlalt Association.  He has a great interest in the atlatl and dart both the instruction and throwing.  Steve has taught the art of throwing a spear with an atlatl at various museums and sportsman clubs in Ohio.  He is also interested in making and teaching the duplication of Banner Stones (weights for atlatls) from stone and modern articles.










RUTH RUSHLOW:       Ruth is an expert basket weaver, fiber artist, fiber spinner, cordage maker and potter.  Ruth gathers much of her natural materials in the wild to be used in her art.  She has taught at Children's Outdoor Camp, Woods and Water, GLPG Events and individuals at home.  Ruth is a master at making, weaving and teaching cordage, utilizing a wide variety of fibers.









Venus Sage:
   A woman with talent that is never ending.  She is interest in painting using many different materials (both as her canvas and painting medium)  She a jewelry maker and metal artist. 








E. JOE SCHNUR:     Joe  first went camping with his Father when he was 7 years old.  In 1970 he took a class in primitive skills and has been at it ever since. Joe and his family have been part of the Great Lakes Primitive  for many years.  He has been teaching for the past 20 years and sharing his knowledge of primitive skills. An experienced flint-knapper, he also plays the violin and bag pipes and can share stories with the best of them.  Joe has taught at GLP, Cranbrook, Woods and Water, and Henry Ford Village. 





PATRICIA SCHNUR:    Pat has a great love of the outdoors and all that Nature provides with a great respect for the earth and all its' inhabitants,  For the past 20 years, Pat has mentored Native Americans in the old skills of edible and medicinal plants.  She is a Reiki Master and holds an Herbal degree.  She has taught at Cranbrook, Matthai Botanical Garden, 4H Clubs, Herb Show Armada Fair, Woods and Water and Willow Winds,  She also has offered edible, medicinal and invasive plant walks and how to use plants and herbs at home at GLPG Events for many years.






LEO SCHREIBER:    Leo started learning to work with stave's and create self-bows beginning in the mid 1990's.  He has learned from and worked with some of the best - Gary Davis, Ike Swan, Dean Torges, Gary Ellis, Norm Blaker and many others.  He also makes Flemish-twist bow strings (learning from the rope man himself, Dale LaPointe).  In addition Leo will make and teach the whole package including traditional bows and arrows, hand worked leather quivers and arm guards.  He designed a portable, flexible, shave-horse so you can do your own bow-making (after taking some lessons).   He has demonstrated and taught at many gatherings, festivals and pow-wows across the United States, along with GLPG Events.













DALE SMART:    Historical and Nature Interpretor, you can find him at Wolcott Mills.  Dale has been attending, teaching and presenting workshops at GLPG Events for many years.  He is also well versed on Bats, their habitats and habits.  Dale is an active participant in the St. Clair Voyageurs, educating the public on the history of Early Settlers, Indians and Military of the Great Lakes Fur Trade Era.

















TELL STACHERUK:       In the past 2 years he has taught leather working workshops in Canada.  He supply all the tools needed to make the items and people are able to finish the project and take them home with them when the class is done.  There is a material fee
 











SUE VIGLIOTTI;    Many years ago she went on a voyage with Dale L. to a primitive skill camp in New York. After almost dying in a sweat lodge, they  still decided this could be a new adventure direction for the two of them.  Participating in the GLPG for the past 18 years Sue looks forward to the Annual Event to learn, teach and share primitive skills and the community they have become a part of.  She thanks everyone for the opportunity to be a part  of this great and growing Organization.







MIKE COOK                                BIO TO BE POSTED






PATTI DONNELLY                   BIO TO BE POSTED

                    









GREG WEST:     Westbows, Greg is a master at teaching bow making for adults and kids, his teaching ability is outstanding.  Greg learned bow making and many primitive skills from Lou Becker, Phil Klimowicz, Norm Blaker, Dale LaPointe and many others.  You and/or your kids can leave an event with a shoot-able bow.  Greg says:  Everyone has something to teach if you are willing to listen.  He enjoys attending GLPG with his family, seeing old friends and meeting new ones at future events.  He is also interested in atlatl and darts, slingshots, boomerangs,
many musical instruments and astronomy,


Amy Wykes:     The first weekend event Clay asked me to attend, I thought, "I'm going to spent the weekend keeping track of two small children while, you bang on rocks!"  Clay's response was, "no, there will be two other groups there, the Michigan Primitives and the Michigan Atlatl's".  I replied, "Great! rock bangers, spear-chuckers and Neanderthals"  I'll bring plenty of books to keep me from absolute boredom.  Before the event started, I saw people making baskets from a log and I was hooked.  We enjoy weaving baskets, birch baskets, string making, blacksmithing, slings, plant identification and uses; the lost arts that people no longer "need" or appreciate in our modern society.  Clay and I look back at the people we now call friends and family most of them are the result of that first event that became the first of many,


CLAY WYKES:    Clay started flint-knapping 20 years ago.  He was always fascinated by arrowheads he found working on the family farm in Illinois.  He wondered who lost the arrow head and what kind of life they lived.  In his early 20's he moved to Michigan, went to Jay's sporting goods and saw a modern made, flint knapped knife in the case.  He tracked down the napper and got the name of Michigan Flinkt-knappers.  He learned to much in the first several years, the "guys" were willing to teach and share information.  Norm Blaker, Don Gilson and Mike Cook mentored Clay and he still keeps in touch with them.  Clay is a master knapper and enjoys sharing his skill and excitement with anyone interested in learning and listening.