Bridges to the Past – Mission Statement

 The mission of Bridges to the Past is to bring people together through ancestral, cultural and environmental experiences. 

We strive to bring to light the similarities of shared human history that connect us, and link together cultures of peoples that had, or have a subsistence lifestyle from the beginnings of humans, to those who still live it today.

A Subsistence lifestyle is defined as a group of people who are able to locally produce what they need to live.  Generally, they are smaller, communal groups engaged in: hunting and gathering, cultivation of crops, pastoralism, and or small scale trade.   At this stage in a culture the well-being of the group is the focus.  The bio-region that they live in is a major determining factor for how they live.  They are using their surroundings without greatly depleting their resources or adversely altering their environment, and art is inseparable from life and utility. 

There are common ties across the globe and throughout history for peoples who are at this stage.  Our goal is to help people connect more deeply to themselves, others, and other cultures through hands-on learning of our shared ancestral skills.

 By developing understanding of subsistence cultures and how they used the environment around them, we:

-learn more about our own identity and where we come from.  We build upon our own strengths.

-find common ground with all people.

-see the need and the possibility to live harmoniously within our environment.