Long ago during the stone age, our ancestors had to survive off the land on which they lived. They would hunt and gather their food, build their shelters and had to be adaptable to anything. As time went on and their knowledge evolved, they quickly began to master a special skill: ceramics. They learned how to gather clay and turn it into all sorts of things. They made decorations, toys, bricks to build homes, kitchenware like pots and plates and so much more.
BYU-Idaho alumnus Jake Hartner works as an ancestral living skills instructor. He graduated in recreation management and soon discovered he had a passion for primitive pottery. Hartner would take these survival classes called primitives skills gathering where he learned everything he could. He had great mentors along the way, one being John Olsen, who Hartner greatly credits for his learning.
“It feels a little bit like alchemy because it’s taking something that has no value on its own, like a bucket of dirt, and turning it into something that has a lot of value. A functional piece of art,” Hartner said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio
According to Hartner, ancestral living skills go beyond just survival. To him, survival is “just not dying,” but ancestral skills are something his students can use long term in their lives. A lot of the time, Hartner feels like people don’t believe they can try doing pottery or ceramics because they don’t have the right tools such as a wheel or a kiln. But in the workshops he teaches, his students learn they don’t need much other than themselves and a few materials to make their art.
“We’re not using a wheel, we’re just using our hands and a few basic tools,” he said. “It’s a beautiful art to learn because by the time someone’s done with the class, they’re empowered to do all of these steps on their own without having a kiln or without having a wheel or a bunch of fancy tools.”
During the workshops, participants learn to process their own clay, form their hand-built pottery and learn to create natural mineral paints. They learn how to fire their work by building a pit fire, a method that can reach up to 2,010 degrees Fahrenheit, which transforms their work into functional ceramics pieces.
“It’s just cool knowing where your cookware comes from. It’s kind of neat,” he said.
One of the most rewarding aspects for Hartner is seeing the transformation in his students. He shared a memorable experience from when he worked in wilderness therapy where working with clay helped him have a breakthrough with a troubled teenage girl. He shared another experience with his students where they came to his workshop feeling like they couldn’t achieve much but left knowing they could do anything they put their minds to.
“(My students) were so happy with (their work). They didn’t know they could do that. Showing somebody a skill that they didn’t know they had is just the best feeling ever,” he said.
His workshops attract people from all sorts of backgrounds. From complete beginners who have never touched clay before, to seasoned artists with a degree in the subject. Either way, Hartner tailors his teaching to better accommodate all skill levels, letting them work at their own pace and ensuring that everyone leaves with a sense of accomplishment.
“The first step in being good at anything is being bad at it. You’re learning a new skill, you’re not going to be amazing at it immediately. But the cool thing about working with clay is you can wad it up and start over as many times as you need to,” he said. “It’s really rewarding for me as a teacher to see people go through this cycle of starting a project, being frustrated, adjust a few things and see their light bulb go off.”
For those interested in joining Hartner’s workshops, you can find his information on social media. His Instagram and Facebook are both under his name, Jake Hartner, or you can find Wilderwise Education as well to see upcoming classes and events.