Having an adventure in the wild should be fun. Unfortunately, some people are not as lucky when doing this amazing trip. Today, there are a lot of cases of missing people in the forest. Therefore, everybody needs important survival skills to anticipate bad things. Now, we will share some Papuan survival methods that you can adopt when facing this situation.
Keep Calm
Before discussing survival skills from a Papuan standpoint,The first thing that you should do is to keep calm. Panic will not solve the problem, it can only make everything worse. So, please just stay in your positive mind.
Create Shelter
One of the most important things to pay attention to in the wild is the air temperature. Loss of warmth in the body can cause hypothermia, and the most fatal is death due to hypothermia. Otherwise, if you feel hot, it can also make you dehydrated. Here are some steps that you can take when facing those situations.
- Dig a few inches of soil if you feel hot.
- Create a simple shelter from fallen trees or lean trees.
- Arrange tree branches to cover one side. If possible, cover both sides by stacking more branches. Try to arrange them as neatly as possible.
Find a Source of Clean Water
Generally, humans can live for several weeks without food. However, without water, a human can survive only up to 4 days. Therefore, clean water is a source of life. The natives in Papua drink water from several natural sources. It can be from rainwater, groundwater, or certain plants. Some tips that you can do if you are lost in the wilderness are as follows.
- Collect rainwater in the container that will be used to drink it.Do not forget to save the other one for supplies.
- Groundwater: One way to find a water source is to dig into the ground. Just look for plants like cattails or cottonwood trees and dig around them. Both of the plants usually indicate the existence of groundwater sources.
- Some plants, like cactus and grass, store water in their bodies. Squeeze the stems of the plants to get the water.
Making a Fireplace
In addition to lighting, fire can help you regulate your body temperature. When making a fireplace, collect vines or dried pine first as a wick. Then, collect various sizes of dry wood around you, ranging from large to small branches. Here are some ways that you can go about making a fireplace.
- Arrange large pieces of wood in a circle to keep out the wind.
- Make a pyramid-shaped hole in it. You can follow these tricks. First, stand the wooden blocks on end in the middle. Next, surround it with medium-sized wood. Set them tightly together and don’t forget to leave a hole for inserting the wick.
- Put the wick into the pyramid, then light it with a match.
- When the small fire is lit, blow it little by little until the flame is bigger. After that, add more twigs or dry glass for additional fuel.
- If you don’t have a match, use a glass or camera lens. Focus the light on the wick until a spark appears.
Make a Simple Spear
For hunting animals, Papuans always bring a spear as their weapon.In addition, spears can also be used as a tool of self defense against wild animals. Make it by the following steps:
- Find a wooden stick that is long and straight.
- Split the ends in two or three parts.
- Stuff a stone or flat wood between the halves until it’s steady.
- Sharpen each part of the cleavage with a knife or sharp stone.
These Papuan survival methods are actually not only for lost people in the forest. It can also help you in certain conditions and situations. Who knows, you might face an unexpected situation in the future.