What are the origins of the word bushcraft? Or, more simply put, where does the word bushcraft come from? In recent years, the term bushcraft has become associated with wilderness survival, self-reliance, and living in harmony with nature. But was this always the meaning and how did the current popular use of the term bushcraft come about?
To understand the origins of the term bushcraft, we must explore both the linguistic roots of the word itself and the historical context that shaped its modern use.
Etymology of “Bushcraft”
The word bushcraft, a noun, is the combination of two other words, bush and craft, which are also nouns.
Bush
The word bush has multiple meanings. It’s use to mean a small shrub, particularly one with close branches arising from or near the ground, as in “gooseberry bush” for example, is thought to come from an old English word busk or buske, dating back to at least the 12th Century.
Other forms such as busse, boysch, busshe and boshes were also written, before bushes came to the fore. For example in 1543 “Over-grown with Bushes or Under-wood”. Act 35 Henry VIII xvii. §4, and in 1667 “The undergrowth Of shrubs and tangling bushes.” J. Milton, Paradise Lost iv. 176
In some dialects the meaning of bush extended to sub-shrubs such as heather or herbaceous plants growing in a clump. Bush was also used collectively to refer to a clump of shrubs, as well as anything that looked like a bush such as “bushes of feathers”.
To beat the bush literally came from the practice of disturbing birds so that they would fly up into nets, or in later centuries, be shot. For example “Some bete the bussh and some the byrdes take.” from Generydes circa 1440.
What about “bush”, or “the bush”, meaning undeveloped, rural or wild areas?
The use of bush to mean woodland, country more or less covered with natural wood, is probably most closely related to the origins of bushcraft. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) considers this use “Recent, and probably a direct adoption of the Dutch bosch, in colonies originally Dutch.”
This use of the word bush was applied to the uncleared or untilled districts in the former British Colonies which are still in a state of nature, or largely so, even though not wooded. By extension “bush” was also applied to the country, as opposed to the towns.
Thus, this usage of bush became particularly prominent in regions of the world like Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Africa, where bush could describe vast stretches of wilderness distinct from urban or agricultural landscapes. In North America, a similar term, the woods, was often used to describe wild areas. However, bush was still used in some contexts, particularly in Canada.
Examples cited by the OED include the following
- 1826 – When any person finds himself overstocked..they go into the interior, or bush, as it is termed, beyond the occupied parts of the country. J. Atkinson, Account Agriculture & Grazing in New South Wales iv. 64
- 1828 – When I was in the Bush, as the Virginians call it. W. Scott, Tapestr. Chamb.
- 1836 – They [sc. the interpreters] took to the bush for shelter by day. W. B. Marshall, Personal Narrative of Two Visits to New Zealand 152
- 1851 – His mother and sister had escaped into the bush for refuge. N. J. Merriman, Journal 21 September in Kafir, Hottentot & Frontier Farmer (1854) 121
- 1873 – Nearly every place beyond the influences of the big towns is called ‘bush’ even though there should be not a tree to be seen. A. Trollope, Australia & New Zealand vol. I. 299
- 1874 – Every thing being much cheaper in Toronto than away in the bush. J. C. Geikie, Life in Woods (ed. 2) ii. 21
- 1953 – The kloof was wooded, not with forest, but with what we in South Africa call the bush. A. Paton, Too Late Phalarope vii. 52
In Recollections of Bush Life in Australia, During a Residence of Eight Years in the Interior (1848), Henry William Haygarth writes the following regarding a definition of “the bush”
By this time, however, I began to understand the value of that hackneyed expression “the bush” which had formerly perplexed me so much, and to see that it meant little more or less than the country at the antipodes.
Its precise definition, however, like that of the north, is perhaps not so easily given, even by an old colonist: the resident in Sydney would be apt to consider it any place beyond the suburbs of the town; the Haukesbury or Illawarra farmer would place it between 30 and 100 miles from the capital; while the distant settler, the bonâ fide bushman, would smile at such fireside notions, and from his dwelling, 300 miles from Port Jackson, he still talks of “going into the bush,” which in his sense of the term implies his own lonely out-stations, or regions yet untrodden by the white man; in short, any place beyond the boundaries of his own homestead, and “on this side Sundown.”
There is a scanned copy of Recollections of Bush Life in Australia, During a Residence of Eight Years in the Interior on Google Books:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Recollections_of_Bush_Life_in_Australia/0L8pAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Going Bush
There’s also a related phrase, which is primarily Australian, to go bush. This means to venture into the country; leave the city; disappear from one’s usual surroundings. For example “She went bush with me when I’d nothing but a skeeto net and a quart-pot to share with her”. in the 1908 work We of the Never-Never by Jeannie Gunn.
Craft
The word craft has multiple meanings, including a boat, ship or other waterborne vessel. The area of meaning pertinent to our interest in the word bushcraft, is the use of the word craft to refer to skill, ability and related senses. Also relevant is the use of craft to mean the product of skill, the actual handiwork.
In particular, using craft to mean an activity or undertaking of a skilled nature or a pursuit requiring the acquisition and application of specialist knowledge, seems most pertinent to bushcraft.
Bush + Craft
Together, the combination of bush and craft forms a term that means “the skill of living in the bush” or “the expertise required to thrive in wilderness areas.”
The Oxford English Dictionary lists bushcraft as a noun meaning “Skills in matters pertaining to life in the bush”.
Wikitionary lists bushcraft as a noun meaning “The skills needed to survive in the bush, and by extension in any natural environment.”
It’s worth noting explicitly that the term bushcraft seems to have originated among English-speaking people in foreign lands. It was not a native term. It is a term, and a concept, that emerged from European people traveling to, or settling in, wild places they weren’t from. It seems the word emerged from the midst of colonial endeavours in North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The link is particularly strong with the use of the term bush to refer to untamed land in those places.
In her 2016 doctoral thesis, Dr Lisa Fenton offers a thoughtful perspective on bushcraft’s origins and connotations. In her work, Dr. Fenton highlights bushcraft’s complex cultural and historical roots, including its relationship to indigenous knowledge. In section 1.6 Dr Fenton asserts an explicit link between bushcraft and colonialism:
The etymology of the term bushcraft provides a direct insight into its colonial origins. The prefix ‘bush’ refers to ideas of place as wild, wilderness and uncivilised – in contrast to the urban and domestic, while the suffix ‘craft’ refers to the type of embodied knowledge and skill developed with natural materials afforded by ‘wild’ landscapes, which is required to live and travel in such wilderness. The term bushcraft, therefore, explicitly conjoins perceptions of nature and wildness to concepts of craft, skill, knowledge and know-how.
The term ‘bush’ and cognate notions have a particular association with the colonies of the ‘neo-Europes’ (Crosby 1986, p.2), for example Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Alaska and South Africa. In Australian English, Ramson (1966) suggests that it was during the settlement of North America that the word ‘bush’ first began to appear in the English language, applied to the uncleared or untilled districts in the British colonies, even though not wooded; and hence to the country as opposed to the towns (Ramson 1966, p.135).
Download Dr Lisa Fenton’s PhD thesis here: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/57815/
Listen to a conversation I had with Dr Fenton on my podcast via the link below….
Paul Kirtley Podcast 016: Lisa Fenton on Bushcraft and Indigenous Knowledge Transmissions
When Did The Word Bushcraft First Appear?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary the earliest known written use of bushcraft is in the 1870s. The dictionary states the earliest evidence for the use of “bushcraft” is from 1871, in the writing of Charles. L. Money.
Charles L. Money’s Use of the Term Bushcraft
Money’s use of the word bushcraft is as follows…
“He gave me my first lessons in bushcraft, such as a knowledge of edible herbs and roots, modes of crossing rivers, snaring birds, and many other invaluable “wrinkles.”” C. L. Money, Knocking about in New Zealand.
The quote in the OED and in some places on the internet, is actually contracted, missing the phrase “edible herbs” from the middle of the sentence and truncating the quote immediately after the word “birds”.
You can buy a reissue hardcopy of Money’s Knocking About in New Zealand here – https://amzn.to/4hg3Twv
At the beginning of the book it states the following about Money’s background, which gives further context to his writing…
Little is known about Charles L. Money, who sailed in 1861 from Gravesend to New Zealand, where, as he recounts in this volume, he spent the next seven years, working as a gold prospector, a surveyor, a sheep hand, a baker’s boy, and a log splitter. He also spent periods in the military, serving in McDonnell’s campaign against the Maori in the second Taranaki war (1863–6), which was instrumental in establishing colonial control of the area, and participating in the notorious Pokaikai raid, an eyewitness account of which is included in the book. Money also, pragmatically, worked with, and occasionally for, the Maori. His narrative provides source material for social tensions in this formative period of New Zealand history, as well as giving a vivid picture of the hardships of emigrant life. It was published in 1871 by Samuel Mullen, the owner of the first literary library and bookshop in Australia.
There is a scanned copy of Knocking about in New Zealand available on Google Books…
Francis Galton’s Use of the Term Bushcraft
Francis Galton was a 19th Century British polymath. In 1850 he explored south-west Africa (now Namibia) on behalf of the Royal Geographical Society. He wrote a book about his experience, Narrative of an Explorer in Tropical South Africa (1852). Later he published The Art of Travel (1855), which became a bestseller.
The full title of The Art of Travel as it was published is The Art of Travel; Or, Shifts and Contrivances Available in Wild Countries.
A reprinted hard copy of the book can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/3A2oGmF
It has been asserted that preliminary manuscript titles for the book included the word bushcraft. The published work, however, does not include the word bushcraft or the term bush craft. In the first edition, Galton does, however, use the word bush routinely to refer to wild country, as well as in phrases such as bush cookery and bush laws.
Galton’s compendium of advice to travellers and explorers in wild places passed through multiple editions. In the work Galton collected both his own practical experiences, gathered while travelling in South-West Africa, as well as those of other travellers. As new material became available, the work was improved repeatedly. The fifth edition was published in 1872.
In the preface to the fifth edition he uses the term bush lore, as well as explaining the aim of the work…
The idea of the work occurred to me when exploring South-western Africa in 1850-51. I felt acutely at that time the impossibility of obtaining sufficient information on the subjects of which it treats; for though the natives of that country taught me a great deal, it was obvious that their acquaintance with bush lore was exceedingly partial and limited. Then remembering how the traditional maxims and methods of travelling in each country differ from those of others, and how every traveller discovers some useful contrivances for himself, it appeared to me, that I should do welcome service to all who have to rough it, – whether explorers, emigrants, missionaries or soldiers, by collecting the scattered experiences of many such persons in various circumstances, collating them, examining into their principles, and deducing from them what might fairly be called an “Art of Travel.” To this end, on my return home, I searched through a vast number of geographical works, I sought information from numerous travellers of distinction, and I made a point of re-testing, in every needful case, what I had read or learned by hearsay.
Scans of the various editions of Galton’s Art of Travel can be downloaded from the following webpage
https://galton.org/books/art-of-travel/
Popularisation of Bushcraft
The popularisation of the term bushcraft, and the concept of bushcraft, initially came about through books. Later bushcraft was popularised by television shows, and has been further embedded in the lexicon by internet materials.
Richard Graves
The first book widely recognised to have bushcraft in its title was “Bushcraft” by Richard Graves, published in 1950. Graves was an Australian author and bushcraft expert who served in the Australian military. His book became one of the foundational works to popularise bushcraft. The book covers various wilderness skills under the headings ropes and cords, huts and thatching, campcraft, food and water, fire making, knots and lashings, tracks and lures, snares and traps, travel and gear, and time and direction. This work helped bring the term bushcraft into more common usage. Graves’s bushcraft book was based on a series of instructional pamphlets or booklets. The original pamphlets were published in the 1940s, and were later compiled into the book format published in 1950. Indeed some versions of the compiled book are called “The 10 Bushcraft Books“. There have been multiple later publications of Graves’s classic work. For example my personal copy is a 1972 edition published by Shocken Books.
Mors Kochanski
Mors Kochanski’s “Northern Bushcraft” (1987), with an expanded edition published in 1988, is considered a seminal work. Kochanski was from Alberta, Canada and this book focused on survival techniques in northern wilderness environments, particularly in his native Canada. Chapters include firecraft, axecraft, knifecraft, sawcraft, bindcraft, sheltercraft, the birches, the conifers, the willows, the shrubs, the moose, and the varying hare.
In the preface to Northern Bushcraft, Kochanski writes “The purpose of Northern Bushcraft is to provide practical information on the more important crafts used in every day bush living in the Northern Forests. This is not simply a manual on wilderness camping or survival, but rather discusses the basic existence skills that allow you to live in the bush on an indefinite basis with a minimal dependence on technological materials and tools.”
He called the book Northern Bushcraft in reference to Graves’s book covering techniques particularly suited to the southern hemisphere and tropical regions. Kochanski’s publisher later dropped “northern” from the “new edition” title, with the book becoming “Bushcraft”.
Listen to a conversation I had with Mors Kochanski on my podcast, via the following link:
Paul Kirtley Podcast 042: Mors Kochanski, Northern Bushcraft Legend
Ray Mears
Ray Mears had initially published books with survival as the emphasis of the titles, including The Survival Handbook: A Practical Guide to Woodcraft and Woodlore (1990) and Outdoor Survival Handbook (1992). Mears later switched his emphasis to bushcraft with Bushcraft: An Inspirational Guide to Surviving the Wilderness (2002). Later a condensed paperback version titled Essential Bushcraft (2003) was also published.
Unlike earlier authors using the term bushcraft, Mears also had a television presence. He first appeared in Tracks, a BBC outdoors and nature-themed magazine programme, in the mid-1990s. Mears contributed segments on wilderness skills. Later he hosted shows as the sole presenter, including World of Survival (1997) and Ray Mears’ Extreme Survival (1999-2002). After three series of Extreme Survival, the emphasis also changed from survival to bushcraft, with the extensive 10-part series Ray Mears’ Bushcraft (2004-05). This latter series helped cement bushcraft in popular consciousness and make Mears a household name in the United Kingdom. Moreover, it probably marked the pinnacle of bushcraft television programming.
I started working at Mears’s bushcraft school in 2003. Hence, I witnessed first hand how popular interest in bushcraft, and attending bushcraft courses, rose exponentially after Mears’s Bushcraft shows were aired in 2004 and 2005. New bushcraft schools also sprang up and capitalised on interest in the subject. Interest then plateaued around the time of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, with interest in bushcraft courses falling significantly as discretionary consumer spending was squeezed.
Something else happened around this time though…
The Evolution of Bushcraft in Modern Times
In 2005 YouTube was founded. In 2006 the video platform was quickly snapped up by Google, who recognised its potential. The first proper smartphone, the iPhone, was released by Apple in mid-2007. The effects of these developments on information sharing have been profound, particularly in video content production and consumption.
In the 21st century, bushcraft has become a global phenomenon, with enthusiasts practicing and sharing these skills all over the world. The rise of social media, YouTube, as well as a new wave of reality-based outdoor television programs has further spread awareness of bushcraft as a subject and popular use of the term. Well established bushcraft schools continue to provide valuable learning experiences on bushcraft courses.
Summary – What Are the Origins of the Term Bushcraft?
The origins of the word bushcraft are rooted in the linguistic history of bush as a term for wild, untamed environments and craft as a skill or expertise. Historically, the word has strong ties to colonial periods. European settlers adopted survival skills from indigenous peoples and adapted them to their needs. They combined them with their own experience to form a knowledge base that, in some parts, became known as bushcraft. Over time, the meaning of the term bushcraft has evolved to being a modern practice that celebrates self-reliance, nature knowledge, and the ability to live sustainably in the wilderness.
Bibliography
Fenton, L. (2016). Bushcraft and Indigenous Knowledge: Transformations of Wilderness Skills in the UK (Doctoral dissertation, University of Kent).
Galton F. The Art of Travel; or, Shifts and Contrivances Available in Wild Countries. London, England: John Murray; 1855.
Galton F. The Art of Travel; or, Shifts and Contrivances Available in Wild Countries. 5th ed. London, England: John Murray; 1872.
Gunn J. We of the Never-Never. London, England: Hutchinson & Co; 1908
Haygarth HW. Recollections of Bush Life in Australia, During a Residence of Eight Years in the Interior. London, England: John Murray; 1848.
Kochanski M. Northern Bushcraft. Edmonton, Canada: Lone Pine Publishing; 1987.
Mears, R. (n.d.). Ray Mears TV programmes. RayMears.com. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://www.raymears.com/Ray_Mears/Ray_Mears_TV_Programmes.cfm
Money CL. Knocking About in New Zealand. London, England: Richard Bentley and Son; 1871.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “bush (n.1), sense 1.a,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7798459998.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “’to beat the bush’ in bush (n.1), sense 1.b,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/5663997705.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “bush (n.1), sense 2,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1873176563.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “bush (n.1), sense 6.a,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1443436161.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “bush (n.1), sense 9.a,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3934237930.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “’to go bush’ in bush (n.1), sense 9.e,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/4171741602.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “bushcraft (n.),” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/5738775666.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “craft (n.), sense II.2,” September 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1078390142.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “craft (n.), sense II.3,” September 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3155452759.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “craft (n.), sense III.10,” September 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/8955708806.
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “craft (n.), sense III.12,” September 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7181126077.
Wikipedia. Bushcraft. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushcraft. Published October 20, 2024. Accessed October 20, 2024.
Wiktionary. (n.d.). Bushcraft. In Wiktionary, The free dictionary. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bushcraft
Latest posts by Paul Kirtley (see all)
- How to Make Dumplings for Campfire Stews - November 4, 2024
- Missinaibi Canoe Expedition Returns in 2026 - October 29, 2024
- Down the Spey With Paul and Ray - October 28, 2024
Arpad
Great article, interesting topic, I really like those early references.
Related to this, I always wanted to ask you about the term “wilderness bushcraft”, which you (and Ray Mears also) use at many places. As a non-native English speaker, it sounds a bit strange to me, as to my understanding, “bush” is kind of a synonym for “wilderness”. And contrary to the word “survival” where there are different areas like “wilderness survival”, “urban survival”, “combat survival”, there are no other kind of bushcraft, than the “wilderness” one. No offense of course, I just don’t really get these little shades of the English language, and I would like to understand better.
Anyway since Ray Mears started to use and popularize the term “bushcraft”, it became widely known and used all around in Europe, not just in English, but in many other European languages as well. On the other hand, as far as I see, it is not that popular and accepted in North America, many people prefer “woodcraft” instead, and have quite negative feelings with “bushcraft”.
Paul Kirtley
Hi Arpad,
It’s good to hear from you.
Thanks for your comments and questions.
With respect to your question about “wilderness bushcraft” as opposed to plain “bushcraft”, for me it is about emphasising the context on which my bushcraft philosophy is centred.
Personally, my central interest in bushcraft skills and knowledge comes from the desire to be more self reliant, more comfortable and confident in wilderness settings. By wilderness I mean wild and remote country.
I teach people bushcraft from the perspective that they should be able to rely on what they are taught in wilderness settings.
Of course there are then secondary effects such as feeling a greater connection with nature, even when close to home. But that is not the central point from which I teach, even though I understand it is a valuable benefit of learning bushcraft.
Not everyone thinks of bushcraft skills this way. Many like to learn the skills for their own sake. Others do not travel very far. Many “bushcrafters” have never been in a real wilderness or make an independent journey somewhere wild.
Particularly once we add the word “skills” to bushcraft, creating the term “bushcraft skills”, I think it is even more important to add the context of wilderness if that’s what one is teaching or practicing. “Wilderness bushcraft skills” sets the context.
Indeed, the central theme of the 2019 Global Bushcraft Symposium was “skills in context”. This is very important. You know this, of course, as you were there! 🙂
As David Wescott echoed the words of Steve Watts – without context, all you have is arts and crafts.
I can’t speak for others, but I hope this helps unpack my thinking on the importance of using the word wilderness.
Warm regards,
Paul
Marcel Lafond
Very good, Paul. I can see from the origins of the word’ bushcraft’, why Dr. Lisa Fenton, because of her thesis, developed an aversion to the Colonial endeavours of Mother England’s British Empire. The British Empire also abolished slavery as early as 1833 in Canada, so, it was not that bad, Lisa. I survived. As a Canadian, of French – Algonquian stock, I spent my early years ‘in the bush’ of Matachewan, Ontario, then, later moved to the Mid North, where I still explored ‘the bush’. My 10 year old self got into the Boy Scout Movement, where I practiced those skills of bushcraft, then known as ‘campcraft’, ‘pioneering’, ‘ropework’ and ‘simply ‘scouting’. Scouting itself today has devolved into a watered down social club, politically corrected for the modern day, and pretty useless in bushcraft skills. They no longer teach knife or axe skills, they discourage discipline, they also now preach a ‘look but don’t touch’ approach to a wilderness experience, and have designated traditional Scouting, as set out by Baden-Powel, and Dan Beard, as museum curiosities.
I wish the Colonialism aspect were ignored. As a Metis in Canada, we were both ignored by White folks and Native American Indians as a non-people. It was only in 1985 that Metis Status in Canada was included as being ‘Indigenous’ to Canada. Colonialism never impeded me being a Metis. My bush skills were both passed down from Mom and Dad, and from other people I had the good fortune of meeting along the way. When the book ‘Bushcraft’, by Richard Graves, came out, it only added to my basic, well established, skills of bush lore.
Bushcraft now is a commercial business, with products and gimmicks made to propagate the concept. Bushcraft should be something one has within, regardless of equipment, because it is a one-ness with nature. Many of the Colonists who embraced the skills learnt from Indigenous peoples also became conservationists, and voices for the Indigenous peoples. Today, Indigenous skills are recognized, and bushcraft should reflect their contribution, without remorse or regret on the part of the Colonists. It’s about enjoying Mother Earth with all its benefits and hazards respected. And, like life, bushcraft is a growth process, ever improving, because Nature does not stop. There is much to learn. Share the knowledge.
Marcel