BBC Perspective on Westward Expansion

[sse]

The link is apparently to the first of three hour-long installments.  I'm half way through the first and it is very enjoyable.  There are also some things covered that I have not heard of before.  Can't wait to see each installment.  Check it out...

How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears [Mountains] BBC Documentary 2014 - YouTube

[sse]

Second installment

[sse]

Third installment

[Detached]

Just finished watching the first episode. Very well done and interesting, thanks for the link.

[sse]

[Detached]

Oh yeah, the commercials were a bit irritating, but I did find out Sharknado II airs this coming Wednesday!  

[sse]

I'm watching the guy's northern wilderness series now...pretty good, well worth the watch...

[sse]

I've watched 3 segments of the northern wilderness series, which is basically about Canada.  It's really good, and with a great soundtrack, too.  This guy, Ray Mears, is quite a find.

[Sir Michael]

One thing that caught my attention in Mountains video was the segment near the beginning about the Cherokee and the making of a blow pipe and darts.

Some time ago I found the following the dictionary section of the 1811 Practical Instructions for U.S. Military Officers:  "WIND-GUN. See Air-Gun.  
The Indians inhabiting about Lake Erie, have a kind of wind or blow gun, which projects an arrow with considerable velocity.  It is described as follows in the Travels of Mr. Weld.  It is a narrow tube, commonly about six feet in length, made of a cane reed, or of some pithy wood.  The arrows are not much thicker than the lower string of a violin, and headed generally with little triangular bits of tin.  Round the opposite ends, for the length of two inches.  A quantity of the down of thistles or something very like it, is bound, so as to leave the arrows, at this part, of such a thickness, that they may but barely pass into the tube.  These are placed in the tube, and with a smart puff of breath, they will fly to the distance of 50 yards.  With this gun it is said the Indians shoot with great precision and kill small game. "

When I found this information I wondered just how wide spread this type of weapon was.  Now I have some Idea.

[sse]

I was surprised to learn that about the blow guns, the fabrication was quite sophisticated.

[snake eyes]

These are placed in the tube, and with a smart puff of breath, they will fly to the distance of 50 yards.

Guess COPD had not been invented yet. I would not get one out of the tube,let alone
50 yards. [/color]

[sse]

The guy doing these is Ray Mears.  He seems to have a strong fascination with North America and related history.  I also watched one installment on the Rockies and another on building a birch bark canoe, included a lot of voyageur stuff.  He's pretty good at carving and crafting stuff, too, which he demonstrates several times.

Here's one he did on Roger's Rangers, should be good:

[smokepolepaul]

Here's one I thought was pretty good.  

[sse]

Here's one I thought was pretty good.  

yesirree...seen it and it is good.  In fact, I think the link has been put up here more than once...