looking for tipi village in america to join ... any legal ones out there ?

[rockrush69]

 I am in search of AT I am in search of ... i am in search of a tipi village so.ewhere in north america ... i was very much so turned on to this way of life from a few posts i found on here then some more resear ch online . But the one that I was planning to move to in South Oregon seems to b on its wa to extinction so now I am looking for a nother anywhere where it is not sweltering hot .... anyone know of such a place ?

[rockrush69]

Sorry my phone seems to malfunction on this sight . Lol makes me type studdering . Lol

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

coming from a guy that moved to Montana, build a small log cabin and lived in it totally off grid a while....  here are a few words to advice to hopefully help you in your quest.  Many states it is ILLEGAL to live offgrid.  Montana is one of the only states that they wont bother you, but the sacrifice you give is having to live amongst the dregs of society.. Unfortunately your neighbors will likely not be the romantic primitive living types that you hope. Lots of people who live like this are on the run thieves, druggies and miscreants. Just wanted to point that fact out because I didn't realize it until I lived there!  Any place extremely cheap to live, they'll call home. Now if you can find a strict tipi community, you may make out better... but you are still living on borrowed land and that can be tough. The best thing you can do is buy your own land in a state that has no rural habitation or building laws. Look for outhouses in the area.. you'll only find working outhouses in places that will tolerate off grid living... it's tougher than you think. The problem you will find with a community of people is there will be a conflict in land and how people use it.  Someone will inevitably take a .22 out to shoot rabbits and squirrels on a regular basis and game will become very scarce very quick.  People will make poor decisions with their waste and soon it wont be such a pretty, pristine place anymore. These are reasons that no one wants people living like this on their land and why state/federal lands have a maximum limit on camping days..  unfortunately the days of living this lifestyle are gone in this country unless you want to live in the ugliest, God forsaken places that no one else cares about. If there is a community that pops up on a nice ranch, it is inevitable that it will be short lived or they will start charging rent on the land in order to keep things cleaned up and keep the riffraff out.  I really wanted to live this lifestyle with my family, we made electric with solar, had satellite internet and hauled our water.. it's romantic until you realize that you have to work much harder to live b\c you providing for yourself... not much down time.. always chores that NEED done. We lasted a few years off and on but it starts to be no fun when you work so hard for what you have and you are afraid to leave it because your neighbors down the road are known thieves.. gets to where you are afraid to leave your wife and kid alone too! Winter is flat out tough and depressing.  Off grid places are notoriously tough to get in and out of in the winter and/or rainy seasons.  They are going to be dirt roads with poor access... no one will want to plow them or grade them for you for cheap. Living off the land in these conditions are extremely tough.... a lot of people died in these situations before modern civilization.  Now I dont ever want to discourage anyone from wanting to go live the primitive living dream because some of us need to go explore this route, myself included.  I live in FL and was born and raised here. I up and left to Montana to pursue this dream and it cost me soooo much money.  When I add up the cash I spent in the long run of moving costs, land costs and solar, electric necessities, after 3 years in MT I spent around 50k dollars that was completely flushed down the drain, no recovery.   Had I just stayed in FL and saved more I could have just bought myself 10-20 acres of FL land when prices bottomed out and I could have set up a nice "camp" there.  FL wont let you live in a house without running water or septic and wont let you "live" in a dwelling under 600 sqft (unless you have an old house that was built prior to the building codes) You actually are required to have A/C to live in FL too... if they catch you without a\c they can condemn the house!  ... BUT the good news is you can "camp" in Florida all you want and you are not required to have running water, a/c  electric or septic, but you can't " live" there.. but you can camp every day of the year..you just cant "live" there.... so basically you need to have a home address to show that you don't live there and you are just camping.... so a relatives house? or good friend?  It's not a bad idea to have a backup plan should the situation not pan out.  I know FL probably doesn't sound like the dream place, but it's actually better than you think. think it's hot here in the summertime???  You would not believe how hot central montana is in the summer... no joking..100degrees every day....hotter than FL and no coastal breeze! I didn't think you needed A/C in the summertime of MT... dead wrong.. wow that was miserable.  Winters in FL are mild yet you will find that living in a tipi in FL will get pretty darn cold too...  but living in a place that can hit 20 below zero is down right dangerous.. In my thick walled cabin I spent many nights of no sleep slaving over the wood stove to make sure the house didn't freeze inside despite the stove burning full blast... and that was in a cabin!   There is no such thing as- build a fire before bed and the coals will keep you warm all night. Its, I'm up every 2 hours filling the stove... in a non-air controlled tipi fire, your logs wont last very long and you may be paranoid to sleep afraid you'll burn the place down.   Nothing is worse than waking up frosty and having your water frozen!   It's tough out there. Only after you live it can you realize that it's not romantic...it's down right scary and amazing how our ancestors survived like this for thousands of years.   Before you head out on your adventure, I'd set up camp at some state camping grounds. some have a 3 week maximum camp time, then move down the road to a new one. try this out with your tipi in FL first this winter and see if you still want to take the next step before you commit to a cross country move and find yourself working odd jobs to save enough money to move back home. It's a sobering experience that I wouldn't give up the knowledge i gained in the process, but I wished I would have talked to someone who did it before I went. If you can find a couple acres of land here in FL to owner finance or buy outright, that may be a good option for you. Just enough to get your camp out of sight from the road and neighbors.  That is what I am in the process of doing now. I came home, saved for a solid year while working and paid cash for a $24k house so I have a home, now I am saving cash to buy my own few acre camp.. with any luck I will find a few affordable acres below the flood plane for cheap that backs up to a state forest.  Then I can have my get away camp for whenever I like.  Stay as long or as short as I like and no one to tell me one day that I have to move. I sure wish you luck in whatever adventure you take. A part of me wishes I would have gone the tipi route instead of the cabin, but my wife refused the tipi idea so I compromised with the cabin. It was way tougher than I ever fantasized it would be. I left Montana humbled and somewhat relieved (although I hate to admit that).

[rockrush69]

Wow . That sucks . I did libe in wisconsin for a few years and spent an entire wi ter living in the back of my pick up with a camper top .. and it sucked . Then i rented a deer camp and spent alll night stoking fires too . I even documented it on youtube . "Survivorman living out of truck "  lol . It was fun . But sucked too . Im kinda over it . It seems like our world has changed and is not allowed to be the way it was before . The rural areas are as you said filled with thiefs and what not .... its sad ... anywYs .. thanks for the advice .

[rockrush69]

Well the tipi village in oregon has invited me to come stay in the big tipi and visit so ... maybe i will just go tryit out .... i can always just leave if i dont like it .

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

yup, that may not be a bad deal for you. just getting there and back would be the only obstacle. good luck on your adventure. I made some good memories on mine... most involved hunting or building the cabin.... the living part made me some bad memories tho!

[NimRand]

Ryan

Thanks for being so candid. Your explanation of off the grid living will take the wind out of someones sails and open the eyes off another considering it. We all fantasize that the grass is greener but it never is. I like most would like to chuck my regular job and for me move back to Michigan where land can be had relatively cheap, even better if there is a cabin on it and live semi autonomous but as you eluded too it is whole lot more work than think. Plus for me, my wife doesn't want to move back to Michigan. Our kids, and grandkids are here and she doesn't have plans on leaving. Buying land in Nebraska is pretty much out of the question. It is very expensive if you live within an hour of the Omaha/Lincoln Metro and don't desire to move to Iowa. Anywhere outside the hour where it is rural is farmland, which is expensive.

[JW_Halverson]

If you look back in history, there are many clues to how tough this life was.  For example, read the accounts of the mountain men.  Granted, only a few ever wrote their memoirs and only later in life at that. There are lots of accounts of homesteaders and how they worked sunup to sundown, only to lay awake at night worried about how they were ever going to make it.  Or just look at the once nomadic plains tribes today.  They have some tipis here and there, but they rarely spend that much time in them.  Even they readily admit that a hot shower and a flush toilet are pretty handy amenities. 

Fact is, it was all very highly romanticized.  I run in the Rendezvous scene.  In camp, we are required to maintain the look of a camp prior to a certain date in history, typically 1840.  Folks are allowed to have things like coolers as long as they cannot be seen.  I go to the extremes along with other Historical Trekkers and eliminate everything that dates after my cutoff of 1776.  It's not unusual to be in camp asking yourself just why in the blazes you are putting up with these miserable conditions when you don't have to.....but a week or so later when you are on the phone with a buddy halfway across the country you are speaking very fondly of time in camp!  It's only enjoyed in the anticipation of going to camp, and the relief that comes a week or so after camp when multiple showers have scraped off the layers of grunge and funk!!!

It's fun to do as a hobby, but there is a reason why very few people do it full time.  In this day and age when people are being raised with constant affirmations that you are exceptional it's tough to understand, you are very likely NOT a 1 percenter.  So, before you chuck it all in the dust bin and run away to the circus to be a lion tamer, just see if you can make your dog in the backyard behave first!  And if you are honest with yourself, you will check your motivations immediately.  If you are dropping out of common culture because life is so hard, or you don't like your boss, or showing up on time, or you don't feel like giving 110% all the time, you are in for an a$$whipping of epic proportions when it's time to cut enough firewood to heat a tipi thru a long winter...remember, their insulation rating is R-squat.

[rockrush69]

A couple things though ... number one ... this tipi village moves twice a year . And has been there for six years . There are rivers to wash in and bathing tubs to take warm heated baths . They are already colonized some . And there is a parking place fifteen min walk away . And most of them work in the near by town . They get food assistance and go shopping in town . And they haVe solar panels and cell phones with internet . And if a tipi is made right with a liner it is actually very warm . And has fresh air and perfect flow for smoke . I understand i will work hard . But as a carpenter and a roffer in Florida. And for five years in wisconsin ( where for one year wi ter included i lived i. An un insulated shack with a wood stove for heat and cooking . ) i lived very ruffly . This will by no means be my first rodeo . But man you guys are all very cool and i do appreciate you trying to save me a bunch of bull crap ! Actually . Most people would just let someone go die out there ... just another Testament i feel like i have a bunch of big brothers looking out for me . And thats a very good thing . Thank you my friends . Namaste

[rockrush69]

I have to tell you guys about this cool adventure I went on I took off with o I took off with one friend across the United States we ended up in the appellatio we ended up in the appalachan mountains where we Sat for a long time stuck. Up on a mnt. Top with no gas and had to live off the land for 2 and a half months till we could finally talk my pops into wiring me eighty bucks ... we ended up in wisconsin.  And lived on a farm in our van keeping bees for ten bucks an hour and trimming xmas trees . I met my babies mom there and fell in love . I am a musician and was suppossed to be on my way to cali... everything changed when i met christy ...  got an offer to be in a band back in Florid with some of the members from "COLD" and " SHINE DOWN " THE BANDS NAME IS "ALLELE"  i joined the band.  Moved back to florida ... got a record deal with sony atv and hype music ( mtvs label) we have a music video on mtv.com and youtube ( search " ALLELE IMMUNE" ) and got to tour in a fifty ft. Prevo ( tour bus) all across the usa.  I have played broadway and everything . ... but the lifestyle was not for me . Being away fromy son was killing me . So i quit the band and started learni g survival . Made my first bow while still in allele . And. Havent stopped since . ( by the way the tipi village has i think eight kids living there one was just born there ) i have seen alot . Done alot . And im naturally an adventurer . I habe a solid network of people all over the usa that i can run to if things go wrong . So if i do go to the tipi village for a few weeks/months/years . I can allways bail if it starts sucking .but as i drive through my city i cant help but be disgusted with how badly over populated it is and how much of an a hole most people are ... i just want a pure life for me and my kids and i would rather work my butt off and keep thwm pure and free of the negativity . Then live in this melting pot of thugs and gangster wanna be s shooting eachother and begging for money . S.w. florida has a pill epidemic going on bad . And everyone here is a junky . I have even fell into it a few times with a hard hard recovery . And i need an escape.  I hope you enjoyed my story slash rant . Annd i ment no offense to anyone withm words . I love all of my fellow archers . Peace .

[JackCrafty]

Living in a campsite by myself for a while was a good experience for me.  It helped me "heal" from many of the sicknesses of living in society.  But I couldn't have done it without the umbilical cord of electricity, steady income, and hot water.  And raising the kids in camp?  No way.  I kept my camp very clean a free of anything I didn't need, which was basically anything that wouldn't fit in my tent.  I couldn't do that with my family living with me.

I was forced to live off the grid because of work (remote jobs) and the fact that I couldn't afford to live in a hotel.  I know I could live that way forever but it's lonely.  I wouldn't do it unless I had to.  Eventually I hope to live on a small farm and eat fresh, homegrown food every day.  That's my dream.   

[rockrush69]

Dude allergic hobit !!!! I learned to flint knap from you . You just commented on my english longbow the other day andiwas super happy to see a person i looked up to say something i did was cool .   i am actually following your build Long for sinew bowstring on youtube right now

[JackCrafty]

   Heheh...  Thanks, man.  Post then string when you're done (if you decide to make one).  I'd love to see it.

[rockrush69]

I definatly will post pics of the sinew string once its done .

[Ahnlaashock]

I own 70 acres with a 30 foot construction trailer on it.  It has electric, range, full sized fridge, outhouse, outside tented area with wood stove, and thousands of acres of national forest within a short walk.  The driveway is 4 miles from the blacktop road. 
Living back in there full time is not impossible, but it isn't easy either.  You would have to grow about a half acre garden, hunt, fish, trap, and still you have to produce an income to cover the electric, taxes, and to pay for the things you can not make or grow. 
I just returned from a ten day stay, where I never left that area during the ten days.   The mast crop is a total failure this year, and the only plentiful food sources this year, are hickories and walnuts.  Gathering enough hickory nuts, and preserving the nuts or processing for the oils, would be easy this year, but since the mast crop failed, even squirrels would be hard to come by right now. 
The animal population has dropped to the point where our garbage from the first day, was still there on the 11th.  A deer carcass laid for a full week without being messed with.   It would be a hard place to winter this year at a subsistence level. 
I have spent extensive periods of time living hunter gatherer, and I was good at it, albeit with a modern air rifle as my hunting weapon. 
One lesson needs be learned from the beginning. 
I went out a day before season, to get in the creek looking for good stone, or artifacts.  I was picking up likely looking pieces and striking a couple of flakes off to see what they were.  I rapidly recognized that most of the likely pieces, all had a couple of flakes already knocked off of them.  Almost every single one.  Some of it is likely natural, but more than one person had been up that creek looking for stone, and some of the scars were so old, they had the same patina as the rest of the stone.   I found one block that appeared to have been used as a core to drive blades off of.   Where ever it is, someone has tried to live there in a primitive or off grid manner, and did so, for a very long time period.  It can be done, but it depends on what you require. 
I do not require company, and I am quite happy to live that way for long periods, or was.  Then we reach the really hard part.  I am now old enough that most of those activities hurt.  I am already older than the life expectancy of someone living that lifestyle.  The older you get, the harder it gets, and the more it hurts.   This should be a prime consideration from the beginning.