Eddie began cultivating his relationship with the Earth at an early age. He grew up in Texas where his father, a veterinarian and an avid outdoorsman, had him out in the woods almost as soon as he could walk. It was from his Dad that Eddie learned most of his stalking and hunting skills (he harvested his first two deer at the age of 10) along with his love of, and respect for, the wild places of the world and their inhabitants.

In his late teens Eddie discovered bow-hunting, and by the time the season rolled around when he was 19, he was using this primitive art almost exclusively. Soon after, he began building his own bows, fashioning his own arrows, and spending his lunch hours out at a nearby archery range where he would shoot about 100 arrows a day. By the mid-eighties he was competing in Traditional Archery tournaments throughout the United States, where he consistently placed well against some of the top long bow archers in the country.

Soon after discovering bow-building, Eddie came across a book on Flintknapping, and a true passion was ignited. He broke a lot of rock (badly), read many more books, and broke a lot more rock. He started making rock runs and hauling thousands of pounds of stone out of the backcountry with which to work. It wasn't long before he was producing top-quality arrowheads, spear points, jewelry and other eccentric pieces, in the company of some of the U.S.'s top flintknappers. For years, Eddie got together every Wednesday night to "beat rock, drink beer and tell lies" with his knapping buddies. Joe Miller and Bob Thompson were regulars at these informal get-togethers, and on any given week you might have found a variety of the old-school flintknappers, including Woody Blackwell, D.C. Waldorf, Jim Redfern, Craig Ratzat, Dan Theus and many others. It was during these "garage knap-ins" that Eddie learned many of the finer aspects of the art from these legendary talents. Skills that he has honed over many years and, in turn, passed along to some of this generation's finest flintknapping teachers, such as Bill McConnell, Bill Kaczor and others. Over 25 years later flintknapping is still Eddie's greatest passion among the primitive arts.

As someone who believes that trial and error, experimentation, and hands-on practice are the best ways to learn any new skill, Eddie spent an entire year blowing up pottery in a primitive kiln before he began to turn out some beautiful pieces. While the story of his first braintanning experience is legendary (if you ask nicely, he may tell it to you around the campfire one night), he has since worked not only deer and other small game, but bear, moose and buffalo, to name a few. As an avid practitioner of all aspects of primitive living, Eddie has spent many years building baskets, making salves, soaps and tinctures, experimenting with many different styles of shelters, and learning how to find, identify, harvest and cook wild edibles in every season. He has published multiple articles sharing his skills and experiences in several magazines, including Primitive Archer and Wilderness Way.

A former Hunter Safety Education Instructor for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Eddie spent over 10 years conducting workshops in Texas prior to becoming an instructor for, then Direcor of, Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School. During his tenure as one of "the finest instructors and Trackers I have ever had the privilege of teaching", (TB Jr., Case Files of the Tracker), Eddie taught primitive skills, tracking, and nature awareness to many thousands of students.

Wanting to return to his roots and get back to teaching in the manner in which he was taught, Eddie founded Practical Primitive together with Julie Martin in January 2007. The small-group workshops and Personal Mentoring sessions that are the focus of the school provide a unique opportunity for those who wish to learn quality skills from one who has spent the majority of his life working, learning, and perfecting the Primitive Arts.

Julie Martin

Co-Founder, Head of Operations & Instructor