OUR PHILOSOPHY

WE BELIEVE in the interconnectedness of the natural world, the vital strands that link humans and other-than-human beings in reciprocal and cooperative relationship.

WE SEEK the path of true humanness; of health, vitality, community, movement and awareness.

WE LIVE at the intersection of ancestral living skills and modern technology, to forge a lifeway based on our intrinsic connection to the earth.

At the Laughing Coyote Project we participate in our landscape, dive deeply into the rhythms of the natural world and follow the living skills left by ancestral peoples. We play games, run and hide. We use tools of steel, antler, wood and stone. We track the wild animals that infuse our surroundings. We seek a lifeway that embraces the future while honoring the past, to serve as stewards for future generations. We play in all seriousness and practice skills with exuberance. We believe that community is grown slowly and organically through simple authentic human interactions, and welcome adults, families, teens and children to join us. We hunt, forage, garden, compost, build structures, and run barefoot. Our fingernails are dirty and our laughter infectious. Come and join us!

Gelsomina Malferrari-co-founder, head instructor

Gelsomina comes from a family of artisans, and her ability to craft beautiful objects comes from a lifetime of creating. Raised in a bilingual family, the strong family ties of her Italian heritage continue to anchor and inspire her. Gelsomina is passionate about teaching ancestral skills and growing food on her homestead with her family. She fills her days with the joyful company of her children, Lutreo and Fianna, weaving willow baskets, engaging in fiber arts, farming, foraging, preserving, and practicing Brazilian Jiujitsu.

Neal Ritter- co-founder, head instructor

“The Skills of the Ancients are my Muse.” Neal has been hooked on primitive living skills since childhood. He spent his wandering years traveling through many foreign lands, and has thrown himself into primitive skills at wilderness schools around the country and primitive skills gatherings. He is seeking the hybrid primitive-modern living model, where ancestral skills are integrated into everyday life. In addition to primitive skills, Neal is passionate about movement, martial arts, writing, and homeschooling his two children, Lutreo and Fianna. His enthusiasm in games is legendary.

Isaac Coffin- youth and adult programs instructor

Isaac has been with Laughing Coyote Project since 2018, teaching, learning, and working to improve the Laughing Coyote stomping grounds and Fire Willow Farm. A lifelong homeschooler, he began practicing primitive skills as a teenager, learning to tan hides, make bows, and slept for a couple of years in a cattail hut he constructed.

When he is not adventuring with the Laughing Coyote crew, he spends his time working on skills, exploring nature, and expanding his list of hobbies.

Some of his passions include: natural building, primitive hunting methods, tracking, restoring his old truck, and spending time interacting in nature.