What on earth are primitives? Well, as one person has put it, "I know them when I see them!" I can understand that but thought it would be useful to start with a visit to the Random House Dictionary: (i) being the first or earliest of the kind; (ii) early in the history of…humankind; (iii) characteristic of early ages or an early state of human development; (iv) old fashioned; (v) simple, unsophisticated; (vi) crude, unrefined. Primitives are some or all of these, and perhaps a few others as well. There is no accepted all-embracing definition, just as there is no agreed upon classification. However most share the features of utility and individuality because they were hand made for specific purposes.

Early settlers worked the land, so agricultural primitives are frequently found. Of necessity farmers are thrifty and inventive (as well as hard working – so hats off to them!). Every homestead needed buckets, made of wood or leather; grain shovels were made of wood; there were wooden plows, pig feeders, milking stools, metal working and numerous other tools. There were also special work benches for harness making, shingle splitting, shoe making, and so on.

Inside the house domestic primitives would include a host of kitchen utensils such as spoons, ladles, dippers, rollers, mashers and molds. Spinning and weaving needed many accessories which were made on the premises. And then there are those inscrutable mystery gadgets of no known utility – probably because the task they performed no longer exists.

This is but a small list of primitives, there are countless more for gardening, recreation, hunting, fishing, decoration, to say nothing of furniture such as tables, chairs, benches and wash stands. Some were, indeed, crudely made without thought to posterity, others were beautifully made and handsomely decorated. No matter how, or of what material, they were made, the wonderful appeal of primitives lies in their simple honesty. They are unpretentious, workaday pieces, time hallowed and hand worn.

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