Passing on Skills, Fun, and Memories

By Ron Wasson

Looking back on my childhood I realize that it differed from most. I had the blessing of being born halfway across the world, in Nigeria, West Africa, where my parents were stationed as foreign missionaries. I spent my childhood years in this tropical country in the 1960’s when the place was more remote and not as populated and developed as it is now. Remembering those years seems almost magical as I reflect on where I spent seemingly endless hours climbing trees, chasing lizards, and playing barefoot in the cool tropical rains.

I have many fond memories; however, one that stands apart from others was an adventurous game that taught me survival skills, if I should ever need them, while playing in the Nigerian bush country. The uncultivated Nigerian countryside was filled with trees and tall grasses, as well as some bare, open dirt spots. The local people referred to this untamed land as Bush Country, or simply “the bush”, which was within walking distance of our home in Ogbomoso. I was the third of five children, four of whom were boys. My two older brothers and I often played in this isolated land and one of our favorite activities was building a “fort.” As I look back on it now, I realize that in child’s play, I was learning wilderness skills. If I ever found myself stranded in a similar environment, I would know how to make a simple shelter.

How did we build these forts? We almost always had machetes with us, which we used to cut away the bush to form a small clearing on the spot where we wanted to build our fort. Finding that perfect spot depended on the trees in the area. We needed to find a tree with forked branches that were sturdy enough to be used to support our “lean-to” fort. But it also needed to be within our reach since we would soon be cutting a limb that would reach the fork in the tree.

The limb needed to be about eight to ten feet long and sturdy. Once found, we used our machetes to cut it down and “cut” all the smaller branches from it to make it a pole. Afterward, we worked together to carry it to the tree where we positioned the smaller end between the forked branches. Carrying the other end out to the side of the tree where it was placed on the ground, we made a lean-to that extended several feet out from the tree. Once we had completed that task, and the large pole was secure, we used other smaller limbs to lean against both sides of the pole, making an A-frame structure. We had no tools other than the machetes—no hammer or nails—nothing other than what we could find in the surrounding bush, and our own imagination and ingenuity.

The Nigerian people taught us many things. One was that we could make a decent rope from the bark of a banana tree. The banana bark has multiple layers, like an onion, that we would peel off in strips soak them in water, weave them together, and then leave them out in the hot tropical sun to dry. Once dried, we used them to tie the limbs on each side of the A-frame by winding them around each other and tying them to the large pole limb that we previously placed between the fork of the selected tree.

Now that we had the frame for the fort, we needed a roof to provide shade and keep us dry should we get caught in one of those tropical rains that happened so often during the rainy season in Nigeria. This was the easy part. A few large banana leaves secured in place over the limbs worked great. Palm leaves could be used too; they aren’t as effective as banana leaves. These leaves covered the openings between the limbs that formed the A-frame and caused the rain to roll down the leaves to the ground. Unless a strong wind suddenly developed, our little fort worked and protected us from the elements as well as from any snakes, bush rats or other unwanted creatures that might otherwise have dropped on our heads from the trees above us.

These are fond memories from a long-ago time. I am not a little boy playing in Nigeria anymore. Today, I am a grandfather living in Texas. But these shelter-making survival skills can still be used if I ever found myself lost in the woods, though I would have to substitute other plants for the banana trees.

My son in-law and his brother have a small cabin out in a rural part of East Texas where we hunt and spend time enjoying the woods. We all enjoy going there and some day, I want to teach my grandson (and granddaughters) how to build a fort. We’ll only take a few tools, if any, and we will have to discover what trees in that part of Texas will work to make rope and good roofing material to cover the structure in case of rain. The rest should work just like it did in my tropical childhood home.

In the process, I will re-live old memories and make new ones. It’s definitely on my bucket-list!

Ron was born in Nigeria, West Africa, the son of missionaries, where he spent most of his pre-teen years during the late 1950s and 1960s. Ron was recently inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and is proud that his ninth great-grandfather fought for our country’s independence and for the freedom that we all enjoy today. He also has a passion for his childhood days and relives his experiences by telling and writing about the various adventures while growing up in Nigeria, many of which have been published. Ron’s articles and devotions have been published in numerous magazines including SEEK (Standard Publishing), Among Worlds Magazine (interaction International), Power for Living (David C Cook), the Upper Room, The Secret Place (Judson Press), and he has had short stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and Prayer Warrior Confessions (Write Integrity Press). After a long career in telecommunications, he retired in January 2021 and now lives in the Dallas, Texas area with his wife of 44 years. They have two daughters and son in-laws and three grandchildren. He and his wife are active church members and enjoy playing and being with their grandchildren. Ron loves hunting, fishing, camping, gardening, and genealogy.

Feature Image Ylands.com