Of Clay and Wattles Made: Building a Primitive Hut from Scratch

One of my all-time favorite poems is “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W. B. Yeats about the simple cabin (“of clay and wattles made”) that he plans to build along shore of the lake and the peace he hopes to find as a result. The poem is beautiful and striking in its simplicity, and so is this process video of a man building an actual primitive hut from scratch.   

The video has no dialogue or narration, but is presented in a way so that you can actually watch it and reproduce it yourself. The builder uses only natural materials and the tools he uses are a stone hand axe to chop wood, fire sticks to make fire, a digging stick for digging and clay pots to carry water. The hut includes a working fireplace and chimney(!) and still has room enough to fit a bed with ample space left over. This may sound like a boring video but watch just a few seconds and I think you’ll be as hooked as I was by the hypnotizing effect of this thoughtful and methodical workmanship.