The Author

Northern Wilderness Skills is a educational blog by Marcus Lepola. Marcus is a museum professional and a Ph.D researcher at Åbo Akademi University in Turku (Swe. Åbo), Finland. He earned his M.A in Ethnology in 2002 from the same university. Marcus also studied archaeology and immersed himself in the study of experimental archaeology.

Marcus is especially interested in primitive and traditional skills of the north, with a strong focus on Finland. He is also interested in practical wilderness skills and knowledge of people living in the Arctic and Subarctic.

Marcus uses his spare time to write articles about old skills, arranging wilderness-classes in traditional northern survival skills, teaching bowyery and spending quality time with his family in the beautiful Åboland Archipelago in Southwest Finland.

Marcus has a a wide range of expertise and has cooperated with several Finnish museums creating exhibits. He has for several years been affiliated with the museums in the municipality of Pargas where he is also currently living.  Marcus is part of the Swedish speaking minority in Finland and is therefore working to raise awareness of old traditions, skills and customs of Swedes in Finland.