A Tribe of Three: Brothers and Neighbor Share Their Love of History and “Primitive Technology”

OLANTA, Pa. — In a small corner of Olanta lives a Tribe of Three.

To truly understand the connection between brothers Greg and Jeff “Mark” Selfridge and their young neighbor and apprentice, Gavin Etters, you have to look back into the history of the Indigenous tribes that once inhabited the area which would eventually become Clearfield County.

While the region wasn’t originally the permanent home of any single group, nomadic hunters frequently visited the valleys and riverways to hunt and fish. The Black Minquas, Lenape, Susquehannock, Seneca, and Haudenosaunee all passed through the area as they traveled along the Great Shamokin Path.

The path was a major Native American trail in Pennsylvania that ran from present-day Sunbury to the Great Island near present-day Lock Haven. The trail played a vital role in the population and development of northwestern Pennsylvania from ancient times through the American Revolution. In 1772, Moravian Bishop John Ettwein and a group of about 200 Lenape and Mohican Christians used the path to travel west from their village near modern Wyalusing on the North Branch of the Susquehanna toward a new settlement on the Beaver River.

Centuries later, the Selfridge brothers entered the historical picture during Harry Matlack’s archaeological excavation on the Grier Bell Farm, which ran from 1979 to 1985. Matlack discovered 126 Late Woodland indigenous graves alongside encampments dating from 1500 to 1650. Historians believe the site was a three-component village that served as a home to at least three distinct groups, with each settlement built directly upon the ruins of the one before it.

The artifacts discovered during the Bell Site dig ignited a deep love of Indigenous culture and history in the Selfridge brothers. Around 2020, they decided to build a replica longhouse on their property in Olanta.

“We weren’t involved in the (Bell) dig, but when he was showing what the house would’ve looked like, I thought ‘man, we ought to build one,” Mark Selfridge said. “Now that was 20-30 years ago. Everybody was working and raising kids and stuff. Fortunately, I got my brother here and it never would’ve have been done without him.”

The brothers made their dream a reality five years ago, originally beginning construction at a different location. They learned a great deal through that initial trial and eventually completed a full longhouse in the field across from Greg Selfridge’s home.

Securing the proper materials to build the longhouse proved to be a challenge. They constructed the birch post framework in the middle of winter. The brothers explained that the bark used for the outer covering must be harvested in the spring, when a tree produces enough sap to allow the outer layers to peel away cleanly. They were fortunate to connect with a neighbor who owned a large stand of hemlock trees that were already scheduled to be cut down due to insect predation.

“That was the worst part,” Greg Selfridge said. “The framework was fun., but we were scoring and peeling the bark, then we had to tie it on. We figured there’s got to be 4,000-5,000 feet of cordage in there.”

“We were wearing our fingers to a nub tying those off.” Mark Selfridge said.

The brothers estimate it took roughly 400 hours to complete the longhouse. To prevent the wood from rotting, they charred the ends of the poles holding the frame together before burying them two feet underground.

Once the structure was finished, the brothers began researching and crafting authentic interior items, including pottery, gourds, animal hides, rattles, drums, and indigenous tools. They are also currently working on a canoe using the traditional method of burning out and scraping a log.

The brothers want visitors to be able to touch and use the items to truly understand what ancestral life was like, rather than looking at artifacts through an exhibition glass.

“We didn’t want it to be ‘don’t touch this or don’t touch anything,’ we want to get them interested.” Mark Selfridge said.

By watching instructional videos, the brothers learned how to make rawhide out of deer skins, which they have incorporated into many of their displays. While they have already hosted several local groups and homeschool students, their true dream is to expand their “tribe.”

The brothers have been teaching Gavin Etters how to knap stone to fashion arrowheads, officially making him the third member of their group. The Selfridges remain willing to host community groups and visitors to teach the history of the region and primitive wilderness skills.

“We built the house, so now what? We had an open house (when the longhouse was first built) but we were just stretched too thin to give a proper presentation,” Mark Selfridge said. “We thought if we got enough interest, people would get enthusiastic about this and share the history.”

“You can get into a long conversation with just one person who’s really interested,” Greg Selfridge added. “If we had more help, we could do a lot more. We could have people teaching what I call ‘primitive technology’ and some call it ‘bush craft,’ you know, how to make cordage, how to chip stone into arrowheads, how to make a drum.”

Until then, the brothers continue to teach Etters and to do the best they can with their tribe of three.

Anyone interested in volunteering or scheduling a visit to view the display can contact Greg Selfridge at 814-577-0793.