January 15, 2022

My guest on this podcast, Mansal Denton, also known as “Little Beaver,” is the founder of Sacred Hunting, host of the Mansal Denton Podcast, and the subject of an upcoming documentary BELOW THE DROP, which explores the relationship to life and death through hunting. 

Feeling insecure in early life, Mansal chased a woman to Europe, which led him to prison. Struggling with shame and confusion of what it meant to be a man, he found his calling with the sacred art of hunting. He now desires to share this practice with more men.

Mansal Denton's indigenous name comes from a Crow Sun Dance chief. His spiritual lineage is derived from six years of mentorship from a Muskogee/Creek medicine man named Will “Star Heart.”

What is Sacred Hunting? It's a practice that's intended to lead you back to your origins. Sacred Hunting is also…

…a reminder that, for your ancestors, obtaining the food that sustains life was a spiritual act involving bloodshed.

…a reconnection to nature and the earth that gave us birth.

…an opportunity for connection and tribal brotherhood.

…a transformative encounter with death.

Mansal Denton, like the men he leads on wilderness quests, was raised in a culture alienated from its sources of nourishment and sustenance. A youthful indiscretion that led to a prison cell fundamentally altered his life’s trajectory. Here, Mansal shows the power and vitality that the hunt can bring into men’s lives in this perilous time when rites of passage are notably absent. Sacred Hunting brings the richness of his hunting experience, and that of the men whose journeys he facilitates, into inspirational focus.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

– Sacred Hunting: Rekindling an Ancient Spiritual Practice by Mansal Denton

• Sacred Hunting 

-How a stint in the clink became a rite of passage for Mansal…07:23

• Some societies have used prison sentences in place of actual “rites of passage”
• Hunting has long been an element of a rite of passage into manhood among indigenous cultures
• BGF podcast with Tim Corcoran:
  • How To Go On A Vision Quest & Embark Upon A Rite Of Passage, with Tim Corcoran.
• Experience in prison explored relationship to self, sense of sovereignty
• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Two segments in prison:
  • Resistance, struggle, denial
  • Surrender, abundance, sovereignty, agency
• Prison workout manuals/body-weight activities
• Convict Conditioning: How to Bust Free of All Weakness-Using the Lost Secrets of Supreme Survival Strength by Paul Wade

-Ben's preferred style of hunting and why…20:08

• Unaware his father was an avid hunter
• Became involved after prison stint
• The feeling of inadequacy among other people
• “What does it really mean to be a man?”
• Modern Americans lack proper role models regarding masculinity
• Bowhunting is kind of like spear-fishing re: physicality, intimacy with nature, the hunt
• Train to Hunt programs
• BGF podcasts with Kenton Clairmont:
  • Are Hunters The Fittest People In The World?, with Kenton Clairmont.
  • Blue Lips, Meat Packs, Baling Hay & Beyond: The Man Responsible For Sparking A Fitness Revolution In The Hunting Industry, with Kenton Clairmont.

-When the hunt took on its sacred form for Mansal…33:51

• Weeklong ayahuasca retreat; profound insights around what it means to take life
• BGF podcasts on ayahuasca:
  • Ayahuasca 101, Tripping Out On Nutmeg, Magic Mushrooms & More With Dennis McKenna.
  • Ayahuasca, Smart Drugs, Anti-Aging & More With Brian Rose of London Real.
• Tension within, grieving the loss of the animal
• The things that are sacred are what pull at our heartstrings
• The way you do one thing is the way you do everything
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
• First hunt was in W. Texas
• Photo of a black buck antelope
• Attended next ayahuasca with the skin of the animal he had killed
• The catalyst for relationship with nature, higher power, etc.
• The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
• When Death Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

-An insider's look at the sacred hunting experience…44:08

• Create intentionality within one's own practice; no one-size-fits-all approach
• Each arrow sent is a prayer for the animal being hunted
• Fasting and abstinence prior to the hunt (around a week)
• Create a connection with animals and nature before arrival
• Click here to sign up for a sacred hunting experience with Mansal
• Thank the land; ask permission of the land to be there
• Usually 6-8 participants plus a couple of guides
• Option to hunt with a rifle or a bow

-Why it's especially empowering that sacred hunts occur with men only…57:52

• All the meat hunted is split evenly among the group
• Modern men lack community and opportunity to be men

-How plant medicines can enhance the hunt…1:02:344

• Emphasize slowing down, making it less like a job or task

-What occurs after the animal is killed…1:06:07

• Express gratitude for the animal who's been killed
• Tobacco
• Extra energetic feeling felt when you take time to acknowledge the death of the animal

-And much more…

Upcoming Events:

• Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldlife.com/calendar

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– Mansal Denton:

• Sacred Hunting
• The Mansal Denton Podcast
• Sacred Hunting: Rekindling an Ancient Spiritual Practice by Mansal Denton
• BELOW THE DROP – Soon To Be Released Documentary

– Podcasts:

• Blue Lips, Meat Packs, Baling Hay & Beyond: The Man Responsible For Sparking A Fitness Revolution In The Hunting Industry, with Kenton Clairmont.
• Are Hunters The Fittest People In The World?, with Kenton Clairmont.
• How To Get Into Hunting, Build Hunting Fitness, The Most Challenging Hunts & More!, with Marc Warnke.
• How To Build Primal Fitness And Endurance By Hunting: An Interview With A Bowhunting Triathlete, with Shad Wheeler.
• 3 Ways Hunting Can Get You Ripped And 10 Ways To Get Fit For Hunting, with Arp Smith.
• Ayahuasca 101, Tripping Out On Nutmeg, Magic Mushrooms & More With Dennis McKenna.
• Ayahuasca, Smart Drugs, Anti-Aging & More With Brian Rose of London Real.

– Books:

• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
• The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
• When Death Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

– Other Resources:

• Train To Hunt
• Black Buck Antelope

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Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Mansal Denton or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!