Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 27, 1994 TAG: 9403250007
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV16 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL CSOLLANY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELLETT VALLEY LENGTH: Long
"How many English professors do you know who live in a tepee?" he asks, as if supplying evidence for their claim.
The Radford University instructor is taking a sabbatical from teaching to write a book and spend the seasons of a year living in the canvas-covered structure of some Native Americans.
He's not out there full-time - yet - but he has slept outdoors a few nights including some stays during 10-degree temperatures and ice storms.
"I'm not pretending to live out there. I have too many ommitments. And my wife wouldn't be too happy with me," he said. "And I'm not pretending to be a Native American. I'm an English professor doing an experiment."
Askins has a deep interest in nature and the environment. He's an avid hiker. He likes to teach his students "how to treat the earth as sacred" from a wanderer's perspective rather than an academic's perspective.
For these reasons, he decided to research and write his book in a different setting.
Two years ago, while traveling around the country and exploring Indian reservations, Askins happened upon the Crow Indians of Montana.
He was impressed by their tepees and inquired where he could purchase one.
For $275.00 he bought the canvas. He cut all of the 16-foot wooden poles that form the tepee's skeleton by hand.
Askins is writing about Deep Ecology - a nature philosophy started in the '70s which involves an extension of self into nature and an understanding that all creatures are equal.
He said he enjoys the simple life the tepee affords him - no cellular phones, radios. A cup of coffee is the only "luxury." When temperatures rise in the spring, he said he plans to spend more time in the tepee and bring his lap-top computer for writing.
It was during the 10-degree temperatures of January that Askins said he really learned about the basic needs of life. The fire, the tepee and a sleeping bag kept Askins only minimally warmer.
"When I got cold, I would take a hike. One night, I took three hikes . . . I was really aware of just surviving and that's really rare in life," he said.
While Askins enjoys the tranquility and isolation of his tepee near Ironto in Montgomery County, he is always eager to share the experience with others. His wife, Tracy, has spent an evening there. And he has invited students to a celebration at the site at the end of last semester.
He also offers the tepee and other sites on his 140-acre plot of land near the North Fork Road to others for use as Vision-quest sites. A Vision-quest, Askins explained, is a multi-day ritual where someone spends time alone, fasting, praying for guidance and waiting for a vision.
Askins, a native of New York City, studied and later taught at the City University of New York. But it wasn't until he got an automobile that he yearned for different living.
"When I got my first car, I often drove up to the Catskill Mountains, and I was transfixed by the sublimity of it," he said.
Askins said he turned down a teaching position in Harvard's Expository Writing Program for the more wide open possibilities in Southwest Virginia. "If I taught at Harvard, I would be in a cramped little apartment in Boston."
That was eight years ago.
At Radford, he has taught a variety of courses including creative writing, literature, essay-writing, poetry and most recently an honors course on "Environmental Sanity."
He has been known to lead classes around campus blind-folded to teach students how to be more expressive. Askins also conducts a drumming group he calls "Earth Spirit."
Two years ago, a farmer sold him his old homestead, the land where his tepee now stands.
He plans to keep the five acres surrounding the tepee and hopes to donate the rest to Virginia Outdoor Foundation for use as a sanctuary.
"It's going to be wild forever. That's my payback for all the things the wilderness has done for me."
Askins has written extensively on the outdoors and on the environment. He's also been outspoken about land-use issues.
Last fall, Askins told the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors that a 10-year moritorium on development should be declared.
"We have plenty of time to develop Montgomery County. We have very little time to save it," he said.
"I'm passionate. Some people probably think I'm crazy. I hope I've done some good."
Askins will continue his observation of the natural world's cycles - as Thoreau did at Walden Pond - until the winter solstice.
Then he'll mark the end of his stay in the tepee with a ceremony.
"I've talked to all the trees and animals, so they know my intentions," he joked.
Staff writers Brian Kelley and Robert Freis contributed to this article.
by CNB