Wikipedia
Fire making, fire lighting or fire craft is the process of starting a fire artificially. Fire was an essential tool in early human cultural development. It requires completing the fire triangle, usually by initiating the combustion of a suitably flammable material.
The control of fire by early humans probably dates back to Homo erectus or very early Homo sapiens: that is, 400-200 thousand years ago based on archaeological evidence of hearths. Changes in physique suggest it could go back 1.8 or even 2.3 million years, the latter of which would date to Homo habilis. Smouldering plants and trees, or any source of hot coals from natural fires, may have been the first resources exploited by humans to control fire. Friction is the most commonly used primitive method for making fire. Ancient techniques for starting friction fires include the hand drill, the bow drill, the fire plow and the pump drill. Another ancient technique is the flint and steel method, where hot sparks are struck from a piece of steel or iron onto suitable tinder, such as tinder fungus or char cloth, and fanned into flames. These methods have been known since the Paleolithic age, and are still in common use by some indigenous peoples.
The skills required to create, control and use fire using primitive methods, often in a survival situation, have come into popular use as a component of bushcraft.