Traditional Tanning Workshop

Come along for a hands on family friendly weekend reconnecting to an ancient skill and learning the process of traditional tanning methods for making leather, fur pelts and buckskin. The main method this workshop will be focusing on and demonstrating is Vegetable Tanning using the local wattle (acacia) bark. Our guest speaker Eva Angophora will be coming on Sunday for an introduction to Brain/Fat tanning methods, which is the main method used for making soft buckskin. Vegetable tanning using wattle bark has a long history in Australia. The art of animal skin preservation has existed alongside humankind since the very beginning of our evolution and it is here to stay with us for its undeniable resourcefulness and multitude of practical uses. 

Our community values deepening our connection and respect for nature. Allow the practice of connecting to the animal realm re wild your spirit whilst acquiring an invaluable skill for regenerative living. Making use of a sacred resource that is considered waste in our modern industry, learn how to tan road kills, hunted animals or hides diverted form abattoirs. You will be learning amongst like minded people on a beautiful permaculture property just outside of Laguna in the Lower Hunter Valley. 

The workshop will involve the opportunity to go through the entire Vegetable Tanning process together with a deer, roo, fox and rabbit hides, including steps such as:

- Skinning techniques

- Preservation techniques 

- Fleshing 

- Smoking 

- Harvesting and processing the wattle bark

- Making the tanning liquor

- Pegging and setting the tanned hides

- Cleaning and finishing the hides 

- We will also have a table of interesting items hand made by our facilitators available for sale, including fleshing tools, beams, some furs, leather goods, teas and things made on the property & more. 

The cost of the weekend is $450 for adults and $250 for children between 12-18. With Lunch and morning tea included. 

A cash price of $400 is offered for early bookings prior to the 20th January, please email me for further details. 

The weekend accomodation options are:

1. Camping on site, bring your own set up to sleep comfortably. Communal kitchen for teas and one gas ring. Toilets available, no showers but creek swims! 

2. Local Air bnb within 5 minutes of the property. (Contact Daisy if you wish to opt for this). 

Pack List: 

- Lunch and morning Tea will be provided, however Please bring food and gear needed for your breakfast and dinner. (There may be leftovers too!) 

- Your usual self sufficient camping set up (if staying onsite) cups, bowls, cutlery, gas stove, chairs etc. We do have fridges and freezers to store food. 

- Clothing and Gear for all weather 

- A Sharp Knife if you have one, folding or with a sheath only. 

- If you have any hides you may have acquired and or hand made goods you wish to bring for sale, please communicate with me (Daisy) before brining anything.

Meet your facilitators:

Daisy Allen - is a permaculture designer, educator and grower living with her Partner Tom Oliver and parents between Upper Yengo Creek and Berry on the south coast. Tom and Daisy are the co creator of Wild Earth Culture. Daisy values connecting back to our wild selves, remembering old ways of living that are in alignment with nature and building a regenerative future. Daisy has been farming regeneratively across multiple properties since 2019, due to the ethical processing and hunting of animals, and since meeting Kara, the need for learning how to tan hides had arisen. Daisy has been home scale bark tanning since 2021 and done an array of animals since then for personal use and selling to friends. 

Kara Zulia - originally from Tasmania, Kara is a talented 2nd generation leather worker and has been practicing traditional tannery since 2017. She is based with her partner in Jervis Bay on the south coast of NSW. Kara and Aaron have a shop in Husskison, Delanceys, where they make and sell their leather goods. Kara is also passionate about preserving and practicing old ways which have been long forgotten. This enables Kara and Aaron to live amongst nature in an off grid property. Kara has extensive experience tanning hides which she sells and displays in her shop and to use in her beautiful leather work. 

Eva Angophora - Co-creator of Wild Beings, a team of re wildling facilitators, who are teaching workshops and holding gatherings intended to connect the community back with our ancient ancestral skills and wild ways of being. Eva is an embodiment of her teachings, having lived completely submerged in the bush for multiple long periods at a time, using her skills to thrive sustainably and reconnect her to deeper more regenerative ways of living. Eva has extensive experience with many kinds of tanning methods for making buckskin, leather and furs from a wide array of animals since 2018. Eva often uses her own tanned leather and hides to make useful items.  

Feel free to email Daisy with any further questions or queries related to the workshop!

daisyallen1996@gmail.com

Kara, Eva and I are very excited to meet you and we really look forward to empowering you with the gift of tanning that has been for us a portal to re-wilding the self, it is a process of connection much deeper than meets the eye...