"Traditional Aboriginal tanning involves so much more than the physical act of tanning. Traditional tanning is the act of 'reviving' a dead animal's hide into a 'living being', with a soul, power, and sacredness. It is this traditional knowledge of revival and transformation that separates a mediocre tanner from a 'master' tanner." Baillargeon M. - North American Aboriginal Hide Tanning - The Act of Transformation and Revival (2011) p.5 For millennia our ancestors used all of nature’s resources to survive, live and ultimately thrive in their surroundings. It is this ability that enabled the exploration of the world around them, into new and unfamiliar territories, where each new horizon presented fresh challenges and different resources. Although the flora and fauna may have changed as they went the things that remained constant were the need for shelter, water and food. So it is with this fundamental basis that every successful ancestral tribe was established – and they all found their own solutions specific to the climate; from Inuit in the arctic to the indigenous Americans living on the plains. Studying these fast disappearing cultures, alongside archaeological discoveries, highlights the importance of the animals they hunted and the extensive resources that could be called into use. Across this course your instructor will guide you through the magical journey of transforming an animal hide from its raw state into buckskin. Unlike leather, the process of making buckskin has never been mechanised or industrialised and, to this day, remains a hands on task that produces a material like no other. By the end you will be prepared for an onward journey of experimentation into the myriad of other routes that can be taken and of course the finished buckskin that you can then transform again into the project of your choice. "Our ancestors survived on the land and the sea, depending only on animals. It was not always easy for them, but they survived through many dangerous journeys and bitterly cold winters. They not only survived for themselves, they also survived for the future." Mike Angutituak of Kangiqliniq - Taken from Issenman B. K. - Sinews of Survival - The Living Legacy of Inuit Clothing (1997) p.5 Find out more about this course here. This voucher can only be redeemed once for the Hide Work Course. An 18 month Gift Voucher must be redeemed within 18 months of the purchase date.
