Skills and Craft Courses...

This group contains courses focusing mainly on one skill-group. Skills such as fire-by-friction, flint-knapping, pottery and bow-building can be found here. Though some of these courses will take place over more days or over a set number of evenings, many of them are day-long courses. This is the page to go to if you are interested in learning or advancing one particular skill.

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Flint-Knapping

During this course you will be learning the various techniques and skills our pre-historic ancestors required to detach flakes from sharp stone so arrowheads, knives and other tools could be produced. During this course you will be removing flakes from a core and fashioning these flakes into arrowheads. Although this course is very hands-on, a fair bit of science is covered to give you the ultimate understanding of how and why it works, so you will be able to take this skill home to perfect.

Earthenware pottery

Pottery has been around for as long as humanity can remember. Even in the earliest days, clay figurines and art were produced aside from earthenware pots and bowls. Our clay ware will be fired in an open fire, where you will be able to see it start to glow and grow hotter and hotter. While firing, the chemical metamorphoses will be explained in full, allowing you to appreciate the uniqueness of this skill and art.

Basic Basket-Weaving

Using natural willow and other materials such as spruce roots to create baskets of all shapes and sizes is a great way to spend the day. You will be exploring a variety of weaving techniques as used by various native cultures the world around.

Bow-Making

What can be more exciting then making your own bow using the most basic tools and a simple piece of wood? Because of the high success-rate and the detailed learning experience this wood provides, we use specially imported Osage Orange. We will be building Òflat-bowsÓ which are more suitable for close-range hunting, and which are modeled after the various examples of pre-historic bows found in Ireland.

Wild Edibles

Come and learn about local edible plant and tree species, how to prepare them properly and safely and try the various tastes these plants have to offer. This course will also give you the opportunity to prepare a small game animal for food.

Hide-Tanning

As a group we will be processing a deer skin so it will be transformed to soft leather suitable for making clothes, blankets and other items from. If properly processed, this leather can actually be machine washed and be waterproof.

Friction Fire-Lighting

The day will be spend learning how to build a fire that will light no matter how inclement the weather. We will then proceed to carve a bow-drill set in order to create the ember needed to light the fire.