I’m in residence in beautiful Suffolk for a short time in the lead up to the Alde Valley Festival, I am turning deer hides into buckskins that would otherwise go to waste from the annual deer cull. The process uses local deer hide, wood ash and cider to turn them into a hard wearing material.
I’ve just come back from a course in primitive skills with Lynx Vilden. It was a very special treat. We worked with flint knives, we killed, ate and worked a lamb. Creating and tanning hides, cordage, pouches, broth and bone tools like the ones pictured. We picked plants, shared stories and walked together. It was great!
It feels relevant to share this here as I’ve found these techniques hugely inspirational, people who have taken the time to learn and test these crafts have a great simplicity, honesty and skill. It gives such an insight into the history of technology, our environment and human ability.
You can watch a video about Lynx here. I think it’s in French (I haven’t watched the other videos out there on the internet).
