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"Through my teaching, I share the impressive technologies which were part of early humans everyday lives, and which can still be a part of ours."
- Theresa Emmerich Kamper
MY VISION
Knowledge belongs to everyone, and should not be thwarted by financial barriers.
I do my best to allow access to the knowledge I have gathered, by traveling to a group of students rather than them traveling to me. Allowing me to keep the costs associated with attending a course to a minimum.
I am committed to open access information, and I want to continue combining academic information with craft knowledge so that both can benefit from each other.These types of collaboration produce research far superior to what can often be accomplished with only one angle.
My PhD thesis combines my personal knowledge of the hands with an academic look at prehistoric tannage technologies. Thanks to generous gifts via GoFundMe from people who share my viewpoint my book is available online at no cost as a read only version. (Link?)
Traditional skills from the past can enrich our present lives and mold our futures. I strive to provide a bridge for this process. Through courses, research and my upcoming Centre for Ancient Technologies.
This is the legacy I want to leave behind.
My services include hands-on, in person courses around the world, lectures, leather artefact analysis, museum presentations and exhibit consultations, as well as appearances in documentaries.
MY BIO
I am an avid practitioner of traditional living skills and primitive technology of all kinds and have followed this interest into the academic field of Experimental Archaeology, in which I hold an MA in Experimental Archaeology and PhD on the ‘Microscopic Analysis of Prehistoric Tanning Technologies’ from the University of Exeter.
I have been tanning skins using traditional technologies for over 30 years. Coming originally from the state of Wyoming in the United States, I was lucky enough to grow up as part of a family of outdoor enthusiasts. This enthusiasm extended to hunting, fishing and trapping in the vast tracts of wilderness surrounding my home town.
Learning to tan was a natural offshoot of the attempt to use as much of the animal as possible, and had the added bonus of producing a beautiful end product. Through much trial and error and with the support of very tolerant parents, I learned to brain tan skins between the age of 11 and 13. Later interaction with other traditional tanners and excellent written information vastly improved the efficiency and quality of my tanning process and end product.
I have taught various tannage types such as fat tan, vegetable tan, alum taw and rawhide production to groups ranging from bush crafters to University students for over 15 years, drawing on my extensive personal experience to provide a broad understanding of the tanning process.
I include in my instruction a diverse range of information, from skin morphology to helpful hints in dealing with the numerous and frustrating problems which are often encountered when first learning to tan (and often long after!).
In addition to my main area of expertise in tanning technologies, I have also taught and demonstrated a wide range of traditional living skills including; the construction and use of traditional weapons, the use of plant and animal fibres, patterning and clothing construction, basketry, clay processing, pottery manufacture and firing, shelter construction and use, friction fire lighting and basic flint knapping and stone tool construction and use.
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