gifts of the deer

a two weekend class processing deerskin to buckskin, and crafting buckskin to a bag

Since the beginning of time we have relied entirely on the generosity and gifts of the plants and animals to feed and clothe us, and our ancestors have honored and maintained the bonds of kinship with them in prayer that their generosity may continue. In the midst of modernity and consumer culture, these deeply important relationships between people and animals have been frayed, and many of us no longer have opportunity to be in the direct relationship with them in a way that heals and mends the frayed space between us. This class is intended to support students in stepping deeper into this ancestral relationship as we consciously inherit the gift of the deers hide, and together turn their hide to buckskin, then craft their buckskin to a side bag to move into your world with you.

This class will offer an opportunity for story and connection around each of our relationships with the deer, woven in to two weekends of learning how to turn raw deerskin into buckskin, and turn that buckskin into a bag.

Students will have the opportunity to learn the basics of hide tanning over the first weekend ~ scraping, braining, wringing, softening and smoking

and the opportunity to learn the basics of buckskin crafting over the second weekend - making cuts, learning five kinds of helpful stitches, and embellishing their projects with embroidery, wood burning, and patch work.

email Lucas at beautiful.clouds.44@gmail.com

to inquire about upcoming classes

gifts of the deer - class details

our two weekend class will begin by weaving shared meaning around our personal, communal, and ancestral relationships with the deer, and share about ways different cultures have inherited deers gifts and generosity into their communities, and worked to sustain healthy relationships, encouraging and uplifting the lives of the animal families that give us life. each day we will share a meal of wild/local foods, and plenty of venison.

we will learn about the basics of traditional buckskin tanning over our first weekend, students working in groups of two, sharing efforts in tanning a hide between them. our first day we will learn about fleshing and scraping hides, and returning what we can not use intentionally to the environment to ensure that all of the deers body is honored and entrusted to the beings that may turn their gifts to life and nourishment. our hides will dry over lunch, before beginning our first rounds of applying the "brain solution" (we will use egg yolk instead of brains. brains are particularly susceptible to pathogens, so though i do use them in tanning personally, i will not be doing so for these student classes.), and ringing them mostly dry, repeating this braining process twice our first day.

our second day we will do a third and final ringing, before beginning the softening process. any part

of the hide that dry's without being worked has the potential of stiffening, so this part of the process usually requires the most attention. we will break to gather punk wood (partially rotted wood, used for its ability to smoke without turning to flame) and stitch the hides together to finish our day completing the final step in the tanning process, of smoking.

our second weekend will begin with learning five different stitches on a practice piece of buckskin; the whip stitch, running stitch, blanket stitch, French twist, and herringbone stitch. we will learn about making cuts , cutting buckskin lacing, and figuring what stitches we would be best used for different places on our bags.

our final day together will begin by learning and practicing three different forms of embellishing; patch work, basic embroidery, and wood burning, before continuing to sew together and embellish our bags.

a very special teaching shared by many peoples of turtle island, that i personally practice and encourage, is to gift the first of everything we create, usually to an elder who has made an impact on our lives. this is one small way i have learned to honor, and pass forth the generosity we inherit from the animals who give their lives for us. my entire trust is in each student to know exactly the right placement in the world for their creations, and it feels honest to share initially my affinity for that particular teaching, as to not catch anyone off guard weaving it in at the end :)

this class is currently being offered for four students at a time, with a $400 tuition for each student.

contact lucas schuster at Beautiful.clouds.44@gmail.com, or at 425-471-3497 to join a class

honorable harvest

honorable slaughter and every-part-of-the-animal processing service, offering our clients an integral bridge between them and their food

Our prayer is to cultivate our offering as a bridge of intimacy, reverence, and care between people and their food. We believe in the power of intimacy and care with the beings who give us life to help heal many of the cultural, emotional and spiritual wounds that often become numb in the wake of an animacy denying consumer culture, as well as our relationship with animals and living world. We thrive to bring animals thru their threshold of dying with wisdom and open hearted care, and to process their bodies in a way that might be worthy of the immense gift of their lives we inherit, and to be an integral bridge for our clients in that process offering you the fullness of all that the animals entrust to us in their passing.

we offer our clients the opportunity to be as close to the harvesting of the animals that feed them as they feel comfortable, weather they entrust the entire harvest to earth bridge, wish to personally be guided in holding the knife, or anywhere in between, we wish to support the healthy and intimate receiving of life between people and animals. post harvest, earth bridge will be responsible to processing every part of their body, making skin salve/cooking tallow from fat, broth from bone, tanning the hide, and processing meat and organ to the preference of each client. we source from organic, and beautifully raised heards, mainly in the chimacum valley

honorable harvest- details

OUR VALUES;

Death care - offering a beautiful death transition thru intimacy, ritual, soul centered dying and song

honoring every part of the body- recognizing intentional butchering as a spiritual responsibility in the death care process, ensuring no part of the animal is wasted, with all parts that can be used by people processed to be so, and all other parts given places in the soil, ecosystem, and gardens where they can bloom into new life.

Quality - creating a product that is beautiful, nourishing, and healthy on every level of our beings, and offering a wide spectrum of products that feel enriching and grounding to everyone who entrusts us with their food.

Cultivating and deepening in Integrity with our ancestral relationship to animals, and showing up to the ancestral agreements we have with them to honor their bodies and care for them in exchange for the gifts they bring us

LOGISTICS;

at this time we are offering our commission slaughter and butchering services to clients agreeing to purchase the animal from a collaborating farm, or shepherds supplying their own animals. we are working mainly with sheep at this point, and also extending our every-part-of-the-animal butchering services to hunters, working on any and all wild game.

we ask that each of our clients commit to buying at least two out of the four main products from each animal; meat, hide, bone broth, and tallow products, and understand that pricing and product amounts will very depending on each animal.

the main heard we are currently working with belongs to white lotus farm, offering their autumn sheep at $300 per animal. clients agree to cover this overhead charge, as well as our kill and clean fee for $100 per animal. meat processing fees cost around $50-100 depending on animals size, and desired cuts. we price our tallow rendering (available for autumn and early winter harvests only) at $60, plus another $40 for processing into skin salve, our tanned hides will cost between $260 and $340, depending on hide and desired softness, and our bone broth (approximately 5-7 quarts) we offer at a flat rate of $50 for freezer bagged broth, and $70 for canned broth. we offer a 15% discount for each additional product beyond the commitment to an innitial two products of your choice.

TALLOW PRODUCTS; we offer tendered tallow for cooking and for skin care salve. our salves are blended with olive and cottonwood oil, or other oils upon request. we also offer to include suet made with oats and seeds from the left over unrefined fat for birdfeed

MEAT PRODUCTS; we offer ground, and cut to roast packages, in butcher wrapped to desired portions, as well as whole quarters and specialty cuts. we also offer sausage on request, and organ/muscle grinds.

SHEEPSKINS; we offer clients sheepskins from rug-clothing quality tanning softness. all hides are tanned with the sheeps brains, smoked, and cleaned to be crafted to your needs and purposes.

BONE BROTH; we offer our bone broth canned, or bagged and frozen. bone broth can be prepared simply with bones, or also cooked and canned with herbs, spices, and vegetables.