Using the Whole Animal – Intensive Course is a seven-day, hands-on exploration of the traditional skills involved in making full use of an animal.
Working with Dr. Theresa Emmerich Kamper, you will learn how an animal can be processed efficiently and how a wide range of materials can be preserved, prepared and put to practical use, rather than simply viewing the animal as a source of meat and skin.
The course takes you through the complete process, from basic butchery and meat preservation through to working with skin, fat, organs, bones, sinew, hooves and antler. You will learn how these different materials can be used for food, tools, cordage, sewing, glue, tanning and other practical purposes.
The second part of the course focuses on traditional deer-skin tanning, taking a raw hide through the various stages required to produce soft, durable leather. You will learn the techniques involved in de-fleshing, de-graining, preparing and dressing the hide, followed by softening and smoking to produce the finished leather.
The course concludes with leatherwork and bag making, giving you the opportunity to turn traditionally tanned leather into a practical finished item while learning a range of stitches, seams and basic pattern-making techniques.
This is an immersive opportunity to develop a much deeper understanding of how people have historically made use of an entire animal, combining practical skills, traditional technologies and modern tools where appropriate.
Using the Whole Animal – Intensive Course with Dr. Theresa Emmerich Kamper
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Using the Whole Animal – Intensive Course is a seven-day, hands-on exploration of the traditional skills involved in making full use of an animal.
Working with Dr. Theresa Emmerich Kamper, you will learn how an animal can be processed efficiently and how a wide range of materials can be preserved, prepared and put to practical use, rather than simply viewing the animal as a source of meat and skin.
The course takes you through the complete process, from basic butchery and meat preservation through to working with skin, fat, organs, bones, sinew, hooves and antler. You will learn how these different materials can be used for food, tools, cordage, sewing, glue, tanning and other practical purposes.
The second part of the course focuses on traditional deer-skin tanning, taking a raw hide through the various stages required to produce soft, durable leather. You will learn the techniques involved in de-fleshing, de-graining, preparing and dressing the hide, followed by softening and smoking to produce the finished leather.
The course concludes with leatherwork and bag making, giving you the opportunity to turn traditionally tanned leather into a practical finished item while learning a range of stitches, seams and basic pattern-making techniques.
This is an immersive opportunity to develop a much deeper understanding of how people have historically made use of an entire animal, combining practical skills, traditional technologies and modern tools where appropriate.
Using the Whole Animal - Intensive Course
Using the Whole Animal - Intensive Course
Using the Whole Animal - Intensive Course
Using the Whole Animal - Intensive Course
Using the Whole Animal - Intensive Course
Using the Whole Animal - Intensive Course
Animal Processing
The course begins by looking at how an animal can be processed efficiently, with an emphasis on making use of as much of it as possible.
You will learn about:
- Basic butchery and the different uses of meat.
- Deboning and preparing different cuts for cooking and preservation.
- Making roasts, jerky and soup meat.
- Rendering and preserving fat.
- Removing, cleaning and preserving edible and utilitarian organs.
- Removing and preserving the skin.
- De-fleshing skins and preparing them for tanning.
- Making hide glue.
- Removing, cleaning and preserving sinew for later use.
- Processing bones for food, tools and other practical applications.
- Working with hooves for decorative items and glue.
- Removing and working with antler where available.
We will also explore how materials can be preserved for later use, allowing the useful parts of an animal to become a resource rather than waste.
Throughout the course, you will be introduced to different levels of traditional technology, from stone through to steel, and consider how the same materials can be worked using different approaches.
Traditional Deer-Skin Tanning
A major part of the course will be devoted to turning raw deer skin into soft, strong and durable leather using traditional tanning techniques.
You will work through the process from rawhide to finished leather, including:
- De-fleshing the skin.
- De-graining and removing the outer layer.
- Alkalining to assist with the removal of the ground substance.
- Preparing and applying the tanning dressing.
- Softening the hide.
- Smoking the finished leather.
The primary focus will be on fat tanning, using lecithin and oil as the dressing agents. We will also discuss alternative traditional dressing materials, including the use of brains and egg yolks.
This is a practical process and requires physical effort. You should expect to spend 6–8 hours a day on your feet and actively working, so a reasonable level of fitness is required.
Making a Leather Bag
Once you have explored the process of producing soft, traditionally tanned leather, you will learn how to turn that material into something practical.
The project will be a small leather bag, giving you the opportunity to learn:
- Basic pattern-making.
- How to plan and construct a simple leather item.
- Different stitches and seams suitable for soft leather.
- How to select appropriate stitching techniques for different parts of a project.
- How to work with traditionally tanned leather.
You will create a paper pattern before constructing your bag and will have the opportunity to design elements of the finished item yourself.
Where appropriate, you can also incorporate materials produced earlier in the course, including sinew or intestine thread, bringing together several of the skills covered during the week.
A Practical and Immersive Experience
The length of this course allows time to explore subjects in greater depth than is possible during a shorter workshop. The programme will also have some flexibility, allowing the content to develop in response to weather, the animals and materials available, and the interests of the group.
As well as learning practical techniques, Theresa will share her extensive experience of traditional tanning and animal use, including the problems commonly encountered when learning these skills and how to overcome them.
You will receive course materials and supporting information to help you continue developing your skills after the course.
Food & Logistics
We want you to be able to concentrate on getting the most from the course, so we have kept the practical arrangements as straightforward as possible. There are, however, a few things to be aware of when planning your food, accommodation and travel.
Food
During the week, lunch and the main evening meal are provided on the first three days of the course:
- Day 1 – lunch and dinner
- Day 2 – lunch and dinner
- Day 3 – lunch
Breakfast is not provided, and all other meals are your responsibility for the remainder of the course.
Given the nature of the course and the limited time available for meal preparation, we recommend bringing quick, dehydrated or boil-in-the-bag meals for your lunches and evening meals. This allows you to eat well without taking significant time away from the practical work.
If you would prefer, we can provide a selection of dehydrated meals at an additional cost. There will also be a small selection of meals available to purchase on site.
Accommodation
Accommodation is provided from the first morning of the course through to the final day.
The accommodation is based around camping on the nearly wild camping pitches within the site, giving you a range of options depending on your preferred way of camping. Tents, tarps and hammocks are all suitable.
If you would like to arrive before the course begins or stay on after it finishes, additional camping is available on site at £10 per person, per night.
For those looking for a little more comfort, we also have a selection of bell tent options available for the duration of the course and will be available for the night before and night after the course at no extra cost:
- Shared bell tent – £50 per person, per course
Bell tents accommodate up to three people and are allocated by gender. - Shared bell tent with bed and chair – £100 per person, per course
These bell tents accommodate up to three people and are allocated by gender. Each person has their own bed and chair. - Private pitch with bell tent, bed and chair plus fire pit – £250 per person, per course
This option provides your own private camping pitch with a bell tent and fire pit.
Select your preferred option from the pull down menu when booking your place.
Travel
A pick-up and drop-off service from Haddington is available at set times determined by the course schedule, at £10 per person.
If you are travelling further afield, transport from Edinburgh Airport or Edinburgh Waverley can also be arranged at an additional cost. Please contact us in advance if you would like to discuss your travel arrangements.
Woodland Ways Pre-ordered Kit Collection Service
If you need any additional equipment for the course, kit purchased from Woodland Ways can be pre-ordered up to 72 hours before the course and collected when you arrive.
This can be a convenient way of making sure you have everything you need without having to bring it with you on your journey.
Simply select 'Pickup' when ordering the items and add this course attendance into the 'Add order notes' field during checkout.
About Dr. Theresa Emmerich Kamper
Dr. Theresa Emmerich Kamper is an internationally respected practitioner and teacher of traditional living skills and primitive technologies, with over three decades of hands-on experience.
Originally from Wyoming, USA, Theresa grew up immersed in hunting, fishing, and trapping in vast wilderness landscapes. Learning to tan hides became a natural extension of a family ethic centred on using as much of the animal as possible. Between the ages of 11 and 13, she was already brain tanning skins—developing skills that would later form the foundation of her academic and professional life.
Theresa holds:
- An MA in Experimental Archaeology
- A PhD from the University of Exeter, specialising in Microscopic Analysis of Prehistoric Tanning Technologies
She has been teaching traditional tanning methods for over 15 years, working with audiences ranging from bushcraft practitioners to university students.
Her teaching style blends deep academic knowledge with extensive personal experience, covering everything from skin morphology to practical problem-solving and troubleshooting—the often overlooked realities of learning these demanding skills.
In addition to tanning technologies, Theresa has taught and demonstrated a wide range of traditional skills, including:
- Traditional weapon construction and use
- Plant and animal fibre processing
- Patterning and clothing construction
- Basketry
- Clay processing, pottery manufacture, and firing
- Shelter construction
- Friction fire lighting
- Flint knapping and stone tool use
In Summary
This course is for you if you have an interest in traditional living skills, primitive technology, animal processing or the practical use of natural materials, and want to take those interests much further.
You don't need previous experience of animal processing or tanning. What you do need is a willingness to get involved and to spend the week working practically with animal materials. Some of the processes are inevitably messy and physical, but they provide an opportunity to understand skills that have been used by people for thousands of years.
Over seven days you will gain an understanding of how to make use of an animal far beyond the meat and skin, learning practical methods for preserving and working with a wide range of materials.
From processing meat and rendering fat, through to preparing sinew, bones and organs, tanning a deer skin and making your own leather bag, this is a course that brings together a remarkable range of traditional skills.
Most importantly, you will leave with the knowledge and practical experience to continue exploring these skills for yourself, together with a better understanding of what it really means to use the whole animal.
