Fish Leather – EartHand Gleaners Society

Oil-Tanning & Talk with Lotta Rahme

Trillium North Park, Malkin @ Thornton, Strathcona 2019 Sunday 7 April, 1-4pm All tool use and materials included $165 SOLD OUT We are delighted to welcome the world-renowned tanner Lotta Rahme to Vancouver! Whether you’re a beginner or have been making leather for a while (perhaps intimidated by how tough it is to soften oil-tanned…

Local Threads: relearning, reciprocity, reconnection on Salish land and sea

We’re having a show! September 17-29 at the Roundhouse, in Vancouver. There will be images, objects and artefacts from the work unfolding primarily in Means of Production Garden and Trillium North, where crops are grown for basketry, cloth, dye, tool making and musical instruments; as well as workshops and interactive events throughout the course of the…

Land & Sea: Horizons

After a year of shared conversations and experiences of nettle, flax, nets, fish leather, and what it means to be living and striving for connection in the lands of the Salish Peoples, we launch into the final investigations and celebration of the work we have done. Coming together, we have broadened our understanding of traditions…

Community Learning Circle at Seymour Longhouse 2018

We were honoured that this Community Learning Circle could be held at the Seymour Longhouse of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation. We spent an afternoon tanning salmon leather thigh spinning nettle and linen for making nets; learning bow drill fire starting, carving, and other traditional skills. Most importantly, we spent the afternoon together. We were honoured to…

Salmon Leather Guild 2018

2 sessions, Sundays, 1pm-5pm Feb 11 and 18, Strathcona Community Garden Eco-Pavilion, 759 Malkin Ave Vancouver Max 12 $150 REGISTER for Salmon Leather Guild This is an update of our very popular fundraising class from the fall, exploring the ancient practice of making leather from fish skins. Fish leather was known in cultures all over…

Winter Solstice 2017: Reflections

A few images from our busy fall, 2017: Land & Sea, Wild Salmon Caravan, Salmon Leather, Sheepskin Tanning, Willow Weaving Sampler, Abeego Woven Food Wrap Research Guild, Fibre Blending Guild, Everett Crowley Weavers Group, Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival, and FORAGE!

Wild Salmon Caravan Vancouver, October 7, 2017

Rainbow Parade up Commercial Drive to feast at Trout Lake — spinning on the back of the bike, salmon leather hanging in the Weaving Wagon; and good conversations with friends new and old the whole way. Sending our hopes and best wishes for a safe and fruitful journey.

Salmon Leather Community Learning Circle

We are thrilled to be offering another chance to learn about fish leather tanning in February 2018. Paid registration for the class directly supports bringing Alutiiq skill holders June and Charlie Pardue here from Alaska and Peter Ananin from Scotland so we can continue our learning. June will share the waterproof stitch for use with…

Salmon Leather 2017

Making leather from fish skins has been done in cultures all over the world, from Asia to Europe to Turtle Island; it was done commercially in Europe and North America during hard times in the early 20th Century, and is now practiced by small tanneries in Europe and Australia serving the artisanal and luxury goods…

Fish… Leather?…really?

Good news! our first grant application for Land & Sea was successful — a big thank you to the City of Vancouver for funding the first stage of this project, which will allow Kamala Todd, Tracy Williams, Lori Snyder, Kelty Jean McKerracher, Sharon and me to explore working with nettle fibre and fish leather. And…