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Theresa Emmerich building ancient dugout canoes by river

DR. THERESA
EMMERICH KAMPER

Learn valuable ancestral skills for life!

Learn
Ancient
Technologies 

My mission is to bring the past to life by providing practical and theoretical knowledge of traditional technologies and ancestral skills based on archaeological evidence.

Ancient technologies are powerful tools for understanding human ingenuity. I teach skills such as hide tanning, tool making, and animal processing. My courses, held worldwide, connect you directly to these fascinating techniques. Reach beyond just ‘survive’ to build, create, and thrive using the knowledge of our ancestors.

A Bit about Me

I grew up in the USA. I have been tanning skins using traditional technologies for over 30 years and grew up practicing outdoor and ancestral skills in the vast tracts of sparsely populated land in Wyoming. I hold a Masters degree in Experimental Archaeology and a PhD dealing with the ‘Microscopic Analysis of Prehistoric Tanning Technologies’ from the University of Exeter, UK. I am an experienced analyst of prehistoric and early historic leather artefacts and now reside in Sweden.

I also have over 15 years experience in public demonstration work in open air museums and educational programmes and provide replication services for exhibitions. ​I specialise in the replication of artefacts made from primary and secondary animal by-products such as skin, bone, sinew, internal organs, horn, antler and fur.

I spend much of my year teaching hands-on courses and workshops around the world. My courses detail one or more traditional skills over 3 to 7 days of immersive in person learning. I love watching students evolve as they learn a new skill. Discover the sense of self reliance that comes from learning ways to incorporate ancestral skills and bushcraft into your modern life!

2026 In-Person Workshops: Open for enrollment!

I have taught various groups ranging from bushcrafters to University students for over fifteen years, drawing on my extensive personal experience alongside archaeological context to provide a broad understanding of prehistoric technologies. The result of this journey is the wide range of workshops and courses I now offer!

  • LEATHER CLOTHING PATTERNING & SEWING
    LEATHER CLOTHING PATTERNING & SEWING
    27 Feb 2026, 09:00 – 01 Mar 2026, 17:00
    Inspiration Sauvage - France, 1 Beautarias, 87440 La Chapelle-Montbrandeix, France
    27 Feb 2026, 09:00 – 01 Mar 2026, 17:00
    Inspiration Sauvage - France, 1 Beautarias, 87440 La Chapelle-Montbrandeix, France
    Beautarias, France This three-day course is designed to teach you how to pattern and tailor bespoke/custom leather clothing of your own design! Pricing and enrollment details will be available soon! Save the date.
  • DEER SKIN TANNING
    DEER SKIN TANNING
    22 Jun 2026, 10:00 – 24 Jun 2027, 16:00
    Foteviken Museum - Sweden, Museivägen 27, 236 91 Höllviken, Sweden
    22 Jun 2026, 10:00 – 24 Jun 2027, 16:00
    Foteviken Museum - Sweden, Museivägen 27, 236 91 Höllviken, Sweden
    Höllviken, Sweden Step back in time and learn to transform deer skin into supple leather. Over three immersive days, I'll teach you the ancient, non-toxic process of brain tanning. You'll work with your hands and connect with a sustainable craft, using simple, natural materials. Price: SEK 3.800
  • USING THE WHOLE ANIMAL
    USING THE WHOLE ANIMAL
    03 Jul 2026, 10:00 – 05 Jul 2027, 17:00
    Craft by Karlsson - Sweden, Anhalten 1, 533 94 Hällekis, Sweden
    03 Jul 2026, 10:00 – 05 Jul 2027, 17:00
    Craft by Karlsson - Sweden, Anhalten 1, 533 94 Hällekis, Sweden
    Hällekis, Sweden This course will teach you to utilize every part of an animal for both food and other useful products. You'll learn the fundamentals of butchery and how to ethically preserve each part until it can be used, ensuring nothing goes to waste. Price: SEK 5,000
  • BEAVER SKIN TANNING & HAT SEWING
    BEAVER SKIN TANNING & HAT SEWING
    13 Aug 2026, 09:00 – 16 Aug 2026, 17:00
    Wild Walk Bushcraft - Northern Ireland, Glenarm, Ballymena BT42 2AY, UK
    13 Aug 2026, 09:00 – 16 Aug 2026, 17:00
    Wild Walk Bushcraft - Northern Ireland, Glenarm, Ballymena BT42 2AY, UK
    Glenarm, Ballymena, Northern Ireland This workshop will teach you how to tan North American beaver furs using a combination of wet and dry scraping, followed by fat-tanning methods. You'll also learn to create a custom hat pattern and stitch the pieces together. Price: £450
  • USING THE WHOLE ANIMAL
    USING THE WHOLE ANIMAL
    21 Aug 2026, 10:00 – 23 Aug 2026, 16:00
    Butser Ancient Farm - UK, Chalton Ln, Chalton, Waterlooville PO8 0BG, UK
    21 Aug 2026, 10:00 – 23 Aug 2026, 16:00
    Butser Ancient Farm - UK, Chalton Ln, Chalton, Waterlooville PO8 0BG, UK
    Hampshire, UK This course will teach you to utilize every part of an animal for both food and other useful products. You'll learn the fundamentals of butchery and how to ethically preserve each part until it can be used, ensuring nothing goes to waste. Price: £440 - 500
  • DEER SKIN TANNING
    DEER SKIN TANNING
    28 Aug 2026, 10:00 – 30 Aug 2026, 17:00
    Butser Ancient Farm - UK, Chalton Ln, Chalton, Waterlooville PO8 0BG, UK
    28 Aug 2026, 10:00 – 30 Aug 2026, 17:00
    Butser Ancient Farm - UK, Chalton Ln, Chalton, Waterlooville PO8 0BG, UK
    Hampshire, UK This intensive, three-day course is focused on the traditional art of fat tanning deer skins. We'll use a unique method that relies on lecithin and oil as the primary dressing agents, resulting in a beautifully soft and durable hide. Price: £440 - 500

Transforming a raw skin into soft, durable buckskin is a skill you will have for life! 

Private courses available globally

Reach out to discuss a tailored workshop!

Take a look at this course!

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Leather Clothing Patterning & Sewing

February 27th -  March 1st  - Beautarias, France

You will learn a variety of stitches used for sewing fat tanned leather, as well as which stitch is best used for which type of seam or part of the garment. Each person will create a stitch card to become familiar with the various stitches and sewing with leather lace.

This course guarantees a successful venture into leatherworking by teaching you expert fitting techniques. You will leave with a well-tailored garment. 🦌

ONLINE COURSES

Ancestral Skills Online: Learn, Connect, Create

Theresa Emmerich Kamper and Sally Pointer dyeing wool and making leather crafting.

Learn Traditional Skills from Experts

The goal is to foster an ongoing collaboration with leading practitioners, bringing together the finest heritage online courses in one central space.

Sally Pointer Heritage Education

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our first course! 

 

The Stinging Nettle: Fibre, Cordage, and Crafts Course, led by renowned instructor Sally Pointer, is now available for sign-up worldwide.

 

Join Sally as she guides you through the fascinating process of transforming humble nettles into strong, versatile cordage and beautiful fibers – a truly foundational skill in primitive technology and natural crafting.

Join The Community 

Join my newsletter where I share behind-the-scenes glimpses, practical tips, and other insights to help you deepen your traditional skills. 

FOLLOW ME ON INSTA

Highlighted Partners

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Logo Wild Walk Bushcraft.
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