WINTER COUNT
This event focuses on primitive technology. The Winter Count gathering has a varitety of workshops that will be familiar and will also introduce you to many new and different formats, skills and personalities. Experienced instructors, with diverse primitive skills, will teach you how to brain tan deer hide, create pottery, learn fire-by-friction methods, ply cordage and many other utilitarian skills.
Date: February 9 - 15, 2020
Location: Florence, Arizona
For info & registration: Call (505) 570-9484
CALIFORNIA KNAPPERS
Join us for a day of flintknapping. The knapping get-together is open to novice, intermediate and advanced knappers. Anyone who is interested in the skill of making stone tools is more than welcome. Come and work on your lithic project or practice the art of flintknapping and learn tips from fellow knappers.
Date: February 22, 2020
Time: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location: Beard Staging Area, Fremont, CA
Beard Staging Area is along the Alameda Creek Regional Trail in Fremont. Parking is free.
Access the California Knappers webpage for more information and driving directions: California Knappers
WILD EDIBLES & PLANT USES HIKE
Indigenous cultures gathered wild plants for food, medicine and tools. Identify useful and edible plants on a springtime hike. We'll sample savory wild foods that have been pre-gathered from my home.
Date: March 14, 2020
Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: $45 for workshop + $5.00 parking fee/vehicle
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Location: Hayward, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
ACORN GATHERING
The event creates a safe and inspiring space for people to learn about primitive earth-based skills. Be ready to camp under the stars, learn and share skills, meet amazing people from all over the west coast and beyond, and surround yourself with a natural landscape!
Date: March 23 - 28, 2020
Location: Los Olivos, California
For info & registration: https://acorngathering.com/register
WILD EDIBLES & PLANT USES HIKE
(See above: March 14 class for descripton of the program)
Date: April 5, 2020
Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: $45 for workshop + $5.00 parking fee/vehicle
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Location: Hayward, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
Skills of the Past: HAND DRILL & BOW DRILL FIRE MAKING
Learn the art of calling down the sun. Discover the secrets of fire-by-friction utilizing the hand drill technique and the bow drill method. Explore the differences between the two unique practices. Using hands-on activities. try your skill at producing a lighted ember.
You will get to take home your own hand drill fire kit.
Date: April 18, 2020
Time: 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: $50
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Location: Fremont, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
Skills of the Past: CREATING CORDAGE & KNOTS
The ability to twist, twine or braid fibers into cordage allowed indigenous cultures to tie their world together. Learn the various techniques of gathering, preparing, extracting and plying of plant materials to create cordage. Practice the efficient method of leg rolling plant fibers.
Knots and cordage work together as one. There is a variety of knots, each with properties that make it suitable for a range of tasks. A good knot is very useful when you're dealing with a situation in the wilderness or other everyday practical purposes. But, you have to know how to tie it. You'll learn how to construct essential knots, so you know what to do with your cordage the next time you head into the wild.
Date: April 18, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: $30
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Location: Fremont, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
BUCKEYE GATHERING
The gathering is an educational event that will consist of teachers hosting classes ongoing for five days, on a variety of topics including: hand-drill fire making, plant fiber cordage, stone tools, buckskin, basket weaving, nature awareness, pottery, local flora and fauna identification, food preparation (acorns!), primitive weapons including bows and arrows, fiber arts, herbalism, shelter building, and storytelling.
Date: May 3 - 9, 2020
Location: Lake Concow Campground, Butte Co., CA
For info & registration: https://buckeyegathering.net/registration/
BETWEEN THE RIVERS GATHERING
The event is a week-long workshop of learning skills that originate in the Stone Age all the way up to modern homesteading. We will have a multitude of instructors offering a broad-range of classes all week long. Included will be wilderness survival skills of all kind, primitive and homespun living, basic preparedness and skills of a practical and archeological nature. We offer hands-on classes in primitive living and survival, and we also focus on the skills of self-sufficiency and sustainable living to minimize our impact on this planet we all share. Come join our community and experience for yourself what a primitive skills gathering is all about!
Date: May 25 - 30, 2020
Location: Grouse Creek Farm, 3586 Solokar Road, Valley, WA 99181
For info & registration: https://www.betweentheriversgathering.com/register.html
Skills of the Past: TULE BASKET
Tule was used by indigenous cultures for various utilitarian items, like mats, duck decoys, boats, houses, as well as baskets. The rhizomes were also eaten for food. Learn more about this multipurpose marsh plant as we create a basket from tule. Or you can twine a tule basket to cover your contemporary water bottle or container.
The class requires 2 days to complete a tule basket.
Date: June 13 - 14, 2020
Time: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm with a 1/2 hour lunch break (bring your own lunch)
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Min/max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Fee: Total of $80 for the two days
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Location: Fremont, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
Skills of the Past: WILLOW BASKET
Willow was used by cultures around the world for creating utilitarian baskets. What makes this versatile plant of the wetlands so unique? Learn more as we create a traditional style basket from whole shoot willow.
The class requires 2 days to complete a willow basket.
Date: June 27 - 28, 2020
Time: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm with a 1/2 hour lunch break (bring your own lunch)
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Fee: Total of $80 for the two days
Location: Fremont, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
Skills of the Past: HAND DRILL & BOW DRILL FIRE MAKING
Learn the secrets of fire-by-friction. Indigenous cultures throughout the Americas utilized the hand drill method for creating fire. The use of the bow drill was more of a modern technique for fire making. Explore the differences between the two unique practices. Learn how fire is created through hands-on activities. Try your skill at producing a lighted ember.
You will get to take home your own hand drill fire kit.
Date: July 11, 2020
Time: 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: $50
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Location: Fremont, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
Skills of the Past: CREATING CORDAGE & KNOTS
The ability to twist, twine or braid fibers into cordage allowed indigenous cultures to tie their world together. Learn the various techniques of gathering, preparing, extracting and plying of plant materials to create cordage. Practice the efficient method of leg rolling plant fibers.
Knots and cordage work together as one. There is a variety of knots, each with properties that make it suitable for a range of tasks. A good knot is very useful when you're dealing with a situation in the wilderness or other everyday practical purposes. But, you have to know how to tie it. You'll learn how to construct essential knots, so you know what to do with your cordage the next time you head into the wild.
Date: July 11, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: $30
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Location: Fremont, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
Skills of the Past: TWINED BASKET
Baskets are found all over the world in various cultures. They serve utilitarian uses, such as gathering, transporting and storage, as well as aesthetic purposes. Experience the ability to create a basket from a marsh plant called Common Three-Square. You'll learn 3 different twining techniques. Harvesting, processing and preparation methods will be discussed. Join us and enjoy making a small twined basket.
The class requires 2 days to complete a twined basket.
The techniques you learn can be applied to a variety of weaving materials and for creating a large basket.
Date: July 18 - 19, 2020
Time: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm with a 1/2 hour lunch break (bring your own lunch)
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: Total of $80 for the two days
Min / Max Age: 18-yrs-old and older
Location: Fremont, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
WEAVING A TULE BASKET
Dense patches of tule rise like forests of green spikes from wetlands or areas of seasonal flooding. Tule or bulrush provides wildlife with food and habitat, as well as act as a biological filter, improving water quality. It is and was used by many Native American groups both as a food resource and for manufacturing items of material culture; like mats, duck decoys, hats, clothing and shoes, boats, thatching for homes and baskets.
Every culture has a tradition of basket weaving. Come and learn how to weave with tule stems. This class will inspire you with the basics if you are new, or further your knowledge if you are experienced. Create a utilitarian basket for gathering and transporting vegetables, small fruit or chicken eggs.
The class is 2 days. One day for harvesting tule (participats will gather the tule). A drying period of one week. Another day for weaving the basket.
Date: July 25, 2020 (Tule gathering. Required by all participants.)
T
ime: 9:00 am - 11:30 am
Date: August 1, 2020 (Basket weaving)
T
ime: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: $30 - $50 (sliding scale)
Location: Alemany Farm, 700 Alemany Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94110
Registration Required: Registration information to be announced soon.
Skills of the Past: LOOPED STRING BAG
Acquire the skill to create a bag using the ancient technique of looping cordage. Knotless netting has been used to make bags, baskets, nets and garments during the Upper Paleolithic era. You'll also learn about natural dyes, plant fibers and process a dogbane stalk to make cordage. We'll use cotton cordage dyed with natural and commercial pigments.
The looped string method can be used to create larger bags using difference fiber materials.
Date: July 26, 2020
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm with a 1/2 hour lunch break (bring your own lunch)
Instructor: Dino Labiste
Fee: $45
Min / Max Age: 16-yrs-old / Adult. Parent participation required for youths 16-years-old or 17-years-old.
Location: Fremont, California. To be announced when you register.
Registration Required: E-mail kahikoarts@yahoo.com
RABBITSTICK RENDEZVOUS
The Rabbitstick Rendezvous is a totally unique learning experience of various primitive technology and wilderness skills. This premier event focuses on hands-on classes that will introduce you to many new and varied formats, skills and personalities. Rabbitstick will provide you with an unparalleled chance to learn from both journeyman and master teachers. This gathering of experienced instructors and eager participants is made available to you from Backtracks. The Rabbitstick Rendezvous is one of the largest and oldest of the comtemporary primitive skills gatherings.
Date: September 13 - 19, 2020
Location: Rexburg, Idaho
For info & registration: https://www.rabbitstick.com/registration-ticketing
