This was recommended by a drum birthing lady called Tracey Coulson of Shamanic Earth, a Hide preparation Course with Sarah Brackpool. An absolutely wonderful day with Sarah at the Rowfant Trail Centre in stunning Sussex woodland. This was arranged through Sarah earth2rebirth on Instagram. Anyone interested in participating, this is the person you want to talk to and have as your teacher. Whitty, fun, good looking, full of wonderful anecdotes and knowledge.
Setting off from home at 4:45 am, a long day and a long journey, but well worth it. Had to make a pit stop at Leicester Forest East on the way down, Sat Nav took me down the M4 to the M25, anticlockwise round towards Crawley, South of Gatwick, then off the motorway to Rowfant Trail Centre (RH10 4NQ) where they do a fantastic breakfast and food all day. Approximately 224 miles, arrived at quarter past 9 in the morning. Two other students Gavin and Andy.
First Task of the day, a cuppa followed by introductions. Sarah has been in the butchery game for a while, she works at a local butchers and preps venison and hides on a regular basis. Andy is an Engineer who makes kit cars, who has known Sarah since she was about 8 years old. The there’s Gavin who is a professional bartender who wishes to own his own travelling cocktail van, a bit of a mixed bag. One of the most interesting facts is that I’ve been following a group on Facebook called “The Pentacle Drummers” for a number of years since meeting them at Stonehenge approximately 3 years ago. Sarah is married to the leader of the group, and Gavin has come across from another drumming group to be one of the “Pentacle Drummers” … how cool is that !!!
So why did I chose Sarah, a personal recommendation and well to be honest, there’s no one else in the country that teach you how to prep deer hides, to be able to make drums out of the skins. No one willing to impart the knowledge needed. Plus I wanted to learn from the best, so that I can offer the whole experience of drum making and drum birthing. (The whole experience without the killing of the deer).
First order of the day was to choose the skin we were drawn towards. We had a choice, either one of three Roe deer or from two Muntjac. I chose a Roe deer hide to work on. The hides had been soaking in Lime and water for about 7-8 days, just long enough for the fur to start coming away. (If you leave it too long, the hide starts to turn pink which is a sign that it is starting to deteriorate). Two days soaking in cold water only to wash the lime off.
Traditional tools, scraping using a knapped flint, There was a £1 “Poundland” wallpaper scraper, but I didn’t find that this adequately removed any fur or fat, so back to had work. Both Sarah and Andy had been taught to knap flints by Will Attard, “The Pointy End UK” on Instagram.
One of the most important things to consider is your own personal comfort. The tables are low, “Wall paper pasting table” height, it puts a lot of stress on your lower back. If you’re going to do this on a regular basis, a table which is at least 6 inches higher would be better. I managed to use a nearby tree as a leaning post. Even then, at the end of the day, I did feel the strain.
After the day of prep, and mot too tired, we finished off just before 5pm. The only advice is take comfortable warm clothing that you don’t mind getting smelly, Deer skins have a rather pungent odor (smells quite fishy). Sarah does provide rubberized aprons which are super cool and really comfortable to wear. As you are out in nature, make sure you do a toilet break before you start, There is a composting toilet nearby, otherwise it’s quite a walk back to the cafe, and if it’s late it may be shut and the toilets locked. Other than that, find a bush in nature.
Leaving at 5pm wasn’t a very good idea, M25 car park at rush hour, 2 hours to get to the M1, average speed about 20 miles an hour stop starting. Costa coffee at Watford gap was welcoming. Home by 10pm. Over all a long day but well worth it. Learnt a lot, made new friends, just what life is all about.
Keep an eye out on my courses page, I’ll be offering a similar course in the new year combined with a drum birthing ceremony.