Ages 16+
minors must be accompanied by an adult
Linne Doran: Duvall, WA
$295
9-5pm Both Days; No food provided
February 22nd-23rd, 2025
The oldest bone tools discovered in Africa date back over 1.5 million years to the beginning of humankind. Nowadays, bone crafting is a means of artistic expression and reconnecting with our ancestral roots that simultaneously utilize animal bones as tools to survive and thrive.
Join us for a weekend of bone crafting around a fire as we engage with this ancient technique. We will explore what it means to give death new life and work with our hands to create beautiful tools and art. Bone Craft Weekend is for both experienced bushcraft adventurers and first-time crafters alike.
During this hands-on weekend, you will:
- Learn to craft with bones and walk away with a finished piece (e.g., jewelry, buttons, knives, combs, art, and much more)
- Dive into themes of life and death
- Understand more about mammal anatomy and bones
- Learn more about the ancestry and cultural significance of bone crafting
- Practice cleaning and preparing bones for projects
- Learn how to legally acquire bones in Washington state
- Practice safe and efficient knife, saw, and file use and maintenance
- Use various sanding and filing techniques
- Discover the art of Scrimshaw
Join us for a weekend of community crafting, ancestral skill sharing, and creative expression with our inspiring and fun instructors! You’re welcome to camp with us on Saturday night if you choose.
Program Logistics
Class will take place at our school’s 60-acre property from 9am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The program will take place outdoors throughout the weekend; we’ll have rain shelters and warm fires, but please dress appropriately for being outside all day. Participants should be comfortable moving across uneven ground, or contact us to see if we can accommodate your needs. No food or accommodations will be provided.
Camping is available Saturday night on our campus. To register, select “Optional Camping” under the Additional Options section during the registration process. Camping is at your own risk and available only for Saturday. Potable water and porta-potty access are provided. More details will be provided in the Program Details upon registration.
We will be working with deer and elk bones. Be prepared to come in contact with bones, bone marrow, and other remnants. We will make sure to practice safe and clean skills, but expect to be hands-on and get dirty.
Meet Your Instructor:
Jeni Ronald
Jeni grew up on the lands of the Lakota peoples on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. Jeni has always had a deep passion for animals and the natural world and loved to photograph them. She is a self-taught photographer who picked up her dad’s DSLR camera at 13.
She studied Marine and Conservation Biology at Seattle University and had the opportunity to research Great White Sharks in South Africa and travel abroad in Greece. After earning her Bachelor’s degree, Jeni found herself at Wilderness Awareness School instructing campers about the natural world. This led her to The Immersion at WAS where she found a loving community and opportunities to practice photography. She then completed the Adult Nature Instructor Training Program, helping adult students discover their passions while supporting the marketing department through videography and photography.
Jeni is Wildernenss Awareness School’s Marketing and Events Coordinator, where she is able to blend her love of nature connection and photography by sharing stories of the school online and connecting with people at events. Jeni also loves teaching in the outdoors, bone crafting, fire making, animal tracking, singing, and sharing stories with others.