I was raised on the west coast of BC, on Vancouver Island where my childhood was saturated in and shaped by, the rich Coast Salish cultural influences from; Wei Wai Kum First Nation and K’ómoks First Nation communities.
As a young adult I started out living on a few remote off grid properties without road access in the Quatsino Sound on northern Vancouver Island, Hiking into remote forests and getting lost on logging roads, however the economic drive to head east to Alberta, pulled me on a one way road trip in February of 2000 at the age of 18.
Alberta has now been home for over 20 years with my 2 children. We have enjoyed raising the complete lineup of farm animals for our own consumption and operating Wildfibre Organic Tannery since 2018 where I mainly tanned sheepskins from my own and other local flocks that were sold and shipped all over North America.
The past 7 years I have studied and practiced; whole animal uses, low stress animal husbandry, humane slaughter techniques and nose to tail butchery; and am a dedicated agricultural advocate in on farm processing; including blade shearing sheep, wool processing and traditional hide tanning with brains and smoke, much like my ancestors and indigenous peoples have done for centuries.
I am dedicated to living closely connected to nature and the eco systems I am part of, rural and within the city. I’m a passionate sharer of knowledge, sharing traditional skills, where we can grow our connection to the land authentically and harmoniously into the future. Following in my rich ancestry of Scandinavian / Nordic decent, traditional tanning methods are as much a part of my own heritage and authenticity as it is with other Canadian indigenous communities locally today.
You can find me instructing various tanning related workshops at various locations across Alberta, including indigenous communities, schools, festivals, private farms and more.
If you are interested in booking tanning relating educational events, you can easily request a booking online https://www.wildfibrefarm.com/book-online