becoming the land
rewilding as a tribe
Saturday November 5th - Sunday November 13th
Catalunya, Spain
Language: English
Do you want to experience what it's like to feel at home in the wilderness?
To truly feel part of nature?
To live in community with other humans and non-humans?
Then join us for this adventurous program!
“When we experience how it is to be dependent on our environment and on each other to thrive, there grows a tremendous appreciation for all that is around us. For all that lives or has lived. It gives us the feeling of being worthy, of being a contributing part of the ecosystem. This feeling comes with a deep trust and peace, as well as with responsibility.` - Steven Dirven
We return to the ancient way of life as humans of nature. Just like the trees, birds and wild boars, we become part of the land again. Together, we experience how we can survive and thrive. Finding our food, water, warmth and shelter in nature itself. And going beyond surviving, we will experience how it is to feel at home in the wilderness. To feel the richness, wholeness and happiness that this way of life brings us.
The first days of the program are spent together in the forests of our finca Can Cabota. We connect to ourselves, to each other and to the land. We immerse ourselves more and more into the land, rewilding, while learning new skills everyday. All to prepare you for your Tribe Quest. On Friday morning, you will leave our basecamp and take off into the wild. Together, although the guides will not actively join this Quest. Putting to use all the skills you learned, taking your handmade woven basket and the prepared wild food. You will survive and thrive in the wild for 24 hours, with a knife as the only modern tool. On Saturday morning, you will return to our basecamp, after which we will spend a day on reflection and integration.
Specific skills you will learn
- forgaging: learn to identify plants, trees and mushrooms and gather wild edibles and medicinal plants
- butchering game: learn how to butcher a wild animal (probably wild boar or deer), and how to prepare, eat or use everything of the animal.
- cooking and preserving food: learn how to process wild plants and meat to eat now and later
- making fire with a bow-drill: making fire while using nothing more than a knife and the things we can find in the environment
- bark tanning: making leather from animal skin using bark
- weaving a basket: using wood and other material from the land to make a basket
"Everytime, I notice how ‘young’ we are in this way of life (as western city-raised children) and how much we can learn from it" - Steven
The program
Saturday - Arrival
Sunday/Thursday - Basecamp preparations
Friday - Tribe Quest 24h
Saturday - Reflection & Integration
Sunday - Departure
An example day could look like this:
7-7.30 sit spotting*
7.30-8.30 breakfast
9-13 gathering wild food
13-14 lunch
15-18 processing wild food
19-20.30 dinner
21-23 campfire & sharing circle
*Sitspotting is a very simple yet powerful practice. On the first day, you will find yourself a spot in nature where you will return to every morning, just to BE, without any distractions
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Your hosts
The Land
The finca Can Cabota consists of wild mountainous forest. The crystal clear river Manol meanders in between. Can Cabota is home to wildlife such as wild boars, deer and many insects and birds. In addition, the forest offers a wealth of edible wild plants and mushrooms.
During the Tribe Quest, you will leave the finca, in the direction of the higher mountains.
Steven Dirven
When Steven was around nine years old, he was sitting in a shelter made from straw. There was a smoldering fire and above it hung the skin of a hare. At that moment, he felt at home. It was in his 20ies when he rediscovered his belonging to nature and he chose to act on it. Always on a quest for a connected way of life, he lived on a self-sufficient farm in East Germany, and later at sea, in the mountains and in the forests. Feeling the calling to deepen his experience and learning, he joined Lynx Vilden in the United States on one of her primitive living projects: a complete immersion into the wilderness with a tribe of people, for 7 weeks. For years now, Steven guides wilderness immersions.
Bastiaan Veenman
For many years Bastiaan was seeking adventures around the globe, pushing himself to the limit both physically and mentally. He loved going out in nature byhimself and exploring remote and unbeaten terraines. One time, he had an encounter with a 9 year old boy from an indigenous community, deep into the Sierra Madre of Mexico. This completely changed the course of his life. Inspired by the wisdom and knowledge of the young man he started his journey on wild plants. First becoming an edible plant guide around Amsterdam, and later moving to the wilderness of spain to really start living his vision.
Jorien Hendrikx
As a child, she would put flowers in a circle and see meaning in it. Still, she likes to create situations that allow for a deeper connection and meaning to arise. Connecting to ourselves, other humans and non-humans. She is inspired by her experiences in conscious dance, indigenous rituals, mindfulness and the spirit of nature.
Accommodation
You can pitch your tent on our finca. It's a remote finca: the water comes from the source and river and after use it runs back onto the land, the energy comes from solar panels. All organic waste (including from the toilets) is composted into fertile soil.
Prices
The price includes the whole program, all food & drinks, the camping spot and facilities.
€795,-
You are welcome to bring your children. Please bear in mind that you will be responsible for them. Generally, we believe children from 9 to 15 years old will be able to join the activities.
€595,- for kids from 9 to 15 years old
€200,- kids from 3 to 9 years old
Kids until 2 years old can join for free
Travel costs are not included. We are located near the village Lladó.
- If you come by train we will pick you up for free at the train station Figueres Vilafant.
- For the people that come by car, we will make a car-sharing form to match car drivers with passengers.
- If you are coming by plane (Girona or Barcelona airport), we will pick you up at the nearest train station Figueres Vilafant, at a fixed time. This costs €30,- for both ways.
We like to have an intimate tribe. Therefore there is a maximum of 12 participants.