Craft and Healing: Weekend Retreat with Bushman and Aboriginal Elder

Sacred Craft: Weekend Retreat with San Bushman & Aboriginal EldersWeaving Wisdom, Sacred Craft & Healing StoriesA rare gathering with Khomani San Elder Lydia Kruiper & Aboriginal Artist Rosemary Nabulwad Facilitated by René Bahloo January 10 & 11, 2026 | Kupidabin Wilderness, SamfordImmerse yourself in a weekend of deep cultural connection, sacred craft, and ancestral healing on the sacred lands of Kupidabin Wilderness. This unique retreat offers a rare opportunity to step out of time and sit in a circle with knowledge-keepers from two of the world's oldest living cultures.Over two transformative days, you will be guided to:

• Practice the Sacred Arts of Your Hands: Under the patient guidance of Lydia and Rosemary, learn the ancient skills of fibre weaving and traditional Bushman jewellery making. Work with powerful materials like ostrich eggshell beads and porcupine quills, crafting your own unique talisman and wearable piece infused with the stories of the land and its people.
• Witness Ancestral Healing Wisdom: In a special session, Lydia Kruiper will share a demonstration and talk on traditional healing practices. This is a profound opportunity to listen and learn about the relational ways of healing that have been passed down through countless generations.
• Share in Relational Knowledge: This is more than a workshop; it is a gathering. Through informal yarns, shared meals, and time around the fire, you will engage in the emergent dialogue of cultural sharing, hearing powerful stories of community, country, and connection.

Your Retreat Journey Includes:

• Two full days of hands-on workshops in weaving and jewellery making
• A special healing demonstration and talk by Elder Lydia Kruiper
• All sacred craft materials for your projects
• Continuous tea, coffee, and herbal infusions
• A shared, community lunch on both Saturday and Sunday (see details below)

Overnight Stay & Nourishment:To deepen your immersion, we offer an overnight stay in the beautiful longhouse-style shelter. Optional extra Sleepover (Friday 9th Jan): message for details. The retreat includes a simple dhal dinner on Saturday night, a light breakfast on Sunday morning, and a designated camping spot for your tent or a provided mattress in the longhouse (please bring your own bedding/sleeping bag).Shared Community Lunches: In the spirit of relational practice, we ask all attendees (day and overnight) to contribute a dish to our shared food smorgasbord on both Saturday and Sunday. This creates a beautiful, communal feast for all.Logistics:

• Dates: Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th January, 2026
• Location: Kupidabin Wilderness, Samford Area (address provided upon booking)
• Accommodation: Camping (own tent) or use of a provided mattress in the shared longhouse. Own bedding required.

This retreat is for those called to connect, create, and listen deeply. It is an invitation to weave your own story into the larger tapestry of ancient, living knowledge. Spaces are strictly limited to preserve the intimacy of the gathering. Secure your place in the circle today.Single day attendance is available: Day 1 - Lydia shares Bushman craft, Rosemary shares weaving Day 2 - Lydia shares healing, Rosemary shares weaving Camping is not included in this option.A Unique Hybrid Experience: Join the Circle OnlineFor those who cannot be there in person, or for friends and family who wish to witness part of this special event, we offer a live online component. Facilitated by René, this is not a technical learning stream, but an invitation to "catch the vibe" and join the sharing circle.As an online participant, you will:

• Tune in live to witness Lydia speak about her traditional healing practices. This will be held on Sunday the 11th January. Time TBA.
• Participate in a Q&A session with Lydia and Rosemary, sharing in the collective energy of the space.

This is a unique opportunity to connect with living cultural traditions, to be in relationship with knowledge-keepers, and to create something beautiful that carries a story far beyond the workshop walls. You will leave with your own handcrafted woven talisman and jewellery piece, and a deeper connection to the living wisdom of two of the world's oldest cultures.Tie this experience in with our incredible offer to join us all on an adventure trip to K'gari (Fraser Island) which commences the following day. If the prices are out of your financial capability at this moment in time, yet you would really like to come, please email me and we can work out an affordable option for you. Although the advertised prices reflect the costs involved in delivering a project of this nature, we do not want to exclude anybody from the experience on the basis of finances. It is a unique opportunity unlikely to be repeated in the near future, so don't let this fall through your net if you feel a deep calling to attend.It would be wonderful if you could share with your networks; indeed, this is a form of balance and reciprocal care, which we value and acknowledge. We would also be open to a part-exchange in return for marketing, by discussion, for those in need.Workshops will go ahead provided minimum numbers are reached. a weekend of deep connection and time with an eminent visiting Bushman healer from the Kalahari desert in Africa, and traditional Aboriginal weaver from Arnhem Land. Read more details