graveyardharmony

[graveyardharmony]

sweet little lamb. found washed up by the a creek! missing part of her hind leg but i intend to do an articulation!

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #tw animal bones #skeleton #oddities #tw dead animal #tw dead things #dead animal tw

[graveyardharmony]

another project i have yet to start, mummified buck skull i found in a shed a few months back! I can't wait to see how the cleaning process for this guy goes.

my boyfriend is also helping me with my bone projects which makes me soo happy since i finally have the motivation now :)

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #tw animal bones #goblincore #skeleton #oddities #deer teeth #deer bones #bone hunting #euro mount

[graveyardharmony]

i found a dead lamb on a walk and my boyfriend carried it home in a garbage bag for me <3

#vulture culture #i love him #pics coming soon #animal bones #bones #nature #teen romance #oddities

[graveyardharmony]

finished this super sick barbed wire euro mount for someone! this was my first project for someone else, i would LOVE to do more stuff like this in the future for other people too!

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #tw animal bones #goblincore #skeleton #oddities #deer teeth #deer bones #taxidermy #taxidermist #bone hunting #hunting #euro mount

[graveyardharmony]

check out this super cool book!

bonus doggy pics!

you can get the book by searching 'animal reference tattoo book' on amazon. it's got some super cool references for any vulture culture artists or tattoo artists!! I'll post some more pages if anyone is interested?

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #tw animal bones #goblincore #skeleton #oddities #deer teeth #deer bones #drawing #anatomy #vulture culture art

[graveyardharmony]

I'm learning how to tattoo! here's a recent one.

my linework is super shakey but I'm still learning to get comfortable holding the machine

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #tw animal bones #vulture culture tattoo #tattoos #goblincore #tattoo #oddities

[graveyardharmony]

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #tw animal bones #goblincore #skeleton #oddities #deer teeth #deer bones #tw blood

[graveyardharmony]

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #tw animal bones #goblincore #skeleton #oddities #deer teeth #deer bones

[graveyardharmony]

There’s such a widespread ignorance regarding vulture culture. Yet there are sooooo many wildly varying groups of people who connect over it… pagan folk, indigenous peoples, biology nerds, goths, country folk, artists, archaeologists, general nature lovers, entomology nerds, zoologists… the list goes on.

I love bones, I love the stories they tell, I love getting to hold and examine and clean and identify them, I love getting to KNOW them. I love getting to give them a warm place to rest. I love keeping that piece of them alive and loved. I think that’s what people don’t understand about vulture culture.

We don’t collect dead things because we’re twisted sickos who enjoy suffering??? We do it because some core part of our identity connects deeply with nature and life’s cycle— and because we have an immense appreciation and respect for every stage of it. I myself am pagan, that cycle is so central to my practice/ beliefs. I am also autistic, and my special interest happens to be vulture culture. Just because I collect and preserve the dead doesn’t mean I’m going to like… bite? Idek what people expect. I just want to talk about osteology and give you cool animal facts. I can introduce you to my bone collection, I can tell you each animal’s individual story- I take care to remember them all.

You look at the dead and see suffering. I look at the dead and see what once lived, what grew, I feel so proud of them for that, I see their beauty, their worth even when they’re grotesque and withered. I witness a step in the ever-marching cycle of life. Just because it’s unsightly to you doesn’t mean it’s undeserving of love. There is no life without death, and so I worship death as I do life. When you die, you will rot, and THERE IS BEAUTY IN THAT!!!!

[graveyardharmony]

There’s been lots of fresh faces in the Vulture Culture tag recently (hello, welcome!) so I thought I’d quickly explain a phrase you may come upon in the community. What does ‘ethically sourced’ mean, exactly?

Well… It means nothing. Ethics are subjective, and what counts as ethical to one person, may not be to the next. So if in doubt, ask someone to be more specific. It’s not the same for everyone.

Ethical does not always equal a humane death. Natural deaths for wildlife are very, very rarely humane - starvation, predation, illness, disease, injury, freezing, drowning - these are common causes of death for wild animals, they often do not die quickly. It is a sad fact of nature. Personally, I consider wild found bones ethical, but some people may not.

Roadkill is not ethical to everyone. For exactly the same reason as natural deaths, often it’s not a quick death for the animal. Again, I personally consider roadkill to be an ethical source, because of the lack of human intent behind the death - 99% of the time, someone doesn’t want to hit an animal with their car, it’s a sad accident. We just collect what is left behind.

Hunting is ethical to some. A death by a skilled hunter is often the quickest of all. This is not considered ethical by some, as it is an intentional death caused by a human, but to others who define their ethics by a humane death, it is. Usually a hunted animal will have all its parts utilised, including the meat, pelt, and bones. It’s also heavily regulated, meaning only a certain amount of animals are allowed to be taken, keeping populations stable.

There are sources that I’m sure most of us agree are not ethical, for example - poaching, farmed animals from countries with no animal welfare laws, and found domestic pets without attempting to look for an owner.

There are some topics where there is a definite split between what people consider ethical or not. Is trapping ethical? Fur farming? Antique specimens? Population control? ‘Ethical’ has no set meaning between people, so it is always best to clarify. There are some things which may not seem ethical at first, but after listening to why someone else finds it ethical, it can give you something to think about.

[graveyardharmony]

recently I've been dealing with mental health struggles, especially with self esteem/body image. I'm always worried about how i look, but if i can find beauty in something dead- who's to say someone can't see beauty in me?

photo from @ carcassafterlives on ig

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #tw animal bones #goblincore #skeleton #oddities #deer teeth #deer bones #beautiful decay #decay #i find beauty in everything

[graveyardharmony]

recent little peice of art

#recent art #vulture culture #animal bones #bones #nature #oddities #sheep skull #art by me #i have got to make weirder art #goblincore

[graveyardharmony]

Hey, you do bones right? I saw a pretty nice looking deer skull on my walk today and while I like the idea of bones I don't know how to wash or store or move bones. So I had to leave it. If you are aware of how to do bones can I have bone knowledge

Omg I am always happy to share bone knowledge!! And anyone who knows more or if you spot smth I got wrong, please let me know! I mostly just clean little rodent bones and will be speaking only from what I've tested myself.

So to preface this pre cleaning bones get very germy and stinky, so precautions are necessary!! Wear gloves, a mask and clothes you don't mind messing up, Disinfect Thoroughly, and do your cleaning in a well ventilated area!!

So for collecting and moving, make sure everything is safe and ethical and check local laws on what critters you can keep. Most species of deer are typically fine but some species are prohibited from possessing even a feather!! Often times its easier to get already cleaned and ready for display bones, plenty of etsy shops and even educational vendors have them for sale (same with owl pellets, natures mystery box). Collect bones while wearing gloves and be mindful of lose or sharp/fragile parts like teeth or small bones, those like to run away or break. Best to put in a box or bag while moving, for things like deer skulls you may want a trash bag as they're meant to not break easy.

For cleaning bones that are already mostly bare, just greasy/algae covered, you can degrease them with a hydrogen peroxide or diluted dish soap. This is very stinky and you need good ventilation!!!

Fill a container with enough of it to have the bones covered with it, this can be a big hurdle with larger bones and the main reason why I keep with small ones. Soak it for about 24 hours. Peroxide will also help whiten the bones but can also damage them more readily. Just remember never to use bleach because that will severely compromise the structure of the bones.

Make sure bones are dried thoroughly, this can take quite a while. If properly decreased mold and mildew shouldn't be an issue but holding moisture, or being soaked and drying out repeatedly, can compromise the structure. Oftentimes it'll have already had a few cycles of this and sun bleaching too from nature, so minimizing it is important.

For storage, bones are pretty simple. Keep them out of direct sun or excessive moisture to avoid damage, and try avoiding a place they'd fall from. You can dust them gently when needed, I'd recommend a cue tip for smaller skulls, whatever floats your boat and gets the job done, just remember, the smaller/thinner it is, the more fragile.

[graveyardharmony]

coming along nicely! my pup thinks so too

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #tw animal bones #nature #goblincore #skeleton #oddities #deer teeth #deer bones #tw dead animal #tw decomposition #maceration #wintertime maceration

[graveyardharmony]

first time making a euro mount for someone else!! :D super hyped, hopefully this project will give me the motivation to work on some of my personal projects as well ^_^

#vulture culture #animal bones #bones #tw animal bones #nature #skeleton #oddities #goblincore #deer teeth #deer bones #euro mount #hunting #buck skull #deer antlers #antlers #tw dead animal #tw dead things #dead animal tw #dead animal

[graveyardharmony]

this guy gave me a deer hide today :) looks like i finally have another project on my hands!

#photography #vulture culture #bones #tw animal bones #nature #oddities #deer bones #tw dead things #tw dead animal #tw blood #blood #fur tanning #taxidermy

[graveyardharmony]

rearranging some of my stuff 😌

#animal bones #vulture culture #bones #tw animal bones #nature #goblincore #skeleton #oddities #deer teeth #deer bones #i collect weird things #goblin hoard