Hide Tanning the Woods Cree Way

welcome to this introduction to hide tanning the tanning of hides is a prehistoric art form which has been passed on from generation to generation by the Aboriginal peoples of Canada these home tanned hides were used for clothing footwear teepees bedding and even packaging each different area developed a method of tanning suited to the animal hides available and a local environment we will be following the tanning of a moose hide using the method developed by the northern woods cream with expert Elsie quintal of the lac Labiche area as our guide but first an outline of the steps to Tanana hide let's begin with number one skinning the hide number two soaking number three stretching number four fleshing number five scraping and thinning the hide number six braining number seven first smoking number eight second soaking number nine softening the hide on the ring number ten ringing out the hide number eleven drying number twelve softening and fluffing the hide number thirteen the final smoking let's begin number one skinning the hide once the moose hide has been carefully skinned out a thin layer of meat is left on the hide this ensures the hide has not been cut and makes the fleshing easier a hide that cannot be fleshed immediately can be kept for later by freezing it number two soaking the hide the hide has been laid out flesh side up in a depression in the ground by folding in the edges the hide forms a bucket which will be filled with warm water and left to soak two to three days soaking softens the flesh making it easier to remove number three stretching the hide after removing the soaking water the hide is opened up and slits are cut all around the edges using very strong cord the hide is laced onto a frame made of peeled poles lacing begins at the top of the frame by securing the hind end of the moose to the center the height is then laced across the top making sure that the legs are secured around the corners of the frame next the neck end is laced to the bottom pull in the sides tied last it is most important that the height is stretched tightly so no ripples are present to complete the stretching a pole is slid over the frame and under the hide to further tighten the hide for fleshing number four flushing the hide to flush the hide a tool called a Fletcher is used it's made from the lower front leg of the Moose the handle of the flesh is slipped over the wrist and the leg bone tool is gripped firmly in the hand starting below the stretcher pole and using a pounding motion the flush around the thin tissue layer between the flesh and the hide is removed a properly fleshed hide appears creamy white and the vein tracks are clearly visible once the bottom half of the height is fleshed the frame is turned to complete the fleshing this step is one of the most important in tanning a hide that does not have all the flesh removed won't soften in the tanning process once fleshing has been completed the height is turned over skinned downward and left two to four days to dry step number five scraping and thinning the hide scraping the hair off the hide is done with a sharpened steel tool called a scraper by gripping the scraper firmly with both hands and using a downward pulling motion the hair is removed from the hide once the hair has been removed the hide needs to be thinned to one thickness water can be rubbed onto the hide to soften it for scraping the neck and hip areas are very thick care should be taken with this step so as not to tear the hide a correctly thinned hide is creamy white with no dark patches the hide can now be removed from the frame and the lacing holes cut off at this stage it's called rawhide and can be used to make drum heads rattles and Lacey but rawhide must be stored in a cool dry place step number six brain in the hide the braining mixture should be prepared outdoors the moose brain is put in water and cooked until it softens enough to be mashed into small pieces sunlight bar soap and butter are dissolved in the mixture once the mixture is cooled it is rubbed into the hair side of the moose hide the height is then carefully folded to enclose the brain mixture and then set under heavy rocks out of the weather after 2 nights the brain tide is opened up and laid out in the Sun to dry step number seven the first smoking for the first smoking the hide is tied with the brain side in to a teepee frame made of small poles the hides are covered with plastic to keep the smoke in and to keep the rain out the smoking fire that's made in the teepee uses damp punk or rotten spruce the smoking fire should be watched carefully so it does not flame up and burn the hides to ensure the brain mixture is absorbed the hides are smoked two days then turned in for end smoked one more day and taken down step number eight soaking the hide the smoked hide is placed in a large tub of warm water and weighted down with rocks fabric softener can be added to the soaking water for two to three days the hide should be soaked and turned occasionally to check the hide it is rubbed between the hands and when it starts to get soft and fluffy it is ready to go to the ring step number nine softening the hide on the ring to soften the hide it is pulled back and forth through a steel ring this ring is taken from a wooden barrel and tied to a tree the hide must be kept clean and wet at this stage both sides of the entire hide must be worked on the ring until the hide is soft and fluffy once the hide has been softened it must be worked until it's dry so it does not get hard and stiff it must remain flexible step number ten wringing the hide the ringing pole is a smooth peel pole secured at each end to a tree stump about waist height the height is wrapped and folded around the pole and twisted to leave an opening at the top while one person holds the hide the other person slides another smooth pole through the opening and begins to walk around the ringing pole care must be taken not to tear the hide during this step after ringing the hide is unfolded and stretched back into shape the ringing and stretching are repeated until all the water is removed step number 11 drawing the hide to help dry the hide it can be waved over a small open fire the hide should be flopped over the fire then pulled back into shape again this is repeated several times until the hide is almost dry the heat makes it easier to pull the hide step number 12 softening and fluffing the hide when the high is almost dry holes are cut around the edges and it stretched up on a frame again with very dull scrapers the hide has worked on both sides until it's totally dry at this stage the hide must not get wet or it'll have to be taken back through the soaking and wringing steps again to complete the softening process and to clean the hide it sprinkled with flour and scraped with a dull scraper to remove all the loose fluff and once the hide is soft and smooth it's removed from the frame in this stage it's called brain town hide-and can be used to make various articles of clothing it should be noted however that the hide has no water resistance and will become hard if it gets wet the final step number 13 the final smoking the final smoking makes the hide water-resistant and gives it that characteristic rich brown color and smell of smoke the height is prepared for smoking by sewing it into a bag patching the holes and attaching a piece of canvas to the open end it's hung over a smoking pot of damn punk spruce this smoking must be carefully watched so the desired color is reached and the height is not burnt the flesh side is smoked the darker brown and then turned to give a light smoking to the hair side once complete the height is opened and hung out into the open air the Moose hide tanning is now finished and ready to be cut decorated and sewn into beautiful moccasins bags and clothing that are truly products of a lot of skilled labour dedicated love and a cultural heritage this has been an introduction to hide County just to give you an idea of what work goes into the process now why not give it a try

Channel: Portage College

Views: 565,291

Rating: 4.9082026 out of 5

Keywords: traditional hide tanning, hide tanning, hides, Elsie Quintal, woodland cree, woods cree, woods cree way, in honour, Métis People (Ethnicity), metis elder, elder, tanning hide, tanning, portage college, Lac La Biche (City/Town/Village), Owl River, Aboriginal Peoples In Canada (Ethnicity), northern woods cree, moose hide, native cultural arts, hide

Id: SWUCC00yGd8

Length: 17min 16sec (1036 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 24 2014

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[u/shooshx]

Why not give it a try?

... sure...