The Benefits of Hide Tanning Today
In the world that we walk in daily, convenience has won over tradition. Practices that kept our ancestors fed and thriving are mostly forgotten by society to date, though the benefits of ancestral practices are making a widespread comeback as we can all see on social media.
As we begin to reweave these ancient practices into our daily lives, we dip into the well of essential but simple acts rooted deep in human history. Hide tanning is one of those acts, treasured today for its deep connection to ancestors, reducing waste, honoring the loss of life, and its practical and aesthetic applications.
Hide tanning is yet another way to find yourself woven more closely with this beautiful land we share with the animals and the plants. The art of tanning is an example of the generosity of the indigenous and the earth-centered communities living today who have kept this wonderfully grounding and spirit-enriching practice alive. For this, we are grateful.
Adopting the practice of tanning hides for fun as a new crafting opportunity, as a way to mitigate the massive amount of roadkill that is the byproduct of our modern car culture, or as a form of ritual and gratitude, can open doors to your inner self and your heart space at minimum.
The Many Methods of Hide Tanning
Hide tanning has been an indispensable necessity for millennia. Hides were used as clothing by all peoples at some point, for trade, transportation, craftwork and more. Using every part of the animals available like deer, buffalo, cow, sheep, and even rabbit, was of utmost importance and the ultimate goal of the act outside of crafting sturdy and warm pieces of material. With the many types of leather you can make, there are many methods specific to what you might create.
Anyone crafting to create saddles or belts will find value in vegetable tanning, where tannins from oak chestnut or hemlock bark are used to tan the hide. This traditional practice takes many weeks to complete. Options like chrome or alum tanning use different chemical salts to allow for a faster turnaround. Hide tanning methods to create water-resistant materials like oil or wet tanning are great for upholstery, furniture, handbags or anything you’d prefer to be extremely durable. As the old timers say, there are many ways to skin a cat, and these old sayings often hold a seed of truth.
Demonstration of fur-on hide tanning. Photos provided by Nico & Callan.
Learn Hide Tanning
At our upcoming perennial workshop Fur-On Rabbit Hide Tanning, instructors Nico Piedrahita and Callan Burton-Shore will share the art of brain tanning, a practice that involves softening the raw material by massaging the animal brains or other fatty substances into the hide to soften and preserve it. Brain tanning produces soft and pliable leather, perfect for clothing items and moccasins. This is one of many honored practices passed down for generations, tended and shared by our instructors. The Rabbit Tanning workshop will be held on April 27th – 28th and is a fantastic way for beginners to jump right in and learn the basics – and have something really cool to show for it! Practice now and bring your creations to the Bizarre Bazaar or the Trade Blanket at the Annual Firefly Gathering from July 16th through 21st, where trading hand-crafted creations is encouraged.
Whether you choose to take the upcoming workshop or if you attend a class on hide tanning at the Firefly Gathering this summer, look forward to ways to incorporate a gratitude ritual into the practice. The ritual of giving thanks to the sacrificed animal roots to indigenous cultures around the world and embodies the deep spiritual connection we have with nature as nature, and with the animal that provides sustenance, protection, and its material for our survival. There are also methods to teach this practice with appropriate acknowledgment and gratitude, as Nico and Callan will share with you this April.
While these practices have been mostly lost to the secular world, they are coming back with a vengeance. Preparing your hide and learning the art of tanning will equip you with the knowledge to share the practice with your community, friends and family.
