by Christiane Cunnar, Human Relations Area Files
In the United States and in many other societies leather is an integral part of fashion and household living. So, for example, in North America, most people own shoes or belts made out of leather, and some may even have leather jackets, chairs, or sofas. For most parts, hide working now has become an industrialized process. However, in former times the hide-working process was extremely long and labor-intensive involving several stages such as the removal of hair, soaking, kneading and conditioning with substances. These processes are commonly referred to as hide working, tanning, or skin dressing. The ethnographic record shows that women and girls were often assigned to perform these hard and laborious tasks.
eHRAF User Guide:
The eHRAF
User Guides contain very helpful tips on how to search in eHRAF. Hint: In the eHRAF World Cultures database the term "hide*" or "work in skins" is represented by an
OCM subject and code and may be used to enhance your search.
If you have questions about searching in the databases, don't hesitate to contact us at hraf@yale.edu, 1-203-764-9401 or 1-800-520-HRAF.
1. Hide Working Processes
1.1 Hide working in North America
Assume that you are excavating a faunal assemblage in the Great
Plains areas (e.g., Nebraska, Oklahoma, or Kansas) and you are
finding evidence for hide working. You decide to consult the
ethnographic literature to learn more about hide working
processes. Use the literature in eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu)
to compare and contrast the hide working methods employed by three
or more Native North American groups. As you read the
ethnographies, consider the following questions. Do you see any
regional differences? If there is a division of labor for hide
working, how is work allocated? How long and how many people
does it take to process hides? What tools and materials are
used? What are the hides used for? Based on the methods you
review for hide working, what evidence would you expect in the
archaeological record?
1.2 World-Wide Comparisons
Hide-working is a craft performed throughout the world. Use the
literature in eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu)
to compare and contrast the hide-working methods world-wide by
selecting at least three culture groups from the
different major regions. As you perform the searches and read
the ethnographies, consider the following questions. In what
parts of the world is hide-working predominant? What are the
differences or similarities in hide working techniques between
regions (e.g., Asia, Africa, or South America)? What animals are
used?
2. Materials Used for Processing
Leather
The materials used for softening and preserving hides reflect a
culture's access to different natural resources. Cultures
located in coastal areas or in proximity to waterways, such as
the Yakut of Siberia may use fish products such as fish oil or
fish liver as softening agents to process hides. The Tarahumara
of Mexico use tree products such as pulverized oak bark for
tannins. The Pawnee of the northern Plains (now Nebraska) use
elm bark. The brain, an animal by-product, is a common tanning
agent as it is readily available and contains chemicals that
facilitate the tanning process. The archaeological record can
reveal the use of brains in hide working. For example, smashed
bison skulls and skulls with holes, found in some Plains and
High Plains sites of North America, support the idea that the
brains may have been used for food or for tanning agents
(Charles Reher, personal communication).
Exercise: In the list below select three (or more)
words or terms. Use eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu)
to compare and contrast the "hide working agents" for
at least three culture groups from different major
regions.
List of Hide Working Agents:
1. Brains (from animals)
2. Liver
3. Oil
4. Fat
5. Butter
6. Fish
7. Salt
8. Bark
9. Lime
10. Water
3. Dyes Used for Hides
Dyeing agents transform leather into different colors. For
example, Toivo Immanuel Itkonen (1984) reports that the Saami in
Northern Europe made red leather by using alder bark, mixed with
ashes and warm water. In an ethnohistorical account of 1882, A.E.
Nordenskiold observed that Chuckchee women used pine to produce
the red color in leather.
Using eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu)
compare and contrast the process of "dyeing hides" for three (or more) culture groups from different major
regions. Hints: Please note that "work in skins"
and "dyes" are represented by OCM subjects and codes
and may used in a Boolean search. See the eHRAF
User Guides for help.
4. Animals Used for Hide
Working
Using eHRAF World Cultures compare and contrast
the different (or similar) cultural uses of specific types of
animals. For example, animals that are found in many parts of
the world (e.g., cow, deer) are more widely used than
regionally-specific animals such as caribou, moose or elk.
Exercise: In the list below select three (or more)
words or terms. Use eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu)
to compare and contrast the animals used in the hide working
process for at least three culture groups from different
major regions. Hint: In Lookup Search use OCM 281 (work in skins) with words (e.g. buffalo* bison* deer* sheep* goat*) to find relevant paragraphs. See also the eHRAF
User Guides for help.
List of Animal names:
1. Deer
3. Elk
4. Moose
5. Bison (buffalo)
6. Cow
7. Horse
8. Rabbit
9. Seal
10. Beaver
11. Otter
12. Goat
13. Sheep
14. Cougar (panther)
15. Lion
16. Bear
17. Wolf
5. Products Made of Leather and Hides
Using eHRAF World Cultures compare and contrast the different
(or similar) cultural uses of specific leather products.
Exercise: In the list below select three (or more)
words or terms. Use eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu)
to compare and contrast the items produced from for at least three
culture groups from different major regions. Hint: In Lookup Search use OCM 282 (leather industry) and OCM 281 (work in skins) with words (e.g. shoe* boot* sandal* moccasin*) to find relevant paragraphs. See also the eHRAF
User Guides for help.
List of Leather Products:
1. Bags
2. Baskets
3. Pants, trousers
4. Shirt
5. Dress
6. Skirt
7. Belt
8. Shoes, boots, sandals, moccasins
9. Mats
10. Bedding
11. Quivers
10. Shelter (house, tent, dwelling)
Reference Cited:
Itkonen, Toivo Immanuel
1984 The Lapps in Finland up to 1945. Vol. 1. Helsinki:
Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö.
Nordenskiold, A. E.
1882 The voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, with a
historical review of previous journeys along the north coast of
the old world. New York: Macmillan.