Jaida Grey Eagle
Preserving Tradition Through Hide Tanning
The art of processing animal hide, also known as brain tanning is a class and a sharing of knowledge taught by Greg Johnson, an Anishinaabe teacher through the North House Folk School. Although my family has passed down other forms of traditional knowledge, tanning hide is one we’ve lost. This opportunity brings me back to understanding my own culture while learning in community. I took this class earlier this fall as a way of reconnecting as I've always been curious about the process. I often use smoked hide in my own work and have coveted learning the process. Processing hides was and continues to be a traditional art that Indigenous people have depended upon for so many aspects of our lives. The class was taught over a three day period on the Grand Portage reservation in northern Minnesota. Through this class students are taught how to fully process a deer hide from the beginning.
Day one begins with skinned deer hide, and each hour of the day is dedicated to the process. Greg Johnson is known in his community and he is often gifted various hides from people on his reservation but is also an avid hunter. Throughout the class Greg has many teachings about indigenous culture, one that in particular will stay with me was about how he was always taught to treat the animals with the utmost respect. He talked about how our ancestors used to use every part of the animal, not just kill them for their meat and the animals have given their lives so that we could survive. He was taught by his elders that the animals actually pity us humans and that they gift us their hides so that we can stay warm and protect ourselves. During the class a local elder came by to say hello and said that when she was younger, everyone in their tribe knew how to tan hide and she'd see hide stretched out on frames throughout the area and now she never sees it anywhere. Although there were many students in attendance and working together, the process was long and arduous. The ending product is a gorgeous golden colored smoked and tanned hide that can be used for many projects, including moccasins, knife sheaths, beadwork, jewelry, bags, medicine bundles, etc. The hide holds a unique smell of smoke that it retains from the smoking process. The hide is a treasured item after so much hard work and dedication brought it to its final iteration.
