How to Tan a Hide
Tanning a hide by the methods used by Native Americans involves four steps: cleaning, braining, softening, and smoking.
Up next in Wilderness Survival Skills (40 videos)
Conquer the wilderness with the survival tips in these Howcast videos.
You Will Need
- A small animal hide
- A knife
- The animal's brain
- A stove
- A pot
- Water
- A blender
- A brush
- A storage area
- A chair
- And smoke
Steps
-
Step 1
Scrape the hide
Remove meat and fat from the hide by scraping it with a knife. Scrape from side to side -- not head to tail.
-
Use a fresh hide, preferably from an animal that has died a natural death or been the victim of a recent accident. If you use a frozen or dried hide, you will have to restore it to fresh condition.
-
Step 2
Add brains
Cook the animal's brain -- beef or pork brains can also be used -- in a pot of water, then put it a blender with warm water and mix well.
-
In general, any small animal has enough brain to tan its own hide.
-
Step 3
Apply the brains to the hide
Moisten the hide until it feels like a sponge, and then apply some of the brain mixture to the flesh side with a brush. Let the brains sit on the skin for an hour before applying more.
-
Step 4
Store the hide overnight
Roll the hide up with the brains inside and let it sit overnight in a cool, protected place.
-
Step 5
Apply more brains
Apply another coat of brains in the morning before stretching out the hide.
-
Step 6
Soften the hide
Run the hide over the back of a chair to soften it until it is completely dry.
-
Step 7
Smoke the hide
Smoke the hide over an open fire. Smoking prevents the skin from turning hard after getting wet and discourages insects.
-
Native Americans used animal brains to tan hides because the oil in the brains lubricated the fibrous structure of the skin.
