theȟpí! (a soft tanned hide)
The Black Hills Arts Intensives included a 5-day workshop on hide-tanning. Students took three deer-hides – one already prepared as rawhide and two “green” hides that needed to be fleshed and de-haired – through the stages of soaking, stretching, fleshing, scraping, and tanning! It was a lot of work, but we had an awesome time! Avi worked around the clock to finish the first one, with the end result being beautifully tanned deerskin! Already looking forward to next year!
wahápaȟpA: fleshing the hide
Stretching the fleshed hide in the frame
Moving the hide-frame into the sun to dry
De-hairing!
Teamwork!
wahátka: scraping the dry hide
tȟahásaka: the untanned hide(s) with hair removed and dried
Elbow-grease!
carefully scraping the hide with the wahíŋtka (elk-horn scraper)
Sanding the hide
wakpáŋyAŋ (tanning) the hide by stretching
yuȟúŋtA: softening the hide by rubbing it back and forth against the iyúȟuŋte (softening rope)
Smoking the hide with cottonwood
Success!
Thank you for sharing these pictures they brought back many memories. I was raised at Wood Mountain Saskatchewan where Sitting Bull’s Hunkpapa tribe was chased into Canada. My Mom and Dad were friends with some of the descendents that remained in Canada. One couple Mr. and Ms Lethbridge were what they called my Spirit Mother and Father and taught me the Lakota culture. My Spirit Father taught me how to tan deer hides. I identify with how much work it is. My Spirit Father loved leather. This is a link to his brief bio. I still have a saddle he made me when I was 13 years old hanging in my garage. I still ride a couple of times a month. I am 71 years old. https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/aborig/rodeo/biography_26e.shtml