Hide Brain Tanning | Thrive: Traditions S6 • E3

Hide brain tanning is an ancient art form kept alive by Chickasaws like Dixie Brewer and Sharon Postoak. In this episode, they demonstrate step-by-step how Chickasaws throughout time have created tanned leather.

The first step of the process is hunting the animal, then removing its skin. Every part of the animal has a use, from the antlers to the hooves. Food, shelter, tools, shoes, clothing and musical instruments all were made from various parts of the animal, and tanned leather was essential for creating many of these items.

Next, the hide is prepared to be dipped in the solution, then stretched and dried on the wooden frame. Chickasaws today may use tools made from modern materials, but the type of tools are nearly the same as those used in ancient times. "Our ancestors would have had very similar tools ... if it [the scraper] was made out of flint or bone, it would've looked pretty much the same," says Dixie.

The final product is a bright white, traditionally crafted buckskin that some may choose to smoke, which gives the hide a layer of waterproofing and a deep golden color. "There are not a lot of people that still do this art form ... you can go out and buy a commercial hide and it just doesn’t mean as much as a hide you've completed yourself," Dixie explains.

Learning the traditional tanning method is not only rewarding, but it also ensures the art form is not lost to time. "This is the way of our ancestors and we need to pass this down to the younger generation," says Sharon. "This connects the young ones to the traditional ways of doing things and helps them to understand where they came from."

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