One of the toughest hides to tan but this big guy will provide a lot of nice buckskin.
This is the process of stretching a brain tanned deer skin until it is dry and soft.
Pucker vamp moccasins made by me. Sewn with sinew.
A buckskin shirt inspired by some designs from the fur trade era.
A matching set of parfleche envelopes after being painted on a raw domestic cow hide. Buffalo was the preferred hide for parfleche in the past but as the buffalo herds were decimated, parfleche was sometimes painted on domestic cow hides in the early 1900's.
This is an incised parlfeche on buffalo rawhide. The design is carved into the dark epidermis on the hair side of the hide. This was my attempt to copy a Wasco Indian design pictured in Mable Morrow's book "Indian Rawhide". The book claims the original design may have been painted on elk hide stained with blood. These incised styles are not very common but the few extant examples tend to be done on buffalo rawhide.
I got my start in hide tanning at the Rabbitstick Rendezvous back in 2005. Ever since, I have been practicing my skill at this craft, learning how to tan a wide variety of animals from moose to squirrels. The majority of the tanning I do is brain tan or what is also called smoke tan or Indian tan. Basically the style of tanning done across much of Native America for thousands of years. This style of tanning was however, not limited to North America. Various cultures all over the world used different emulsified oils (like brains, eggs, fat, fish oils, plant oils) to work into a hide when softening it and then later smoke the hide. It is perhaps the oldest form of making skins soft for clothing, shelters, bags, etc.
Much of the tanning I do is making buckskin from whitetail and mule deer hides. I also enjoy the challenge of making replicas of original rawhide parfleche folders (these I don't sell). Please check my Etsy Shop for what items I have in stock or feel free to contact me for custom orders.