RAWHIDE - the hide was used after the hair was removed; creamy in color, hard and tough; used to make shields, drums, ties (thongs) and waterproof containers

LEATHER - once hair was removed, it was treated, soaked, stretched, dried, then smoked over a fire; leather was softer than rawhide; used to make clothing, moccasins, tipis and pouches

BRAIN TANNED HIDES - bison brain was mashed into a paste, then smeared over the hide and rubbed in. This softened the hide and made it waterproof. Smoking the hide also helped to make it waterproof.

To make rawhide, the hide was
• stretched and pegged to the ground or stretched on a frame
• scraped to remove fat and meat
• flipped over and hair was scraped off with a sharp rock or antler
• left to dry and harden

To make a softer skin (tanned hide) the following steps were added:
• rawhide was rubbed with mixture of animal brains, fat and liver
• a smooth stone was used for rubbing in the mixture
• the hide was left to dry in the sun
• it was soaked in water, rolled up and left to cure
• the hide was stretched and scraped again on both sides
• hours of rubbing with a smooth stone to make the skin soft

  This process took about a week.

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