Preparing Furs

Nisga'a men were the hunters. They hunted and trapped the animals needed for skins. It was the women, though, who made these skins into leather and furs, and who cut and sewed then into the warm clothes they needed for long, cold winter.

Before a skin can be used to make clothing it needs to be both softened and preserved. The process is called " tanning " When Nisga'a wanted to tan a skin they fallowed the steps below.

Step 1

  1. The animals brain was taken out of its skull and put in a bowl or other container.*
  2. The skin was stretched on a from or pegged to the ground.

*After sitting for a few days the brain became soft and mushy and was later used in the tanning process.

This hunter is wearing a buckskin jacket, leather moccasins, a leather ammunition belt and a fur hat. His jacket is lined with fur.

A brain solution was rubbed into the flesh side of the skin.

Step 2

Remove the fat from the hide.

  1. When the brain was soft and mushy it was heated and strained. This liquid was rubbed onto the skin.
  2. As the liquid became cooler it became hard.
  3. When the liquid brain became hard it was scraped off using a stone or shell scraper. The brain helped remove the fat from the hide.

Step 3

Soften and preserve the skin

  1. The hide was taken off the frame or pegs and soaked in hemlock bark solution. This process made the hide pliable and helped to preserve it.
  2. The skin was put back in the frame.
  3. Fat or oolichan grease was rubbed into the skin. The fat and grease made the skin soft and helped to preserve it.
  4. Another important step in softening a skin was called Haat'inaas. The skin was placed in the mouth and then bitten. This was most important along any fold or crease in the skin. Saliva in the mouth and the strong pressure of the teeth caused the skin to soften and bend.

The hair was scraped off the hide

Step 4

Remove the hair ( If the hair was to be taken off )

  1. The hide was soaked several days in fresh water.
  2. Hair was then pulled out by hand.

Pictures to be inserted - Bone scrapers such as this were used for scrapping unwanted material from skins, furs and hides

Picture to be inserted - This warrior's ceremonial helmet, made from the paws of a bear, is crowned with a regal twist of ermine.

See a slide show of ancient Nisga'a artifacts.

Nisga'a Treaty - This is where you can get the Nisga'a Treaty documentation.

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