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Caribou Hide

Tanning

2:34 min. - To soften the tanned hide, it has to macerate for a long time in this water and brain mixture, which must penetrate it thoroughly. This step will be repeated at least three times, depending on the hide’s size and thickness.

Transcription

Narrator - Cooking the brain means rendering it as creamy as possible.
Philomène Mckenzie - Separate and remove the tiny nerves and bones that are found in the brain.
Narrator - Once the texture of the brain becomes creamy, add a bit of bear fat, or other animal fat if you don't have any on hand. I need a lot of brain for a skin this size, so it will be soft once it's tanned. The mixture must be stirred often to keep it from forming lumps. The colour of the brain changes as it cooks. When it's done, it turns a greyish colour when mixed with water.
Philomène Mckenzie - The water mustn't be too hot, so the skin doesn't burn.
Narrator - To make it soft once it's been tanned, the skin will macerate in this brain and water mixture for a long time; the mixture must thoroughly penetrate the skin.
This step must be repeated at least three times, depending on the size and thickness of the skin. The drying technique near a small stove is a delicate one.. If the wet skin is heated too quickly or the stove is too hot, the skin will tend to tear. On the other hand, if it's not heated enough, it will dry out and lose its flexibility.
After these manipulations, if the skin has not softened enough, it needs to be rubbed and sprinkled with the brain and water mixture, particularly in the spots where it is still hard. This takes a very long time.


1 Comment

Danielle Descent 12 years, 7 months ago

cette section sur le tannage me semble un peu brève car on n'y observe pas les manoeuvres d'étirement dans la cuvette avec la moelle. Par la suite je n'ai pas vu l'essorage de la peau au baton non plus l'étirage jusqu'à l'assouplissement.. L'étirage est une partie très importante et je suis surprise que vous ne l'ayez pas capter car c'est à la fois amusant ( en duo) et très long.
Les 3 autres vidéos sont complets et super. Félicitations


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4 Related Video to Caribou Hide

31 Related words or expressions

akutshimakanu mishtikuai
they soak the hide
katshepushtauakanu mishtikuai
we sew the hide to plug up the holes
mamakupetshineu utipaput
mix and knead the hide in the brain mixture to saturate it with the oil
mataikan
scraper
matauakanu
they scrape hides
mautakanua ashinia
to gather stones
minuetshineu mishtikuaia
she folds the caribou hide
mishkutui
drum hoop
mitshitatshenanu
they scrape the hide
mitshitatshikan
scraper
nakashkuauakanu mishtikuai
they keep the hide in the wind
pakutshimakanu
we let the hide dry
pashkuaitshenanu
they scrape a hide to remove the hair
pashkutshikan
they make a scraper to remove hair from the hide
pashkutshikan tshikauanu
he makes a scraper
pashkutshitaku
dry, rotten tree stump
pimikatakanu utipapui
they add a little oil to the liquid brain mix
pitshissinikanu pashkutshitaku
crumble the stump so it dries faster
shash tshishi-uishkushauenanu
the smoking is finished
shikapashkutakanu
they hang up the hide remove excess water
shinipatashkueitshenanu
they use a tool to wring it
shitshipitasheu
he stretches the beaver hide
tshipuapitakanu mishtikuai
they tie up the hide to keep it closed
tshishtikatshenanu
they use stakes to stretch the skin so it will dry
tshishtishkatshikan
stake to keep the hide stretched and off the ground
uashkapeshuakanu mishtikuai
we trim the edges of the hide
uashkashapenanu
cut rawhide sinew strips
uashtekanapissamu ashinia
heat the stones till they’re red
unikutakanu mishtikuai
we hang the hide to smoke it
utamishkai
membrane
utipapui
caribou brain mixed with a bit of water



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