How did native Americans soften animal hides?

For treating hides there were two distinct processes - brain tanning and "stretching". It is the second of these that produces the softening effect.

The process used by native Americans for tanning hides is extremely labour intensive and is not often seen today - commercially tanned leather uses chemicals and cuts out almost all of the hard manual work. So-called "Indian tanned" leather (buckskin) is consequently now very expensive.

Native women (it was a woman's job in most groups) would skin deer or elk or antelope killed in the summer hunt. First they washed the fresh hide to remove blood, dirt and other contaminants; the hide was soaked in water for several days to allow it to start to rot, meaning that the hair became loose and was easier to scrape away. Some tribes spread wood ash and water on the hair side to create lye which helps the hair to become loose. The skin was then dried for the fleshing process, either being pegged out on the ground or fastened with cords to a vertical framework.

A sharp scraper was used to take off all the flesh and fat from the inside of the hide, being careful not to cut into the skin itself. Primitive fleshing tools were made from the leg bones of bear or moose.

The skins were then washed again and checked to see that all traces of fat had gone.

Then the beaming process began. This was often done over a wooden post set firmly at a 45 degree angle in the ground. The hide was placed on this with the hair side up and a scraping tool or beamer was used to carefully scrape away all the hair, using firm downward strokes. This could take between 2 and 5 hours of very hard work. The upper layer of skin (scarf skin) was also removed during this process.

Next, the brain of the same animal was heated in water and a little fat, mashing it to create a paste. This brain mixture was then applied to the hide which first had to be completely dried by twisting it. The brain paste was vigorously rubbed in by hand or with a smooth stone and left overnight. Next day the hide was again wrung out to remove all moisture and stretched out flat again.

Attached to the upright framework of posts, the hide was now stretched firmly with a blunt wooden tool about 32 inches long. Taking most of a whole day, the skin was rubbed, pushed and stretched with this tool to break up the fibres and create a white, soft and supple leather. This task was so difficult that two or more women would take turns.

Finally, the skin would be hung over a smoky fire and allowed to absorb the smoke for a few hours, turning the hide to light cream, orange, tan or dark brown depending on how long it is left - no flame must be allowed to touch the skin; then the skin would be flipped over and smoked on the other side.

This was now "buckskin" - softer and much more pliable than any modern leather.