Braintan, smoke tan, Indian tan … hides prepared and preserved soft and supple with an emulsion of animal brains and water, hard work and smoke. Even though methods vary from tanner to tanner, these are the basic ingredients creating the material used by Native Americans and frontiers people for clothing, moccasins, robes, shelters etc.
May 8-10 the Scandinavian Mountain Men (SMM) gathered to learn and practice the brain tanning method as described in Larry Belitz classic; Step-By-Step, Brain Tanning the Sioux Way. Which describes a so called dryscrape method. Our experienced brain tanners, Jens Christiansen and Peter Stenström, guided us through the steps of fleshing, graining, braining, wringing, softening and smoking. We started Friday morning with fresh Fallow deer hides, and by Saturday evening each tanner had a soft (mostly) golden smoked buckskin to show for the effort.
This was the second time SMM had a “Braintan Weekend” and we all agreed there will be a third, a fourth and perhaps a fifth time as well.
View the sketches from our Braintan Weekend : S.M.M. Braintan Camp -2026
Read more about the different braintan methods: https://braintan.com/intro/wetdry1.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqQ6b_H9v5cGf_bgqC8XkzPv20DejTEJLteprNGOcKXHvjRd6DH
Read more about the use of buckskin among Rocky Mountain Trappers in this great article by Bradley C. Bailey: Dressed for Success – Hide Tanning and the use of Buckskin among Mountaineers
Tina graining the hide i.e. removing the hair and epidermis layer
Michael entertaineing Peter while graining
Johan and William examining the color while smoking their hides.
The SMM flag ceremony. Much over due for some, almost on time for others