Video
The Buffalo Robe
Transcript
Hello, my name's Loren Yellow Bird. I'd like to welcome you to Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site. The buffalo and the buffalo hides were essential to the livelihood of the Native Americans and to Fort Union during the 1800s. Buffalo were a stable diet for the tribes and supplied many of their needs. Meat was consumed as food. Bones were made into various tools, weapons, and ceremonial items. To waste any part of the buffalo was considered foolish. The hide was used for tepees, clothing, and trading. During the fur trade, Native Americans turned buffalo hides into robes and sold them for trade goods. The better the robe, the better the trade. The process to create a buffalo robe began with the hunt itself. Young men of the tribe would go out and track a herd of buffalo as a large hunting party. Upon falling the buffalo, a process to turn their hides into robes began. A hide was freshly skinned from the buffalo and was first cleaned the dirt. Next, the hide was tied to a frame to begin the flesh and process. The hides were fleshed using a scraper made from elk antler to remove the fat and meat from the hide. If the meat and fat were not removed, it would spoil the hide. To produce a buffalo robe, the hide needs to be tanned. The Native Americans use the brain tanning process to tan the hide. It was commonly said that every animal has enough brains to tan its own hide. The brains of the buffalo were placed in a pot of water and boiled until it was turned into a watery paste. This watery paste or solution was then applied to the hide. To break up the fibers of the hide and make the hide more pliable, the buffalo hide was worked over a rope. The final stage in the buffalo tanning process required the hide to be smoked. This was done by creating a fire pit filled with sage. Smoking would last until the desired color was achieved. After the smoke and process, the hide could now be called a buffalo robe and be taken to the fort to be traded. Fort Union traded an average of about 40,000 buffalo robes in a year. Native Americans would gain valuable trade items like guns, blankets, and metal tools for their robes. And in turn, Fort Union earned valuable profit from the sale of the robes. I'd like to thank you for visiting Fort Union. And if you have any other questions, please contact one of the rangers.
Description
Buffalo Robes were the primary trade medium at Fort Union Trading Post. Ever wonder how would you brain tan a Buffalo Robe?
Duration
2 minutes, 37 seconds
Credit
Prairie View Production
Date Created
09/02/2009
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