Smoking a Moose Hide

A set of 16 photos of Barbara Ross of Stanley Mission smoking a moose hide. Making a raw hide into leather is a long, complicated, and skilled process: these photos show the final step in that process. -p01: Barbara prepares a wash tub to hold the smoking fire by putting a layer of ashes in the bottom. -p02: The smoking materials, consisting of dry rotted wood and dry spruce cones, have been gathered and carefully mixed. -p03: These materials are put into the tub. -p04: The tub is placed under the hide, which has been sewn into a tube and hung up. -p05: Barbara has sewn a skirt of old canvas around the bottom of the hide to prevent spark burns or uneven smoking. -p06: The skirt is carefully placed over the edge of the tub. -p07: The bullet hole is plugged with a little piece of wood to prevent uneven smoking. -p08: After several hours the hide tube is removed and the fire is put out. -p09: All that remains in the tub are charred wood and cones. -p10: It was a hot afternoon and the tea things are set outside along with discarded stockings and moccasins. -p11: The hide is carried to a pole. -p12 to -p13: Here it is opened up and hung over the pole. -p14 to -p15: The canvas skirt is now removed. -p16: The beautiful evenly-tanned hide is displayed.

Historical note:

Photos of Barbara Ross of Stanley Mission smoking a moose hide, taken by Lois Dalby in about 1968 and subsequently used by her in developing northern classroom materials while employed by the Academic Education Branch of the Department of Northern Saskatchewan.