Check Out This Vivid Example of Traditional Rawhiding

FOR A LOOK AT WHAT TRADITIONAL RAWHIDING LOOKS LIKE, CHECK OUT THIS UNIQUE VIDEO.

In our modern world, we sometimes forget just how spoiled we are. I’ve heard Warren Buffet say that almost every person living in America today has a better life than John Rockefeller did 100 years ago, and he was the richest person in the world. That’s because we have access to things like air conditioning, antibiotics, and cell phones. When I teach history, I sometimes tell my students that kings of medieval Europe would probably change places with them in an instant. Why? Because we have ice in summer, people fly around the world, and doctors have tools that can restart your heart if it stops beating. All in all, we’ve got a lot to be thankful for.

This abundance spills over to all different parts of our lives. For example, if you are into rawhiding (which I’m guessing you are) you have access to quite a lot of wonderful tools. You can buy specialized splitters, string cutters, and rawhide cream that make your final product better and the process easier. Even something as traditional as rawhiding is being improved by the modern world.

Still, you don’t have to have all of the modern tools to make good and functional rawhide. I was told a story once about how one of the Dorrance brothers (Bill I think) commented on how he made some of his best rawhide with just a pocket knife. Of course, for a long time, a sharp knife was about the only tool that a rawhider had at his disposal. Using that, they made everything they needed.

Recently, I came across an interesting YouTube video of a man who makes rawhide in a very simple way. I don’t know where he is from, or what he is saying, but it really doesn’t matter. What is interesting is the simple methods he uses to create useful rawhide products. In many ways, this video is a glimpse into the past. It probably gives us an idea of how traditional rawhide was created for generations before all of the specialized tools were available. It can show us how people creatively used the resources they had to create the things they wanted. In many ways, that resourcefulness is at the heart of rawhiding and so many other traditional processes.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this traditional rawhiding video.