Ep 77 - Hide Tanning with Mara Cur

Brought to you by Community-Minded Alpine Toyota

In this episode Curtis and Mark are joined by Mara Cur. Mara is a teacher and mentor who is joyfully passing on the ancient art and skill of natural hide tanning. Mara breaks down the steps of turning a raw animal hide into a textile by explaining smoke, bark, and mineral tanning methods as well as the process of making rawhide. Other topics Mara covers includes her own journey into tanning, the history of tanning, which tanning method cultures around the world have in common, using local resources for tanning, split grain, full grain, hair on versus hair off textiles, buckskin, brain tanning, breaking a hide, the molecular change that transforms a hide into textile, how to care for a fresh game hide, the life story that is written into each hide and purple leather.

Show Notes:

Follow Mara on Instagram @fern.and.roe

Mara’s website: www.fernandroe.com

Upcoming classes (book online at Mara’s website)

August 25-28 Sooke BC Sheep Skin

Sept 2-5 Salt Spring Island Smoked Tanned Buckskin

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