Buffalo Tipi Covers

Buffalo Tipi Covers. . , Making a hide tipi cover was a community project. The women would get together to make a cover, which was made by piecing together the hides of multiple animals, usually buffalo., It required 18 tanned buffalo hides to make the average tipi. A tipi cover would last about two years. Old covers would be used to make moccasins and clothing., Labor of Love , Tanning a hide was a long process. After the hair was removed, women scraped off all the flesh, fat, and blood, using scrapers made from buffalo bones and stone tools. The hide was then left in the sun for several days to bleach and cure., A tanning mixture made out of buffalo brains, liver, grease, basswood bark, soapweed, and water was poured over the hide. Women then rubbed the mixture into the hide with a stone. The hide was left in the sun for several more days., The hide was then stretched out, rubbed, and dried to soften the texture and make it supple. This process was repeated until the hide was soft and pliable. The hide was then smoked to make it waterproof. After smoking, the hide was a cream color., [Captions:] , Two women tanning a buffalo hide., Most tipis were unpainted. Only ceremonial tipis and the tipis of tribal leaders were painted., Soft, tanned hides, often called buckskins, were also used to make bags, belts, bedding, shirts, and dresses., Untanned hides, called rawhides, were stiff and strong. They were used to make shields, drums, ropes, saddles, snowshoes, buckets, boats, moccasin soles, and containers. . This historical marker is Near Pickstown in Charles Mix County South Dakota