Handicraft    Reindeer Skin

There are two main types of reindeer skin work: fur work and leather work. The skins can be treated by hand or by using industrial methods. Small items, such as bags, or coffee and sugar pouches are made in the traditional way from leather tanned by hand. Useful items, such as mittens, shoes, and hats get their shapes from the skin of the reindeer's leg. Coats and traditional jackets are made from the skins of reindeer slaughtered in the autumn. Other garments and more modern products are usually made from industrially treated reindeer skins.

The reindeer is at its best in the autumn and the skins are saved then and in the winter, during the slaughtering season. Reindeer are not slaughtered for their handicraft materials but for their meat. After meat production, an unbelievable amount of handicraft materials become available, so there is little controversy over the use of reindeer skin for different purposes. There is no need to fear the reactions of animal protectionists because the reindeer is slaughtered primarily for its meat.

1.1 The History of the Use of Reindeer Skin
The use of reindeer skin has long traditions. Skin has been a useful and valuable material for clothing and other items in arctic regions. It is the oldest raw material for making clothes, and how to treat it has been known for centuries. The treatment of the skins using different methods has provided materials suitable for a multitude of purposes. In winter, the people mainly in reindeer herding circles wore the "peski" made from reindeer skins. These were a Lapland-style fur coat. A "sisna" leather suit with trousers and shoes served as summer wear, and these were made to be waterproof. Other essential items made from reindeer skin were different pouches and bags, and the equipment needed for reindeer herding, such as straps. Leatherwork was primarily the work of women who were diligent and skilled experts. The long history of using reindeer skins has left its traces on the products and how the skins are treated.

1.2 Traditional "Sisna" - Reindeer Skin Tanned by Hand
Reindeer skin was traditionally treated with simple tools and using substances available from nature. The skin was softened and got its colour from birch and willow bark, no chemical agents were used. The old method of treating reindeer skin is still used by the Sámi. Hand tanned leather is a natural and ecological material and pure "sisna" is used for items that store foodstuffs.

Leather that is treated by vegetable tanning and natural methods has better tensile strength than industrially treated leather so it is suitable for usage that demands strength. "Sisna" is also a waterproof material that is easy to shape, so it is good for making footwear. It is excellent for children's toys because it contains no added substances. Reindeer skin without added substances is used first and foremost in traditional Sámi handicrafts, which can be recognised by the special "duodji" symbol. A beautifully surfaced skin tanned by hand is particularly suitable for the carefully made hand-sewn items in which the surface of the skin and its special pliability feature strongly.

Working with reindeer skin demands a high professional standard and a deep knowledge of the material and its methods of use. To achieve the correct, durable, and appropriate material, the expert must know when reindeer skin is at its best and how to work it. Achieving a high quality material is not easy - it is exacting and time-consuming work that demands persistence from its maker. These days, there are ever fewer craftsmen working traditionally with reindeer skin and the skill rests in older hands. Skilled knowledge no longer passes on naturally through practise as before, rather leather working and making products more often has to be learned from the older experts.

1.3 Tanned Leather
Tanned leather is industrially treated with chemicals and it resembles "sisna" to some extent. It is now used for the same products as "sisna" but its production has become more mechanised. It is used for making different bags and backpacks and new products, mostly souvenirs. It is light brown in colour.

1.4 Reindeer Suede and Shiny Leather
Reindeer suede and shiny leather are especially suitable for clothing. Reindeer skin is thin, durable and easy to shape, which is essential in making clothes. It also feels comfortable to wear. Industrially produced reindeer suede and shiny leather are available in a wide range of colours.

1.5 Decorative Hide
A hide for decorative purposes is a soft, hair covered, industrially treated hide that is only really suitable for hanging on walls. Reindeer hair is hollow so it breaks due to movement and wear and tear, and therefore the hide of a fully-grown reindeer is not a good material for garments. The skins of calves slaughtered early in the autumn were traditionally used for this purpose as they still have the short new autumn hair, so it does not break. The characteristics of treated fur skin are softness, warmth, and a shiny surface. When used outside, a decorative hide absorbs a certain amount of water because of the chemicals used, and so it feels damp outside. Decorative hide is used to a certain extent in making souvenirs, such as seating covers, and it can sometimes be used in outfits.

1.6 A Hide to Lie on
The hide is hung on a wall to dry out. When the fat in the reindeer skin dries on the surface of the hide, it forms a water-repellent coating. The hide is good to lie on and it can be used on a sledge in winter or on a boat in summer. They were traditionally used by reindeer herders to sleep on in a lean-to shelter or in a "kota" (traditional Lapland tepee).

1.7 Skins from Reindeer Legs
Reindeer leg skins have traditionally been used for shoes, hats, mittens, and gaiters. The structure of the hair on the leg is different to the hair on a hide in that it does not break, but it is short and has a shiny surface. In the new method of slaughtering in abattoirs, reindeer legs are cut off at the knee and the rest is thrown out so therefore there are no materials available. A certain number of discarded legs have been collected and therefore fine material has been obtained to make different products. Mobile phone and thermos flask covers are among the new products made from leg skins.

1.8 Skins from Reindeer Skulls
These skins are used for making footwear called "kallokas" ("skullers") because of the material used. The hair on the skin of a skull is denser and thicker than on that on the legs, so "skullers" are good in freezing temperatures. Skins from skulls are not used for much else.

1.9 Thread from Reindeer Sinews
Sinew from a reindeer's back was used for sewing leatherwork and it is still used sometimes. When skinning the reindeer, the sinews are taken in long bunches and dried. Then the dried bunches of sinew are softened. Strands are separated from the softened bunches and these are used for sewing. These days, industrial wax thread, which has similar qualities, has superseded the use of sinews.

Source courtesy of: http://www.paliskunnat.fi/default.aspx?kieli=en-US