As it is commonly known, leather is a very flexible and durable material, created through the process of tanning of animal skin. The most widely used type of animals for this purpose is the cattle. This material, leather, can be formed by using various processes. The manufacturing procedure involves cottage industry as well as the heavy industry.
The history of leather dates back thousands of years. The first people to use leather for the purpose of protecting or covering their bodies with the skins of animals lived in The Ice Age some 500,000 years back. Those ancient people used leather as a by-product, just like the modern man does today. Our ancestors used to hunt animals for the prime purpose of getting food. But after they had fed themselves with the meat of the particular animal, they would clean its skin, scrape off the unnecessary fat and dirt, and use the skin for different functions. For instance, they would use the skin as a covering for their body or coat, which would protect them from the harsh weather conditions. The Ice age people were clever enough to use the skin of the animal as footwear to prevent their feet getting damaged from thorns or the hard ground; they would tie a loose, small piece of animal skin over the foot with a string made from the same animal skin.
Such was the height of cleverness showed by our ancestors. But then again, given the absence of civilization, their mind was bound to experience some hindrances or problems. The animal skins that they used to utilize for useful purposes, would rot away or decay after a short period of time. Due to the lack of knowledge, our ancestors did not know how to preserve those animal skins. But with passing time, those Ice Age people discovered several ways to do that. For example, they found out that if the animal hide was stretched taut and laid under the sun, it would stiffen and dry, and last much longer. Similarly the use of certain oily substances to function for the conservation of the animal hides was another of the discovered methods. And then there came a time when the smart Iceman uncovered that “tannic acid” could be found in the barks of certain trees. This acid could be used to convert raw animal hide into what we call “leather” today. It is hard to trace the exact age in which this useful tanning method was discovered, but nevertheless, an important exposure was made which still benefits the modern man of today’s time.
A similar tanning method was used by the American Indians to soften their animal hide and make it useable. They would soak the animal skins into a mixture of campfire ash and water. This solution would turn the animal skin soft and clean to use. After this method would take a few weeks, the clean animal hide would be then worked on by hand to make it into different forms of usage.
Also see: Leather History > The Development of Leather