Ancestral Skills - Salmon Leather Making
Hi folks,
Thanks again to those that attended the Salmon Leather Making workshop with Janey Chang these past two weekends. It was marvelous to witness the salmon skin transform into an entirely new material right before our eyes! That said, as always, I have several reflections questions/prompts to get you thinking about the the skills and experiences you had. Remember, the only two requirement are to write in full sentences and write a minimum of one paragraph (minimum 4 sentences).
- What were your initial reactions to scraping the fat, mucus, and scales of the salmon from the skin? How did your disposition to the activity change as you listened to Janey's stories and acquainted yourself with the salmon?
- In your opinion, should secondary education consist of more hands-on and interactive activities? What benefit do these types of activities have for learners like yourselves?
- Place yourself in the position of the First peoples of Canada - try to describe the significance/impact Salmon leather shoes may have on a persons livelihood and/or economic standing.
- Consider the manner Janey asked us to introduce ourselves to one another. What is the significance of introducing your heritage or family ancestry to a community you participate in?
- As always, if none of the questions above are of interest,you are welcome to write freely about your thoughts on this activity.
8 Replies
I appreciate listening to Janey reading poems about the salmon and why we should respect the land that it has to offer. Also learning to make my very own Salmon leather making which was a lot of fun to make. Especially using the tools that you can find on the ground like rocks, clams, seashells, etc to scrape off the fat from the salmon skin. I believe that schools should teach more about the First People in Canada and learn about Salmon leather making which is a big part of their tradition. It was very cool seeing how the tanning process works by using tea. This was a great experience for me and I'm glad I got the opportunity to participate.
For Alyana L.:
"When I first heard about the salmon leather making workshop, I was a little hesitant to sign up but also eager to learn about an ancestral skill of Indigenous peoples all across the world. As non-Indigenous settler, I feel that it is an honour to learn about traditional knowledge that colonizers have attempted to strip from Indigenous peoples for many years. Personally, I do not eat meat and I try not to purchase animal products such as leather. However, I also firmly believe in creating as little waste as possible, which is another reason why I decided to participate in this workshop. I thought it was great that these fish skins would be given new purpose instead of being wasted. When we were first given the salmon skin, I didn’t really want to touch it. It was very slimy. I put as little pressure as I could when scraping the mucus and fat off because I was afraid of ripping the skin. Eventually I became more comfortable with handling the skin and scraping off everything. I was really excited to finally be done with that part of the process and move on to the actual tanning part. It was really neat to take a hands-on approach with the leather making. I have learned about the tanning process in school, but this experience will stick with me much more than any readings from a textbook will. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience and I’m happy that we were able to make use of something that would otherwise be thrown away. I am in awe of the innovation of Indigenous peoples who use all their resources to the fullest and I am honoured to play a part in keeping this tradition alive."
For Andre C.:
"During the past two weeks I’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to learn how to make salmon leather out of salmon skins and other raw materials. At first I was very apprehensive about making salmon leather as I wasn’t sure of what I was getting into. I found the smell and the textures of the salmon skin to be very interesting since it was something I wouldn’t be touching or smelling on a daily basis. But as the day went by, you learned to get used to the new smells and textures, appreciating the salmon more and being able to learn this important skill passed down through many generations of indigenous peoples. Doing this workshop, I felt so much more connected in Canada’s past as well as the cultures of the indigenous people that came way before us, using these fundamental skills for their survival. Janey’s stories about salmon also opened my eyes to how important these creatures were in the daily lives of the people that came before us, ensuring their survival. Even to this day we still rely on salmon heavily as a food source. I believe that schools should be holding workshops like these more frequently as it really allows people to connect to the salmon as well as the history of the indigenous people and its importance. I feel that allowing students to participate in workshops like this would also make them realize how important salmon is as well as nature, making them recognize how important salmon is in our lives and not take things like that for granted. As the workshops came to an end I felt extremely happy to be able to learn such a fundamental skill and felt even more connected to the land as well as Canada’s rich history."
My first reactions of the scraping part was very unique, because I was not used to scraping off excess salmon off the skin. Her story made me want to eat less salmon to help reduce the salmon populations decline. I think that secondary should involve more hands-on activities because education nowadays are just indoors and can get very boring. I think that outdoor activities would help keep students in having a break from non stop studying. I think salmon leather making is important to the first nation because they had to use other options to prevent animals from being overhunted. Salmon leather shoes could also be worn in the summer instead of fur boots due to the heat.
Although I initially reacted to scrapping the salmon skin with disgust, after hearing about Janey's stories, such as the one about Salmon Women and Raven, I got a better appreciation for the salmon. Realizing the journey that every salmon took made me appreciate them even more. Utilizing the skin of the salmon to turn something that was considered garbage into something that was usable is a great way to pay tribute to the salmon. I believe that having a hands-on experience with the salmon allowed me to better connect with it. It is said that you value things that you can see and touch more, and working the salmon skin for 2 days really connected me to the craft. I definitely believe that kids would care more about the environment and First Nations practices if they were able to see them first hand as we did. The overall experience was great. I learned not only the steps to create salmon skin through oil and tannin tanning, but also gained the emotional experience of connecting with the salmon. I'm glad that I got the opportunity to learn about this traditional skill and the practical uses of salmon skin.
Wow, I mean what an experience. This leather- making workshops taught by Janey was a memorable experience, it feels so good to know that I got to learn a forever green ancestral skill that has been passed down for hundreds of generations- that not many people who are not familiar with this skill/ technique get to learn in their lifetime. I'm so glad to have gotten this opportunity to come out and participate, at school we would learn by textbook, look at pictures and go to museums to look at First Nations artwork and creations but never in my years of conscious living have I thought I would get the chance and opportunity to learn/ see HOW the creation of this item/ piece of work comes to life. Plus it was amazing to make my own leather and my own wallet- wow I am so truly proud of myself.
That being said, we are sitting on land which belongs to the First Nations who had their land stripped and stolen away from them on false bases. Our history shows us how we have taken their resources, their pride, and their loved ones, and how we have westernized their culture and their identity. What we learn in school, is just one small piece of their history. So, I think doing workshops like these would be an amazing way for young leaders to understand and be able to empathize with First Nation's communities. Now, the stories which Janey had read to us, have been written by a courageous voice who feels/ knows/ understands the emotions and the words of those who cannot step up and speak their own voices because they've been ignored and shut out completely.
Now, to brush up on another point- the way that Janey had made us introduce ourselves to each other was significantly important to me in a sense because we tend to just go on in life and we forget to cherish and recognize the different groups of people around us. Canada is known for its multiculturalism and its ethnic diversity and we don't think much of that on a daily basis but that introduction that day- it was like a refresher to acknowledge and respect each and every country which we all come from, our heritage and our families ancestry and become aware of the struggles and discrimination which many colored minority groups had/have experienced while emigrating to a foreign country.
But again, I am so grateful and lucky to gain a skill that I'll be able to teach and talk about with my friends, family, and peers :-) Thank you Jake and Michelle for giving us this opportunity to attend this workshop! And a big thank you to Janey as well.
This was an amazing opportunity to learn an ancestral skill and I'm so grateful to Janey, Jake, and Michelle for making it happen! I wanted to go into this experience with an open-mindset for all the new smells and textures I would experience with the fish. I loved learning about the process, and hearing Janey's words on the importance of making the best use out of all the parts of the fish, and the significance this has in First People's lives.
I believe that secondary education should definitely aim to incorporate more hands-on and interactive activities. Not only will this benefit those whose learning styles may be more kinaesthetic, but I believe it is a valuable opportunity for all students to improve their hands-on skills and try something new. It provides an opportunity for students to see what they can do with their own hands, and to really be able to implement the things they learn through lessons and powerpoint into making something useful. Moreover, when you're actively involved in the lesson, instead of passively listening to a lecture it allows you to be more engaged and apply the information that you receive.
I enjoyed learning about the practices of the First People's of Canada and I believe that their philosophy on sustainability, through having a connection with nature is something we can all implement into our daily lives.
Transforming the salmon skin into leather was truly a fun and enriching experience.
On Day 1, we prepped the skins by cleaning the skins and bathing one in the tea solution and the other one in the fat solution. I, personally, did not feel grossed out by the scraping of mucus, fat, meat, and scales during the cleaning process; perhaps it's because I prep my meals and cook salmon every now and then. The use of shells and rocks as scraping tools were neat and put a new perspective on how we can use nature's resources. After dunking the skins in the solutions, Janey took care of the skins for a week for us.
On Day 2, we worked on softening the skins the entire day once it was damp. The softening process was definitely more labourous and tedious than I anticipated, but it was certainly worth it. The skins came out durable yet flexible and didn't actually smell as bad as I initially thought it would. Using the salmon skin leather, I managed the sew card holders and pendants for family.
For both days of the workshop, Janey shared poems and stories about salmon, which I thought was a really neat reflection on how knowledge was passed down the generations in First Nations culture. I remember learning about what happened to Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, but not getting the opportunity to engage in the cultural aspect.
Creating the salmon skins has been a fun, engaging, educational, and memorable experience that more youth should participate in.
Craig McDonald
Nov 3, 2020 at 1:09 AM