hide scraper

Encyclopedia Article

Article

A hand tool with a sharpened and usually angled edge used to scrape flesh and fat from animal hides. It can also be used to scrape the cleaned and untreated hide until it has a uniform surface. Once the hide has been scraped, it can be cured or tanned, which are methods that preserve the hide so that it can be used for clothing, bedding, and other items that need to be made from durable, flexible, water resistant material.

Photo Credit: 

 
"Three views of the same stone double-edged scraper found in Aurignace haute-Garonne, France and dated to between 45,000 and 35,000 years ago," photograph by Didier Descouens.

Published Works: 
Dance Hall of the Dead (1973)
Term Type: 
Historical Reference