| Folk Arts - Master Artist - Lynne Dusenberry-Crow
Lynne Dusenberry Crow is a master at preparing hides for use in traditional native art forms. She first began tanning hides in 1977 in Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation under the guidance of Agnes Vanderburg, a well-known Salish elder, who was a featured participant at the Smithsonian Folk life Festival in the 1980s. Lynne has lead many workshops to help others learn the extensive tanning processes. She has received the Cultural Appreciation Award from the Ninastako Cultural Centre for demonstrating hide tanning at a cultural skills encampment for Native youth. She has also taught hide tanning at the Spokane Tribal Culture Camp and was an adjunct faculty member at the Spokane Tribal Campus, where she instructed hide-tanning techniques to many students.
Very few people tan hides with real buckskin, and most people purchase commercially tanned hides due to the amount of time needed to correctly tan a single hide. Real buckskin is in great demand among Native artisans. Buckskin is the preferred raw material for traditional native crafts such as moccasins, dresses, and drumstick heads.
As a recipient of a 2004 Apprenticeship grant, Crow taught her daughter and apprentice, Rachel Crow Spreading Wings, how to prepare hides and design a dress made out of the prepared buckskin. Crow focused on teaching Rachel how to work on two deer hides at the same time. Rachel Crow Spreading Wings has always been interested in hide tanning. At age 23, Rachel has already tanned and worked on about 16 hides, a great achievement for the lengthy and intricate task. Lynne and Rachel often tan hides near a busy town road where townspeople usually stop to watch. The community has since expressed interest in the craft and Lynne and Rachel hope others will join in with this great cultural tradition. Rachel feels that hide tanning is a way of life that is deeply rooted in her soul. | |||
