Ahide orskin is an animalskin treated for human use. The word "hide" is related to the German wordHaut, which meansskin. The industry defines hides as "skins" of large animalse.g. cow, buffalo; while skins refer to "skins" of smaller animals:goat,sheep,deer,pig,fish,alligator,snake, etc.Common commercial hides includeleather fromcattle and otherlivestock animals,buckskin,alligator skin andsnake skin. All are used forshoes,clothes, leather bags, belts, or otherfashionaccessories. Leather is also used incars,upholstery,interior decorating,horse tack andharnesses. Skins are sometimes still gathered fromhunting and processed at a domestic or artisanal level but mostleather making is nowindustrialized and large-scale. Varioustannins are used for this purpose. Hides are also used as processed chews for dogs or other pets.
The term "skin" is sometimes expanded to includefurs, which are harvested from various species, includingcats,mustelids, andbears.
Archaeologists believe that animal hides provided an important source ofclothing andshelter for all prehistoric humans and their use continued among non-agricultural societies into modern times. TheInuit, for example, used animal hides for summertents,waterproof clothes, andkayaks. Inearly medieval ages hides were used to protect wooden castles and defense buildings from setting alight during asiege. VariousAmerican Indian tribes used hides in the construction oftepees andwigwams,moccasins, andbuckskins. They were sometimes used aswindow coverings. Until the invention ofplasticdrum heads in the 1950s, animal hides ormetal was used.
Parchment andvellum—a kind ofpaper made from processed skins—was introduced to the Eastern Mediterranean during theIron Age, supposedly atPergamon.
TheAssize of Weights and Measures—one of thestatutes of uncertain date fromc. 1300—mentionsrawhide,gloves,parchment, andvellum among the principal items ofEngland's commerce. A standardized shipload of leather (alast) consisted of 20dicker of 10 cowhides.Rabbit andsquirrel skins were traded and taxed intimbers of 40 hides each. Skins were also traded inbinds of 32 or 33 skins each, while gloves were sold in dickers of 10 pair and dozens of 12 pair. The parchment and vellum was traded based on dozens of the originalsheepskins from which they were prepared.[1][2]
Rare furs have been a notablestatus symbol throughout history.Ermine fur was particularly associated with European nobility, with the black-tipped tails arranged around the edges of the robes to produce a pattern of black diamonds on a white field. Demand forbeaverhats in the 17th and 18th century drove some of the initial exploration ofNorth America, particularly inCanada, and even prompted wars among native tribes competing for the most productive areas. Natural leather continues to be used for many expensive products fromlimousine upholstery to designercellular phone cases. There are, however, many forms ofartificial leather and fur now available, which are usually cheaper alternatives.
Animal hides and skins are usually processed fresh or salted and tanned. Skins sometimes are stretched, dried, and tanned. Most hides are processed from domesticated animals; the most common wild animals used forfur—mink andrabbit—are similarly raised in captivity and farmed. Some others—includinglynx andwolves[citation needed]—are stilltrapped in the wild for their fur.
Currently, hides are mainly used forfootwear,upholstery, leather goods; skins are used forclothing, particularly ascoats,gloves, leather goods andfootwear. It is also used forbookbinding.
Many traditionaldrums, especiallyhand drums like thepandeiro, continue to be made using natural skins. Thealligator drum was formerly important inChinese music. TheChinesesanxian andOkinawansanshin are usually prepared fromsnakeskin, while theirJapanese equivalent, theshamisen, is made fromdogskin in the case of students andcatskin in the case of professional players. TheAfrican-Americanbanjo was originally made from skins but is now often synthetic. "Hides" is used as a slang term to refer to a drumset.[3]
Kangaroo leather is the most common material for the construction ofbullwhips.Stingray rawhide is a common material for the grips ofChinese,Japanese, andScottish swords.
Pig skins are processed aspork rinds.
Rabbit fur is popular for hats, coats, and glove linings.
Animal rights activists generally protest the use of animal hides for human clothing. Forms of protest range fromPETA's "I would rather go naked than wear fur" campaign, although more shocking and direct action, like damaging furs with redpaint in imitation ofblood, has been toned down, like the "Ink, not Mink" campaign.Roadblocking and break-ins against meat/fur/leather industry is also used and extends to personal campaigns against such companies and also hunters which have included arson and assault in some cases.
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