Goat and sheep skins drying on lies after being dipped and soaked, Kano, Nigeria

Tanners and leather workers existed in every main community of northern Nigeria, the principal areas being Kano and Sokoto. The skins are dark red-haired in Sokoto, lighter red in Kano, white and black and white in Maidugari. The whole process has probably changed very little and has been handed down family to family. Basically small-scale farmers, the tanners raise the goats themselves and butcher them. Although in Sokoto City some of the larger tanners have formed themselves into cooperatives their leather lacks the finesse achieved by the smaller tanners from the surrounding villages. The basic processes, which involve no machinery or manmade chemicals, will now be described: Soaking and Liming: The carefully flayed skin is washed in well-water to remove blood and dung and is then immersed, in a very large earthenware pot, in a solution called toka. De-liming: the skin is completely neutralized and flaccid it is immersed in a solution containing an infusion of pigeon dung to produce the effect known as bateing. Tanning Process: The local name of the tanning material is bagaruwa. Softening Process: When almost dry and of even colour the skin is held across a wooden stake and pulled across the heel to soften the leather. After being trimmed they are ready for marketing. Most of the skins are sold off in this state, but the very finest are selected for dyeing. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.