View source for Hide (skin)

{{Short description|Animal skin treated for human use}}
A '''hide''' or '''skin''' is an animal [[skin]] treated for human use. 
The word "hide" is related to the Dutch word {{Lang|de|huid}} and the German word {{Lang|de|Haut}}, which mean [[skin]]. The industry defines hides as "skins" of large animals ''e.g''. cow, buffalo; while skins refer to "skins" of smaller animals: [[goat]], [[sheep]], [[deer]], [[pig]], [[fish]], [[alligator]], [[snake]], etc.
Common commercial hides include [[leather]] from [[cattle]] and other [[livestock]] animals, [[buckskin (leather)|buckskin]], [[alligator|alligator skin]] and [[snake skin]]. All are used for [[shoes]], [[clothes]], leather bags, belts, or other [[fashion]] [[Fashion accessory|accessories]]. Leather is also used in [[car]]s, [[upholstery]], [[interior decorating]], [[horse tack]] and [[horse harness|harnesses]]. Skins are sometimes still gathered from [[hunting]] and processed at a domestic or artisanal level but most [[leather making]] is now [[industrialization|industrialized]] and large-scale. Various [[tannin]]s are used for this purpose.   Hides are also used as processed chews for dogs or other pets.

The term "skin" is sometimes expanded to include [[furs]], which are harvested from various species, including [[felidae|cats]], [[mustelidae|mustelids]], and [[bear]]s.

== History ==
{{Main|History of hide materials}}
{{See also|Fur trade|Deerskin trade}}
Archaeologists believe that animal hides provided an important source of [[clothing]] and [[hut (dwelling)|shelter]] for numerous prehistoric humans. Hide use continues into modern times, where it remains especially important outside industrialized societies.
 
The [[Inuit]], for example, traditionally use animal hides for summer [[tent]]s, [[waterproof]] clothes, and [[kayak]]s. In [[Early Middle Ages|early medieval Europe]], hides were used to protect wooden castles and defend buildings from setting alight during a [[siege]]. Various [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] tribes have extensively used hides in the construction of [[tepee]]s and [[wigwam]]s, [[moccasins]], and [[buckskin (leather)|buckskins]]. They were sometimes used as [[window]] coverings. Until the invention of [[plastic]] [[drum head]]s in the 1950s, animal hides or [[metal]] were usually used.

[[Parchment]] and [[vellum]]—a kind of [[paper]] made from processed skins—was introduced to the Eastern Mediterranean during the [[Iron Age]], supposedly at [[Pergamon]].

The [[Assize of Weights and Measures]]—one of the [[statutes of uncertain date]] from {{circa|lk=no|1300}}—mentions [[rawhide (textile)|rawhide]], [[glove]]s, [[parchment]], and [[vellum]] among the principal items of [[Kingdom of England|England]]'s commerce. A standardized shipload of leather (a [[last (unit)|last]]) consisted of 20 [[dicker (unit)|dicker]] of 10 cowhides. [[European rabbit|Rabbit]] and [[gray squirrel|squirrel]] skins were traded and taxed in [[timber (unit)|timber]]s of 40 hides each. Skins were also traded in [[bind (unit)|binds]] 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 original [[sheepskin]]s from which they were prepared.<ref name=tract>{{Citation |editor-last=Ruffhead |editor-first=Owen |editor-link=Owen Ruffhead |title=The Statutes at Large |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ |volume=&nbsp;I: From Magna Charta<!--sic--> to the End of the Reign of King Henry the Sixth. To which is prefixed, A Table of the Titles of all the Publick and Private Statutes during that Time |location=London |publisher=Mark Basket for the Crown |date=1763a |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA148 148–149] }}. {{in lang|en}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|la}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|nrf}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Statutes of the Realm |volume=I |date=1810 |location=London |publisher=G. Eyre & A. Strahan |page=204 }}</ref>

Rare furs have been a notable [[status symbol]] throughout history. [[Stoat|Ermine]] fur is 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 for [[beaver]] [[hat]]s in the 17th and 18th century drove some of the initial exploration and colonization of [[North America]], particularly in what is now [[Canada]]. High fur demand led to over-hunting of species like sea otters and even prompted wars {{citation needed|date=April 2025}} among native tribes competing for the most productive areas. 
Natural leather continues to be used for many expensive products from [[limousine]] upholstery to designer [[cellular phone]] cases. There are, however, many forms of [[artificial leather]] and fur now available, which are usually cheaper alternatives.

==Production==
[[Image:Tanned leather.JPG|thumb|Fresh tanned leather]]
[[Image:Finishgradingleather.jpg|thumb|Finishgrading leather]]
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 for [[fur]]—[[mink]] and [[rabbit]]—are similarly raised in captivity and farmed. Some others—including [[lynx]] and [[wolves]]{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}—are still [[Trapping (Animal)|trapped]] in the wild for their fur.

==Use==
Currently, hides are mainly used for [[footwear]], [[upholstery]], leather goods; skins are used for [[clothing]], particularly as [[coat (clothing)|coats]],  [[glove]]s, leather goods and [[footwear]]. It is also used for [[bookbinding]].

Many traditional [[drum]]s, especially [[hand drum]]s like the [[pandeiro]], continue to be made using natural skins. The [[alligator drum]] was formerly important in [[Chinese music]]. The [[Chinese music|Chinese]] [[sanxian]] and [[Ryukyuan music|Okinawa]]n [[sanshin]] are usually prepared from [[snakeskin]], while their [[Japanese music|Japanese]] equivalent, the [[shamisen]], is made from [[dog]]skin in the case of students and [[cat]]skin in the case of professional players. The [[African Americans|African-American]] [[banjo]] was originally made from skins but is now often synthetic. "Hides" is used as a slang term to refer to a drumset.<ref>{{Cite Grove |author= |title=Hides}}{{full citation needed|date=July 2020}}</ref>

[[Kangaroo leather]] is the most common material for the construction of [[bullwhip]]s. [[Stingray]] rawhide is a common material for the grips of [[Chinese swords|Chinese]], [[Japanese swords|Japanese]], and [[Scottish sword]]s.

[[Pig]] skins are processed as [[pork rind]]s. Hides can also be used as chew toys for pets. 

[[Rabbit]] fur is popular for hats, coats, and glove linings.

==Controversy==
[[Animal rights]] activists generally protest the use of animal hides for human clothing. Forms of protest range from [[PETA]]'s "I would rather go naked than wear fur" campaign, although more shocking and direct action, like damaging furs with red [[paint]] in imitation of [[blood]], 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.

==See also==
* [[Alligator hunting]] 
* [[Bating (leather)]]
* [[Buckskin (textile)|Buckskin]] (usually from [[deer]])
* [[Calfskin]]
* [[Caribou]]
* [[Crocodile farming]]
* [[Deerskin]]
* [[Fish leather]]
* [[Goatskin (material)|Goatskin]]
* [[Leather]]
* [[Ostrich leather]]
* [[Rawhide (textile)|Rawhide]]  (usually from [[cattle]])
* [[Snakeskin]]
* [[Taxidermy]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Hides}}

{{Leather}}
{{Clothing materials and parts}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:HIDE}}
[[Category:Hides (skin)| ]]
[[Category:Nonwoven fabrics]]

[[de:Gerben#Die Tierhaut]]