Nigeria ✓ Verified craft Tanning and leatherwork
Kano leatherwork
Tanned and dyed goat leather from the historic tanneries of Kano, made into bags and cushions.
Goat skinLeather Hand finishingEmbroidery
Kano has exported leather for centuries. 'Morocco leather' may have originated partly from Hausa tanneries in Sokoto, Katsina and Kano, through trans-Saharan trade networks. Tanners use natural tanning agents (bagaruwa pods), and leatherworkers cut, dye and embroider the hides.
Key information
Type
Tanning and leatherwork
Materials
Goat skin, Leather
Techniques
Hand finishing, Embroidery
Origin
Nigeria
Regions
Kano
Transmission
Guilds
Active since
Living tradition
Meaning & stories
Kano has exported leather for centuries. 'Morocco leather' may have originated partly from Hausa tanneries in Sokoto, Katsina and Kano, through trans-Saharan trade networks. Tanners use natural tanning agents (bagaruwa pods), and leatherworkers cut, dye and embroider the hides. Fuller stories arrive with the client's day-15 content batch.
Read the full story →From challenges to innovations
Challenges
- Pollution from tanning
- Export of raw hides
Existing innovations
- Eco-tanning trials
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