Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.03.2019, Blaðsíða 8

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8 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • March 1 2019
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Icelandic National League of North America
100th Annual Convention
HONOUR, CELEBRATE, BUILD
May 16 – 19, 2019 at the Fairmont Hotel, Winnipeg, Canada
to register: visit LH-INC.CA and click on EVENTS icfron.ca
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WWW.ICELANDICROOTS.COM
Stefan Jonasson
Gestastofa Sútarans, the Tannery Visitor Center
in Sauðárkrókur, is both a shop and a museum.
Stepping inside, one sees a colourful array of
animal skins and leather products made from every
conceivable creature – from sheep to fish. In the
back rooms of the factory, beyond the visitor center,
there are examples of tanned cows’ udders and
whale penises, along with sharkskins and birds’ feet.
It seems that there’s no skin that cannot be tanned
and used to make something of value.
Animal hides have been processed in Iceland
since the Settlement Age and both men and women
were involved in the work. The most common
method of processing hides, tanning, changes the
characteristics of hides and preserves them from
rotting. Once processed, these hides were used to
manufacture shoes, clothing, straps, harnesses,
saddles, tents, bedding, parchment, household
items, accessories, and more.
In past ages, any hide or skin was considered
suitable for tanning, from large animals like walruses
and the occasional bear that came ashore, through the
farm animals we commonly think of as sources of
leather, all the way down to small domestic animals –
even mice. It was once believed that children born on
a bearskin would never feel cold while “skins from
dogs and cats were considered ideal for mittens.”
A UNIQUE TANNERY
There’s a wide array of leather products at Gestastofa Sútarans, including tanned fish skins above left.
Right: The master tanner at Lóðskinn. From traditional black leather to striking red tones.
Below: sheepskins. The entry to Gestastofa Sútarans, the Tannery Vistor Centre at Sauðárkrólur.
PHOTO: CINDY JONASSON
PHOTO: STEFAN JONASSON
PHOTO: STEFAN JONASSON
PHOTO: STEFAN JONASSON
PHOTO: STEFAN JONASSON