Vestnik Project

SPJST April Věstník Project

This project earns a maximum 1 point in the SPJST Youth Merit Point System. To complete the project questions to earn 1 point in the SPJST Merit Point System, scan the QR Code below, or go directly to spjst.org/programs/vestnik-project/

“I look up and all I hear is a symphony of small wooden mallets pounding pieces of leather on the work tables.” Boom, boom, boom, boom! fills the Activity Barn at Camp Kubena while a group of campers practice their leather working skills. The campers place their wooden mallets back on the tables to sift through design stamps within their table’s tool kit. Which designs will they choose to decorate their piece of leather? Will it be letters to spell out their names, or maybe they will choose the Camp Kubena mascot: a lion, to add to their leather wristband. Whatever they choose, they will leave with a uniquely crafted piece of leather that reminds them of their time at Camp Kubena’s Leather Working Program.

While the Leather Working Program is relatively new and updated at Camp Kubena, the history of working with leather can be traced back hundreds of thousands of years ago. According to Liberty Leather Goods (2021), the documentation of working with leather goods started around 400,000 years ago in England! Before that, stone tools were used for cutting and scraping animal hides to start the “tanning” process of preserving and aging leather for future use. The combination of stone tools and leather hides provided clothing products and many other items for survival in ancient times. Crafting with leather has taken place throughout the ages, ranging from the Stone Age to the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and even into our current times (LLG, 2021). First and foremost, leather was used as a protective material for men and women to stay warm in the winter and to stay cool in the summer. The

Leather Working Program

Camp Kubena Ledbetter, Texas

hides of animals were used as this protective clothing and even as tools, armor, bags, footwear, and jewelry. As time moved forward, more tools developed to piece or “sew” leather items together to make various goods, products, and even shelters (LLG, 2021). The production of tools and goods led to the emergence of trading where groups of people could trade leather goods for knowledge and other resources. With trading, came the idea of community and a major increase in group populations. This increase led to the production of leather goods being used as armor for soldiers and even horses in ancient times. As leather evolved throughout time, it became a very common item in people’s lives. Items that we see now such as leather coats, gloves, shoes, and even accessories are mass produced and can be shipped anywhere. To bridge the gap between the past and current methods of leather craftsmanship, we have updated our Leather Working Program at Camp Kubena in a big way. Campers now learn about how force, energy, and motion are all crucial elements to crafting a leather product. They also learn how to properly prepare their piece of leather by dunking it into a water bucket to make it more malleable when the stamps are then used. Through our Leather Working Program, participants learn how to create a design, use tools like punches, design stamps, and mallets, and use their energy to create an original design that they can take home with them to remember their time at Camp Kubena!

The Incredible History of Leather libertyleathergoods.com —SPJST—

https://spjst.org/programs/vestnik-project/