Goatskin refers to the
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...
of a
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
, which by long term usage, is denoted by the term ''
Morocco leather
Morocco leather (also known as Levant, the French Maroquin, Turkey, or German Saffian from Safi, a Moroccan town famous for leather) is a vegetable-tanned leather known for its softness, pliability, and ability to take color. It has been widely ...
''.
Kidskin
Kidskin or kid leather is a type of soft, thin leather that is traditionally used for gloves (hence the phrase 'wikt:kid gloves, kid gloves,' used since at least 1888 as a metaphor for careful handling). It is widely used for other fashion purpose ...
, used for gloves, shoes and other accessories, is traditionally goatskin, although other leathers such as sheep and kangaroo can be used to make kid.
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
from goatskin is considered extremely durable and is commonly used to make
rugs (for example in Indonesia) and
carpet binding. It is often used for
glove
A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...
s,
boot
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
s, and other products that require a soft hide. Kid gloves, popular in
Victorian times, are still made today. It has been a major material for leather
bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of building a book, usually in codex format, from an ordered stack of paper sheets with one's hands and tools, or in modern publishing, by a series of automated processes. Firstly, one binds the sheets of papers alon ...
s for centuries, and the oldest European binding, that of the
St Cuthbert Gospel in the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
is in red goatskin. Goatskin is used for a traditional Spanish container for wine
bota bag (or called goatskin). Traditional
kefir
Kefir ( ; alternative spellings: kephir or kefier; ; ; ) is a Fermented milk products, fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt or ayran that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic SCOBY, symbiotic culture. It is prep ...
was made in bags from goatskin.
Non-tanned goatskin is used for
parchment
Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...
or for
drumheads or
sounding board
A sounding board, also known as a tester and abat-voix is a structure placed above and sometimes also behind a pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platf ...
s of some musical instruments, e.g.,
mišnice in medieval Europe,
bodhrán
The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A Goatskin (material), goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or ot ...
in Ireland,
esraj in India and for instrumental drum skin named ''
bedug'' in Indonesia.
In
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...
priests of god
Lupercalia
Lupercalia, also known as Lupercal, was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as ''dies Februatus'', after the purification instruments ...
wore goatskins.
A breed of goat that provides high-quality skin is for example the
Black Bengal breed, native to
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
.
In 1974, there was controversy in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
surrounding goatskin products originating in
Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
.
The U.S.
Centers for Disease Control
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...
discovered that some of these products contained deadly
anthrax
Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...
spores. All Haitian goatskin products in the USA were recalled, although no fatalities were reported.
Gallery
Image:Jagdpaletots Ziege und Seehund.jpg, Goatskin and sealskin jacket (1902)
Image:Guerba.jpg, Water reservoir in Algeria
Image:Mauritanian_bota_bag.jpg, Water reservoir in Mauritania
Image:Kid_skin.jpg, Kid skins
Image:Handbuch_Hanicke100.jpg, Cut for a goatskin 'coachman collar' (1895)
See also
*
Goatskin-producing goat breeds
*
Mashk
References
Hides (skin)
Goats
{{agri-stub