The Archaeological Evidence for Kano State’s Leather Industry in Pre-colonial Times

Kano's pre-colonial leather industry was one of the most economically important craft specializations in the Central Sudan, supplying the trans-Saharan trade with finished leather goods prized from North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula. Despite its historical prominence, the archaeological evidence for the industry's spatial organization, production methods, and chronological development within Kano city remains poorly documented. This study examines material traces of the pre-colonial leather industry within the Kano Old City area, drawing on architectural survey of surviving tannery structures, analysis of curated artefacts in the Gidan Makama Museum, and consultation with master leather craftsmen who maintain traditional production techniques. Structural remains of three tannery complexes were documented, revealing spatial layouts consistent with historical descriptions of sequential soaking, scraping, and dyeing pits arranged along channel-fed water supply systems. Museum artefacts including finished leather bags, sandals, and harness fittings were described and provisionally dated using stylistic comparison with comparable objects from dated collections in North African and European museums. Craftsman interviews yielded detailed accounts of raw material sourcing, preparation chemistry involving traditional tannins, and the organization of apprenticeship transmission, providing an important ethnoarchaeological baseline. The study recommends systematic excavation of abandoned tannery areas to recover organic evidence and establish a firm production chronology. Keywords: leather industry, Kano, pre-colonial craft production, tannery, ethnoarchaeology.