WLM | art
that they are perfectly capable of making them as well
as, or better than, anyone in other parts of the world.”
White Buffalo Republic has about 10-12 leather workers
currently, each with helpers with whom they split the
proceeds. His father-in-law is the logistics person and is
full-time. “My mother-in-law is the quality control person
-- she’s almost as picky as I am,” James says, laughing.
The company prides themselves on their quality. “No
two bags are alike which makes them unique, because
it’s full grain, not split. It’s the cow’s hide as it comes off
the cow, minus the hair. It’s tanned through a vegetable
tanning process where they basically soak the hide in
water and oak bark. It’s like saddle leather.”
White Buffalo Republic does not use laser cutters or
commercial dyes. The patterns are traced onto the
hide and cut out by hand. Dye is mixed by the gallon,
with sponges or rags to apply it by hand. How the hide
“takes” the dye changes the hue of the piece. Some
pieces become darker, some more red, or more black.
“If your friend buys the same bag you’ll know the
difference; they have many nuances individual to the
piece,” James explains. He feels they are a work of art –
useful art.
The hides may have claw marks (there are jaguars
in Guatemala), bug bites, scars and other interesting
marks. James showed me one bag that was from a
female. I asked him how he knew that and he showed
me the stretch marks from pregnancy. It takes about
one side of a cow to make one bag, although they can
make some smaller items from the same piece, such as
toiletry bags, shaving kits, passport covers and more.
24
Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Fall & Holiday 2017
The bags are very well
priced for all the work that
goes into them and they
are named after the various
towns in Star Valley:
Afton, Alpine, Swift Creek, Thayne. James’s goal is to
have all the names in Star Valley designated to products.
From Afton, Wyoming to Chuquimula, Guatemala – the
endeavor continues to preserve traditions, trades and
cultures. The Mayan culture still exists in Guatemala.
James described how a mother will be talking in her
traditional language, and her little girl (in traditional
Mayan dress) responds in that language, while texting
in Spanish on her iPhone simultaneously. James figures
that culture will soon be gone too. He hopes that perhaps
through White Buffalo Republic and a few other ideas
that he has, some of their cultures can be preserved. He
added, “That’s a long way down the line -- I still have to
practice law!”
Check out White Buffalo Republic online at white-
buffalo-republic.com, their Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/
whitebuffalorepublic), on Facebook (White Buffalo
Republic), Twitter (@wbrbags), Instagram (wbrbags),
or shoot them a line at thewhitebuffalorepublic@gmail.
com. W L M