Tans Hides : Craftsman Uses Snakes in the Grass

Many people know him simply as Dakota Bill; that is the only name Bill Zemina of Mitchell uses on his business cards.

But residents near the Missouri River west of here have a different label for him.

“When I get down on the reservation, the Indians mostly call me that crazy old white man that chases rattlesnakes,” he said.

That suits Zemina just fine. He doesn’t care so much if people remember his name--he just hopes that he will be remembered for the work he does.

Rattler Roundup

Like a rancher on a cattle drive, Zemina regularly rounds up prairie rattlesnakes from the Missouri River area, brings them home and literally tans their hide.

The result is a collection of belts, buckles, billfolds and checkbook covers, all featuring the unique pattern and texture of rattlesnake skin.

Years ago, Zemina made billfolds, pocketbooks, belts and purses out of plain leather, like everyone else.

“Then, somebody stole the tools out of my truck, and that put me out of business for about a month,” he said. Because things were slow, Zemina decided to visit an arts and craft show, “and I saw this guy walk by and he had this belt on, covered with rattlesnake skin.”

That ended Zemina’s crafting with just leather. “I talked to the guy, and he told me how he did it, and then I got enough tools together to do it.”

Familiar With Snakes

He was already somewhat familiar with rattlesnakes.

“When I was a kid, we’d find rattlesnakes all the time when we were out in the fields,” he said. “We just let them dry up in the sun like everyone else.”

Zemina admits that he had to do more than just wish he could be successful at crafting items out of the hides of rattlesnakes.

“If you want to do something, most of the time you have to do it yourself and you have to have a determination that you want to do it instead of just thinking you want to,” he said.

One day Zemina decided to stop just thinking about working with rattlesnakes and actually do something about it. For years now, he has continued his practice of taking what he terms his “snake grabber,” which resembles a golf club with small pincers on the end, and traveling to his snake-hunting grounds near the river.

Brings Them Back Alive

“You just take your snake grabber, pick them up, and put ‘em in a bucket,” he said. “I like to bring my snakes back home alive. That way, I’ve got good skins, good meat, and there’s no reason why a guy can’t have good material when he’s got good stuff to begin with.”

Catching the venomous snakes out in the wild, he said, is a self-taught art.

“I’ve only gotten bitten twice in the process. But, if you fool with anything long enough, eventually you’re going to get caught.”

He goes to craft shows from time to time, but he never really expects to sell a large volume of his snakeskin products at any one time.

“With the economy the way it is, I don’t expect to sell much because people have a helluva time just to buy groceries,” Zemina said.