Leather-working is practiced by many ethnic groups in Mali. The country's savanna grasslands are ideally suited to the raising of livestock, including goats and sheep--the source of leather hides. Vegetal materials necessary for tanning and dyeing also grow there in abundance.

Leather-working is generally done by men; however, in the north, Moor and Tuareg women create beautiful leather pillows, mats of reed and leather, and other items for their households. Among the Bambara (Bamanan), Malinké (Maninka), and Soninké only special hereditary groups of male artisans work in leather.

Leather-workers played a critical role in the expansion of Mali's historical empires. Artisans provided saddles, harnesses, sword sheaths, and other gear for armies. They also provided items for Islamic clerics, and they continue to fashion leather covers for amulets. In and around the city of Djenné, Arma leather-workers still specialize in making North African-style shoes, and among the Bwa a group of male artisans specializes in tanning. Recently many leather-workers have settled in towns and cities and work for an urban clientele creating purses, shoes, belts, and bags from a variety of types of animal skins.