See more ideas about birch bark, louise erdrich and native american history. A history of packbaskets adirondack baskets and heritage. Plaited basketry with birch bark download ebook pdf, epub. You may choose whether to weave both the same or make one of each, as pictured here. Obtained by stripping the pale gray papery bark of the birch tree, which by the way can grow up to 100 feet. Includes fascinating history and lore of the birch tree. After discussing some of the many uses of birchbark, present the facsimile of a birch bark basket that the class is going to make out of paper. All baskets are made from a single piece of bark, folded to create shape. Plaited basketry with birch bark by vladimir yarish goodreads. Wiigwaas press, the publishing arm of the birchbark house fund, publishes books in ojibwemowin, in service to the vital and ongoing spirit of the language. The book will give you some insight into the process and history of this style of weaving. Birch bark necklace basketsmy class samples i ran across this excellent video tutorial on how to make a birch bark basket, using birch bark, spruce root and willow. This book has an excellent section on making a onetwo person spruce bark. This definitive guide focuses on the history and myriad traditional uses of birch bark, as well as general instructions for basketmaking and plaiting.
It begins with a chapter on the history of birch bark basketry, predominantly centered. Memories of the northwoods mean many things for me, having spent over fifteen years visiting my inlaws cabin alongside pokegama lake in northern wisconsin. Birch bark basket in collectible baskets for sale ebay. Algonquin first nations peoples used birch bark to cover their wigwams to stay warm and dry, and birchbark biting was the practice of perforating paperthin birch bark in the fabrication of containers, artistic designs, and pictographic scrolls the ojibwa, cree, and other algonquin first nations people once relied on. Not only does this book provide new creative ideas, it also tells beautiful stories of. Supplies, tools, howto books, and fast, friendly service in berkeley and california.
I have been making birch bark baskets for many years. Birch is a northern symbol and featured in scandinavian traditions. Personally ive seen many beautiful baskets made by. Working with birch bark is a traditional skill that is still practiced today. Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several eurasian and north american birch trees of the genus betula the strong and waterresistant cardboardlike bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, crafting, and writing material, since prehistoric times. Jan 06, 2009 scholar, artisan, and teacher vladimir yarish created all of the birch bark baskets for this book after scouring museums and archeological sites all around the world. The birchbark house establishes its own ground, in the vicinity of laura ingalls wilders little house books.
How birch bark baskets are made acho dene native crafts. Splint baskets are made from brown ash, fraxinus niger, a tree of moist woodlands and wetlands. The pictures are carefully chosen to show you exactly how to make baskets with white birch bark. Birch bark was valuable throughout the world where birch trees were available. Scholar, artisan, and teacher vladimir yarish created all of the birch bark baskets for this book after scouring museums and archeological sites all around the world.
This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. It is packed with information including the history and tradition of russian birch bark weaving. Canoes, casinos, computers, and birch bark baskets as want to read. Mar 1, 2017 a girl of the limberlost, by gene strattonporter, is one of my favorite books to read at any time, but there is no better book to read while youre. The book has instructions for two different kinds of birch bark baskets, a round basket and a more traditional birch bark basket. Birch bark baskets faith decontie abstract the cultural practice of algonquin birch bark basket making is a continuing distinct method of connecting to their ancestors. There is a lot that tree bark can tell us about history. And of all things, i forgot to bring my book along to get his autograph. Vladimir yarish created all of the birch bark baskets for this book after scouring. How to make a birch bark basket yost survival skills. How to make birch bark baskets includes pictures and text. Plaited basketry with birch bark download ebook pdf.
Jons bushcraft craft tutorial and e book site tutorial on making a birch bark. How to make baskets from natural materials matt tommey. I have also taken classes from russian basketmaker vladimir yarish at north house folk school in grand marais, minnesota, which was really fun. When i teach and talk about natural materials i sometimes describe working with the bark and. The top is finished off with a split willow to prevent the bark. A history of packbaskets the woven packbasket has existed for centuries. Birch bark baskets wood carving patterns paper beads bushcraft basket weaving woodworking. Although the bark from fallen trees may be gathered at any time, the best time for gathering live birch bark was spring up until the month of june. The birch bark or beresta bears a great number of natural color tints. The homeroom teacher was reading the birch bark house by louise erdrich to his 4th grade class.
Weaving birch bark with vladimir yarish woodspirit handcraft. Hope you find it as interesting and helpful as i did. Native american baskets native american history native american indians birch bark baskets. Sep 25, 2017 i show the process of building a birch bark container with a lid.
Instead of looking out at them as dangers or curiosities, erdrich, drawing on her familys history, wants to tell about us, from the inside. Birch bark also contains substances of medicinal and chemical interest. That is why the birch tree now has burn marks on its bark. It begins with a chapter on the history of birch bark basketry, predominantly centered around russia, and follows with instructions on how to harvest birch bark before moving into basket patterns. As a herb, its importance just got bumped up seven fold. The two main products harvested from birch without killing the tree are sap and. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search.
Native american legendshow the birch tree got its burns. All materials self harvested in the northern berkshire mountains of massachusetts. Authors yarish, hoppe, and widess wrote in their book about plaited basketry that. Multicultural native american birch bark activties for. Open top baskets and trays made of birch bark will keep your fruits fresh. Birch tree bark is considered to be very valuable in building for its strong, cardboard like, water resistant nature.
Vladimir has a book out on the subject and its titled plaited basketry with birch bark. In russia, many birch bark documents have survived from the middle ages. How to make imitation birch bark this lesson was created to enrich a read aloud story in my school. Archaeologists have found evidence of native american versions dating to 900 b. Uses that are more practical include coverings for shelter, tinder and storage containers. One of the great things about learning how to make a birch bark basket is that you dont need many tools to make one. The whole time i was exploring the bark boxes i was also learning to build birch bark canoes and making a lot of folded birch bark baskets. I created the template myself after looking at pictures of traditional birchbark baskets. Click download or read online button to get plaited basketry with birch bark book now. Over the years i was fortunate enough to get to know richard dick rather well, and spent many enjoyable days taking his classes, learning everything from birchbark basketry to the use of the schnitzelbank, or shaving horse. After discussing some of the many uses of birchbark, present. Our online shop features the webs premiere selection of native american books. Although few native americans in southern new england still make these items from birch bark, more recent decorative arts, such as splint basket decoration, draw upon many patterns developed in birch bark. The most common birch bark basket material is wood.
The pictures are carefully chosen to show you exactly what to do so your very first basket makes you look like youve been making baskets for years. Before conventional containers became available, the athabascan indians of interior alaska traditionally used birchbark baskets to hold water and food items. I fondly recall spending many hours exploring this beautiful area in both winter and summer, and learning about a whole ran. Depending on the size, you can use it for picking berries or to store treats and other. This video provides all the steps needed to make a birch bark basket.
I made a bunch over a few years then got my hands on a book that the north house folk school put out titled. The ojibwa fashion many kinds of baskets from birchbark some baskets, called makuks, have a square bottom with sides which slant in towards the top to form a circle fig. The bark can be dried and cut into thin slates to weave baskets and can be made into body armor to protect legs, chest and arms. Bark texture and color and sizes may vary as each piece of bark is unique. This past week i had the rare chance to weave a few baskets under the tutelage of the world renowned russian birch bark weaver vladimir yarish. Theyre not quite the same as typical reed baskets, though. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets may be known as basket makers and basket weavers basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materialsanything that will bend and form a shape.
This book was created to celebrate ten years of instruction at the north house folk school in the village. Not only does this book provide new creative ideas, it also tells beautiful stories of history and folklore of birch which i loved. Removing the bark from a live birch threatens the health of that tree. Another unique quality of this tree is to use its bark for wall pictures. Birchbark books is operated by a spirited collection of people who believe in the power of good writing, the beauty of handmade art, the strength of native culture, and the importance of small and intimate bookstores.
All books by louise erdrich are signed by the author. Through all this, birch and its bark has found an important place in my heart. Free plaited basketry with birch bark ebooks online. This book should be required reading in minnesota history classes. Birch alcoholfree liquid extract, birch betula alba dried bark glycerite hawaii pharm natural herbal supplement 2 oz 5. This definitive guide focuses on the history and myriad traditional uses of birch bark, as well as. Removing the inner layer prevents the flow of sap, which will eventually kill the tree if enough bark is removed. The strong and waterresistant cardboardlike bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, crafting, and writing material, since prehistoric times. This book on birch bark basket making is the first in the wilderness survival skills series and is acclaimed as being one of the best basket making books available on the kindle. The story is a culturally accurate portrayal of life on madeline island. While these hearts are lovely when plain, you may also experiment with embellishing them. It is quite easy to form a bowl out of the bark that can then be used to store water and.
A general bookstore specializing in native american books, arts, jewelry, gifts and more. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about birch bark. Birch bark containerstutorial jonsbushcraft dot com great website showing how to basket weave, birch bark containers, and other bush crafts useful for crafting or survival. Many home utensils were traditionally made of birch bark, such as spoons, chests and baskets.
Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several eurasian and north american birch trees of the genus betula. Algonquin first nations peoples used birch bark to cover their wigwams to stay warm and dry, and birchbark biting was the practice of perforating paperthin birch bark in the fabrication of containers, artistic designs, and pictographic scrolls the ojibwa, cree, and other. In north america, the native people used birch bark for canoes and wigwams and more. Dead bark like i am using is great for this project, you shouldnt go stripping live trees of their bark. Native american indians native americans birch bark book activities nativity the unit. Multicultural native american birch bark activites and lesson plans including how to make immitation birch bard, baskets and collage activities. In the algonquin reserve of kitigan zibi, birch bark baskets are a way of both honouring their ancestors and passing down. My students become the illustrators creating an illustration of. Traditional history birch bark baskets have been used for hundreds of years for a number of different applications. Dark burn marks scarred the white bark of the tree. Birch bark baskets, once used for picking berries or hauling water, are still used today as decorative art and useful bowls in the home. It would be appropriate here to mention one more type of birch bark art. Although luckily each of the baskets offered were also featured in his new birch bark basket book, plaited basketry with birch bark, coauthored by flo hoppe and jim widess. I like to emphasize how important artistillustrators are to create a great book.
No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Birch bark simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Or, if you want to make things easier, you can use your knife to make a wooden awl and a couple of clothespins. Through all this, birch and its bark has found an important place in my. Scholar, artisan, and teacher vladimir yarish created all of the birch bark baskets for this book after scouring. Plaited basketry with birch bark by vladimir yarish. It is a good idea to collect bark with short lenticells otherwise the bark maybe prone to splitting. Birch bark and its many uses it is important to keep in mind that removing the inner layer of bark from any live tree can do irreversible harm to that tree. Weaving birch bark with vladimir yarish woodspirit. Made from birch bark, they add tasteful style to a kitchen. The addition of wooden feet and an inside base make for a premium basket which combines the historical traditions. Distributor for wiigwaas press, publisher of awardwinning books in ojibwe. Keep your bread fresh in these all natural, easy to open bread boxes.
When i harvest vines or any materials, i clean and coil them in the woods. Apr 16, 20 this past week i had the rare chance to weave a few baskets under the tutelage of the world renowned russian birch bark weaver vladimir yarish. Basket weaving also basketry or basket making is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into two or threedimensional artifacts, such as mats or containers. Generally the only material i harvest in the spring and summer is tree bark poplar, pine, birch and cedar for making bark baskets and stakes for twined baskets. The bark needs to be quite strong but doesnt need to be that thick. In the book, the author speaks of the birch trees and how they are valuable to the ojibwe people. Russian birch bark basketry class the wicker woman. The bark from the sweet or black birch is rough and completely unsuitable for craft work but is the source of wintergreen, and from which native americans brewed a tea high in vitamin c. In fact, you can make the whole basket with just a knife. In scandinavia and finland, it had many uses, including roofs, boxes, casks and buckets.
However, most baskets made today are woven of quality reed. Plaited basketry with birch bark book by vladimir yarish, flo. Along with other beautiful handmade native crafts, northway, alaska is well known for its excellent baskets, which are made in a variety of shapes and sizes. Even today, birch bark remains a popular type of wood for various handicrafts and arts.
Traditional uses of birch bark in canada wye marsh. Native american baskets native american crafts native american history american indians birch bark baskets birch bark crafts cultural crafts primitive. Prizewinning, new york times bestselling, so on and so forth, here are louises titles. With careful folding and patience, you will weave two birch bark heart ornaments. This definitive guide focuses on the history and myriad traditional uses of birch bark. I also enjoy reading about the history of this basketry in novogrod, russia. Hat making book making make your own hat human ecology rare words millinery hats how to make.
536 702 266 1368 600 1024 69 1295 526 1076 928 727 958 1114 269 258 994 288 761 575 1058 1449 940 7 364 1121 49 1367 97 226 29 501 964 290 1201 1376 1180 150