Birch Bark Container

Birch Bark Container
(birchbark)
Anonymous
n.d.
© York Sunbury Museum, Fredericton, New Brunswick

For millennia, Aboriginals have used the bark of the white (paper) birch to craft a variety of items. This container was made from a single piece of bark. The artisan folded the bark into a cylindrical shape and laced it together with plant fibers. A rim, which added reinforcement to a brittle area, was affixed to the container by wrapping lacing around evenly spaced holes punctured into the birch bark. The artisan then filled these small holes with white pine pitch and charcoal, which created an airtight container. A lid, also constructed of birch bark, was crafted in a similar manner.

See a detailed view of this birch bark container.