Uses Of Birch Bark

The boreal forest consists of dense spruce, aspen and birch. Athabascan Indians used each plant and animal in their environment in a special way. Birch trees provided Athabascan with material for many important things in their life.

There are many things that you can make out of birch. The most useful object would be the birch basket and the bowl. Athabascans mostly used birch as a tool for things they needed instead of art objects.

Birch baskets were made to be water tight and were used for cooking food by dropping hot rocks into baskets full of water. Berries of all kinds are put into a basket with a lid. A big hole was dug in the ground to put the baskets that held the items into. The hole was covered and the fruits or meats were kept cold so they wouldn't rot.

A birch basket only took a matter of minutes to make, But now take two or three days. Today people make them to sell. That's how come it takes so long to make them.

The canoe was made out of birch too. It was strong enough to take very strong currents. The birch on a canoe held out water for the longest time.

The baby cradle was made out of birch. It would work like a swing. It was used when the mother was busy doing something else or when the baby was tired.