Birchbark biting (Ojibwe: Mazinibaganjigan, plural: mazinibaganjiganan) is an Indigenous artform made by
Anishinaabeg, including
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
people,
Indigenous Perspectives of North America: A Collection of Studies
'. Cambridge Scholars Publishing; 20 August 2014. . p. 210–. Potawatomi
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
, and
Odawa
The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...
, as well as
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
Native American Almanac: More Than 50,000 Years of the Cultures and Histories of Indigenous Peoples
'. Visible Ink Press; 18 April 2016. . p. 1273–. and other
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups. Historically, the peoples were prominent along the Atlantic Coast and into the interior along the Saint Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. T ...
of the
Subarctic
The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...
and
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
regions of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Artists bite on small pieces of folded
birch bark
Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several Eurasian and North American birch trees of the genus ''Betula''.
The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, crafti ...
to form intricate designs.
Indigenous artists used birchbark biting for entertaining in storytelling and to create patterns for
quillwork and other art forms.
In the 17th century,
Jesuit
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, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
s sent samples of this artform to Europe, where it had been previously unknown. The practice remained common in Saskatchewan into the 1950s.
Name
Birchbark biting is also known as ''mazinashkwemaganjigan(-an)'' (by
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the ...
Ojibwe) and ''njigan(-an)'' (by
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
Ojibwe). In English, this has been described either as "birch bark bitings" or "birch bark transparencies."
Process
Artists chose thin and flexible pieces of birch bark.
[Robert Rogers. ]
Herbal Allies: My Journey with Plant Medicine
'. North Atlantic Books; 27 June 2017. . p. 54–. This kind of bark is easiest to find in the early spring.
[Erik M. Redix. ]
The Murder of Joe White: Ojibwe Leadership and Colonialism in Wisconsin
'. MSU Press; 1 September 2014. . p. 150–. Using the
eyeteeth
In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dog teeth, or (in the context of the upper jaw) fangs, eye teeth, vampire teeth, or vampire fangs, are the relatively long, pointed teeth. They can appear more flattened howeve ...
to bite, the bite pressures can either pierce the bark pieces into a lace or just make certain areas thinner to allow for light to pass through.
[Frances Densmore, ''Chippewa Customs'' (1929, repr. 1979) ] If the bark piece is carefully folded, symmetrical designs can also be made onto it.
Uses
Many of the designs that are used contain symbolic and religious significance to the Ojibwe and other tribes. Though the practice almost died out, an estimated dozen practitioners are active in Canada and the United States, some of whom display the craft in contexts outside of their original intentions to show evidence of this ancient practice. Birchbark bitings can be used in storytelling, as patterns for
quillwork and
beadwork
Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...
, as well as finished pieces of art.
Inspiring Women: A Celebration of Herstory
'. Coteau Books; 2003. . p. 250–. The holes created by biting are sometimes filled with coloured threads to create woven designs.
Minnesota History News
'. Vol. 1-10. Minnesota Historical Society.; 1959.
See also
*
Wanesia Spry Misquadace, contemporary, traditional
Annishinabae/
Minnesota Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe/
Fond Du Lac Minnesota/Ojibwe people birchbark biter, Indigenous jeweler, native woman metalsmith, award-winning birchbark bitings, innovations, evolution of biting techniques in new materials, concepts, reawakening the art form in 2005 SWAIA Indian Arts, lectures and indigenous scholar
*
Kelly Church, contemporary
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
/
Odawa
The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...
/
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
birchbark biter and black ash basket maker
*
Angelique Merasty (
Woodland Cree, 1924–1996), birchbark biting artist
*
Wiigwaasabak
''Wiigwaasabak'' (in Anishinaabe syllabics: , plural: ''wiigwaasabakoon'' ) are birch bark scrolls, on which the Ojibwa (Anishinaabe) people of North America wrote complex geometrical patterns and shapes, also known as a "written language." ...
: birch bark scrolls
*
jiimaan:
Canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
typically made using birch bark
*
maniwiigwaasekomaan:
Knife
A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...
for harvesting birch bark
*
wiigiwaam
A wigwam, wickiup, wetu (Wampanoag), or wiigiwaam (Ojibwe, in syllabics: ) is a semi-permanent domed dwelling formerly used by certain Native American tribes and First Nations people and still used for ceremonial events. The term ''wickiup'' ...
:
Wigwam, typically made using birch bark
*
wiigwaasi-makak
A wiigwaasi-makak (plural: ''wiigwaasi-makakoon''), meaning "birch-bark box" in the Anishinaabe language, is a box made of panels of birchbark sewn together with watap. The construction of ''makakoon'' from birchbark was an essential element in th ...
: boxes and other containers made of birch bark
*
wiigwaas-onaagan: dishes and trays made of birch bark
References
External links
National Anthropological Archives: Birch bark transparencyThe First Nations art of birch bark bitingMany uses of birch bark{{Anishinaabe
Native American art
Betula
Ojibwe culture
Anishinaabe culture
Native American history of Michigan
Great Lakes tribal culture
Native American ethnobotany