The birch tree that was to supply the bark was 

 usually selected far in advance of the time of construc- 

 tion. By exploring the birch groves, the builder 

 located a number of trees from which a suitable 

 quantity of bark of the desired quality could be ob- 

 tained. Samples of the bark of each tree were stripped 

 from the trunk and carefully inspected and tested. 

 If they separated into layers when bent back and 

 forth, the bark was poor. If the "eyes" inside the 

 bark were lumpy, the bark in their vicinity would 

 split too easily; this was also true if they were too close 

 together, but if the eyes on the inside of the bark 

 appeared hollow there was no objection. Bark that 

 was dead white, or the outer surface of which was 

 marked by small strips partly peeled away from the 

 layer below, would be rejected as poor in quality. 



Preferably, bark was stripped from the selected trees 

 during a prolonged thaw in winter, particularly one 

 accompanied by rain, or as soon as the sap in the trees 

 had begun to flow in early spring. If this was not 

 possible, "winter" bark, as described on page 14, was 

 used as long as it was obtainable. Only dire necessity 

 forced the Indian to use bark of a poor quality. Fall 

 peeling, after the first frosts, was also practiced in 

 some areas. The work on the tree was done from 

 stages made of small trees whose branches could be 

 used in climbing, or from rough ladders constructed 

 of short rungs lashed to two poles. When steel a.xes 

 and hatchets were available the tree could be felled, 

 provided care was taken to have it fall on poles laid 

 on the ground to prevent damage to the bark in the 

 fall and to keep the trunk high enough to allow it to 

 be peeled. Felling permitted use of hot water to heat 

 the bark, and thus made peeling possible in colder 

 weather than would perm.it stripping a standing tree. 

 Felling by burning, however, sometimes resulted in 

 an uncontrolled fall in which the bark could be 

 damaged. 



Whether stone or steel knives were used, the bark 

 was cut in the same manner, with the blade held at 

 an angle to make a slashing cut; holding a sharp knife 

 upright, so as to cut square to the surface of the bark, 

 makes the tool stick and jump, and a ragged cut 

 results. A stone or steel axe blade could also very 

 readily be used in cutting bark; with such tools, it was 

 customary to tap the head with a maul to make the 

 cut. It was necessary to make only the longitudinal 

 cut on the trunk of the birch tree, as the bark would 

 split around the tree with the grain at the ends of this 

 cut. Spruce and other barks, however, required both 

 vertical and horizontal cuts. 



Once the vertical cut was made to the desired 

 length, one edge of the bark was carefully pried away 

 from the wood with the blade of a knife. Then the 

 removal of the bark could proceed more rapidly. 

 Instead of starting the bark with a knife blade, some 

 Indians used a small stick, one end of which was 

 slightly bent and made into a chisel shape about 

 three-quarters of an inch wide. This was used to pry 

 the bark away, not only along the edge of the vertical 

 cut, but throughout the operation of peeling. Another 

 tool, useful in obtaining "winter" bark, which was 

 difficult to strip from the tree, was a piece of dry, 

 thick birch bark, about a foot square, with one edge 

 cut in a slight round and beveled to a sharp edge. 

 The beveled side was inserted beneath the bark 

 and rocked on its curved cutting edge, thus separating 

 the bark from the wood with less danger of splitting 

 the bark. Spruce and other barks were remo\ed 

 from the tree with the same tools. 



After the bark had been removed from the tree, 

 it was handled with great care to avoid splitting it 

 along the grain. Even in quite warm weather, the 

 bark was usually heated slightly with a bark torch 

 to make it flexible; sometimes hot water was applied 

 if the inner rind was not to be used for decoration. 

 Then the sheets were rolled up tightly in the direction 

 of growth of the tree. This made a roll convenient 

 for transporting and also helped to prevent the 

 bark from curling. If the bark was not to be used 

 immediately, it was carefully submerged in water 

 so that it would not dry out before it was fitted to the 

 canoe. Spruce and other resinous barks, which could 

 not be stored, were used as soon as possible after 

 they were stripped from the tree, the rough exterior 

 surface being removed by scraping. 



Roots for "sewing" were also gathered, split, and 

 rolled up, then placed in water so they would remain 

 flexible. Sometimes they were boiled as well, just 

 before being used. 



The spruce gum was gathered and tempered. Be- 

 fore metal kettles and frying pans became available 

 to the Indians, it was heated in a number of ways. 

 One method was to heat it in a wooden trough with 

 hot stones. As the spruce gum melted easily, great 

 temperature was not required. Stone and pottery 

 containers were also used. Another method was to 

 boil water in a bark container and drop in the spruce 

 gum, which melted and floated on top of the water in 

 such a consistency that it could be skimmed ofTwith a 

 bark spoon or dipper. Chips and dirt were skimmed 

 off the hot gum with a strip of bark or a fiat stick. 



24 



