Vintage Ojibwe Birch Bark Basket - Bear Scatching Tree- Signed 10.5" Tall

This basket comes from my personal collection. I purchased this Ojibwe basket in Cloquet Minnesota back in 1994. Birch bark baskets have been made for roughly 2000 years. The Birch bark is pulled in the Spring or early Summer taking only the outer layer so the tree will not be killed. The bark is cut, warmed to make it flexible, folded into shape and lashed together. Rims and reinforcing strips are made of red osier dogwood or pine and lashed with sinew. Birch bark is waterproof, strong and flexible. Ojibwe women traditionally fashioned them into baskets of many shapes and sizes. This one is a decorative with a bear marking a tree and the artist's mark burned and painted on the basket.
This basket shows the dark interior of the bark on the outside of the basket. The pale exterior bark surface is on the inside. Excellent condition without splits or repairs.

Measurements:
10 1/2" inches tall
7" inch diameter