The Birch Tree

A side view of the birch bark container.

The White Paper Birch tree is very important to the Anishinaabek for many reasons, among them their social and economic contributions. The outer bark is peeled from the tree in the spring or early summer so that the tree is not harmed and suffers little damage. Because it is tough, flexible, and highly waterproof, sheets of the bark are used for everything from papering the exteriors of canoes and houses to making baskets, artwork, and maps. Birch bark sheets have even been used to ceremonially wrap bodies of the dead for burial. The birch tree is considered to be a wise tree and assists humans to live a humane life.