The Birch Tree
Birch bark was used abundantly in different indigenous communities because it was water resistant, very pliable, and readily available in certain areas of the Great Lakes Region. It would be used to make containers for storage and cooking purposes, it was also used to make mats for roofing wigwams, and for making canoes. Birch bark was a very important resource for many Native American communities and when it came to using the bark, the collectors knew how to take it without harming the tree and makers knew how to determine what the bark could be used for depending on the size and thickness of the pieces. The thickness of the bark would determine if it was going to be used for something large like a canoe or something much smaller like a mat or box (Material). The harvesting of birch bark is an important step in the process of making the birch goods. People collecting the bark have to be very careful so they do not damage the protective layer within the tree, damaging the protective under the bark could potentially harm or kill the tree (Collective, 2015).