Basket

Birch bark basket. The body of the basket is made from a single piece of birch bark bent into an oval and sewn together at the corners. The outer surface of the bark forms the interior of the basket while the inner surface of the bark forms the basket's exterior. The sides and ends are etched with geometric designs including horizontal and vertical lines, zigzags, and semicircles. The rim is made from a thin piece of wood bent into shape and wrapped with plant fiber which also attaches it to the body of the basket. The wrapping is painted in a sequence of black, natural, red, natural, black around each corner of the rim.