Montagnais birch basket

The Montagnais used birch bark as the primary material for making containers to hold berries and other foods, as well as for serving and cooking. The containers were made by cutting and folding the bark. The themes of the decorative stencils related to the natural world and were created by scraping off one layer of the bark with crooked knives to reveal the dark-colored inner bark, where the tree’s sap runs in the early spring. Thin roots are then used for lashing the sides together and attaching the rim and lid.