Birch bark was found by everyone who had been in the forest at least once. People have long noted the durability of birch bark, its resistance to the process of decay. It was placed under the crown of the hut to protect the lower logs from moisture.
Areas of use
Birch bark was used to make moisture-resistant and durable shoes. Boats were sheathed with birch bark, made of tueski for storing milk and kvass from this material.
In ancient Russia, birch bark was used as paper. It is thanks to the strength of this material that samples of ancient Russian writing have survived to our days. Scientists have been able to look into the past by studying these documents.
Folk crafts
Weaving from birch bark has an amazing appeal. This natural material seems to have magical powers. Anyone who at least once tried to create a birch bark item will no longer be able to tear himself away from this type of artistic craft.
Weaving from birch bark was considered a traditional craft in peasant families. Today, you can also meet craftsmen, mainly in rural areas. The secrets of making birch bark products have always been carefully passed down from generation to generation.
Birch bark has always been a reliable companion of the ancient Slavs. It served as a material for making shoes, made decorative ornaments from it, stored food in it, wrote on it.
Relevance of the issue
The birch bark is that thread with the past, which allows the modern person to restore the lost connection with genuine Russian traditions. Modern adolescents learn about the activities of their ancestors, which allows you to maintain a connection between generations. Currently, products from birch bark can form patriotic qualities in the younger generation, to educate children in accuracy, patience, determination. For the manufacture of a neat product from the master requires good memory and creative thinking.
Russian beauty - birch
Birch bark is a favorite material for creativity of many modern craftswomen. In Russia, this tree has always been considered a symbol of spring and the Motherland. Birch was endowed with affectionate epithets, called white, curly, slim. The branches of this tree decorated the red corner in the hut. Our ancestors believed that birch sap has healing properties, it positively affects the functioning of the body.
The benefits of birch bark products
Birch bark does not allow air and moisture to pass through; it is resistant to decay. These wonderful properties of birch bark made it a demanded material for creating various objects of folk art. With the correct dressing, this material is not inferior in flexibility and elasticity to natural skin. In ancient Russia, birch bark was used mainly to create household items. For example, from this material weaved boxes (pesters), created tueski. Long narrow ribbons, which were removed from birches in the spring, were used to weave baskets. Birch-bark shoes were in great demand: boots, galoshes, bast shoes. In order to show the peculiarities of the region in which shoes were woven, products were decorated with different ornaments and patterns.
During World War II, partisans who did not have paper used birch bark for printing newspapers and transmitting ciphers.
After distillation from birch bark a black liquid was obtained - tar. They cleaned their boots, keeping the skin from cracking. The tar hinges smeared the door hinges, the wheels of the carts. In folk medicine, this substance was used to treat various skin diseases. Today, tar is a component of Vishnevsky ointment. People who chewed birch bark resin had strong and healthy teeth. Brest was used as a healing patch for burns cuts.
The bactericidal properties and hygroscopicity of this material did not allow souring of milk in birch bark tueski. The oil in them did not acquire a taste, it remained fresh and tasty.
Important aspects
Birch bark is a versatile material that can be used in construction, storage of products, and shoes. Its harvesting is carried out in early spring, so that it is easily separated from the bark of swollen birch sap. Given the quality of the material, several types of blanks are distinguished.
Plast bark is pieces, layers of birch, which are limited by the circumference of the tree trunk. It is used for weaving small souvenirs created from a single piece. With the help of a knife, a neat vertical incision is made so as not to damage the pubic layer. With a knife-jamb, the edge of the formation is separated from the tree, then it is completely removed. Dirt and moss are removed from the top.
To create large birch bark products, spiral long ribbons are used. In order for their length to be several meters, several spiral cuts of a certain width need to be made around the trunk, from top to bottom. The tapes are rolled up, the front part is placed inside, leaving a small hole for ventilation.
The most time-consuming process is considered to be the process of preparing a cylinder for weaving tangs. Not every birch can be used for such purposes. The trunk should be smooth and clean, free from cracks and sag. It is sawn off, then knotted sections are removed, and on even places ring cuts are made with dense steel wire.
Then the birch bark is pulled off, getting a solid cylindrical billet. When preparing material for future use, it must be stored in a cool, dry place, avoiding direct sunlight. In the damp, mold appears on the birch bark, it becomes unsuitable for work.