GLOBAL EXPLORATION OF BIRCH BARK BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS | A.
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- SIGNED softcover
- Ann Arbor, MI: The Legacy Press, 2025
Ann Arbor, MI: The Legacy Press, 2025. softcover. 10 x 7 inches. softcover. 136 pages. with contributions from Kelly Church, Mary Hamilton French, Crystal Maitland, Blaire Morseau, and Radha Pandey. Rooted in many cultures, birch trees have spanned continents and centuries, serving as more than just a material resource. In the Northern Hemisphere, birch bark has been indispensable - its resilience against water and decay making it valuable for building shelters, crafting canoes, and storing provisions. However, its significance extends beyond utility; various cultures have imprinted their stories, wisdom, and art upon its unique surface, transforming it into a vessel for the written word.
This book embarks on an exploration of birch bark's multifaceted role in the world of manuscripts and books, inspired by a conservation project involving the delicate birch bark books of Simon Pokagon, a Potawatomi author and activist, as well as Kashmiri birch bark codices. The investigation unfolds into a collaboration among conservators and artists from diverse regions, including North America and South Asia.
Globally, birch bark has its nuanced stories. In North America, Indigenous peoples, such as the Anishinaabe, used it for etching pictograms and making ceremonial scrolls, while European colonizers appropriated and commercialized its use. In South Asia, birch bark, a counterpart to palm leaf manuscripts, underwent unique preparation processes, highlighting cultural adaptations across geographies.
A Global Exploration of Birch Bark Books and Manuscripts examines how different birch species informed the adaptability of this resource, influenced by local environments and traditions. It also contemplates the modern challenges of birch forestry impacted by climate change and human activity, aligning cultural preservation with ecological sustainability. Readers are invited to appreciate birch bark's historical profundity, its role in literature and art, and the pressing need to conserve its legacy for future generations.
139 illustrations.
This book embarks on an exploration of birch bark's multifaceted role in the world of manuscripts and books, inspired by a conservation project involving the delicate birch bark books of Simon Pokagon, a Potawatomi author and activist, as well as Kashmiri birch bark codices. The investigation unfolds into a collaboration among conservators and artists from diverse regions, including North America and South Asia.
Globally, birch bark has its nuanced stories. In North America, Indigenous peoples, such as the Anishinaabe, used it for etching pictograms and making ceremonial scrolls, while European colonizers appropriated and commercialized its use. In South Asia, birch bark, a counterpart to palm leaf manuscripts, underwent unique preparation processes, highlighting cultural adaptations across geographies.
A Global Exploration of Birch Bark Books and Manuscripts examines how different birch species informed the adaptability of this resource, influenced by local environments and traditions. It also contemplates the modern challenges of birch forestry impacted by climate change and human activity, aligning cultural preservation with ecological sustainability. Readers are invited to appreciate birch bark's historical profundity, its role in literature and art, and the pressing need to conserve its legacy for future generations.
139 illustrations.