Rosella Carney Birch Bark Biting Artist

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Rosella CarneyBirch Bark Biting Artist

• AboriginalPerspectives.uregina.ca

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Instructions

• Show students Video 1 Birch Bark Biting
• Take some time to discuss what students thought
  of while they watched the video clip.
• Lead them through the following slides that
  explain how to do a birch bark biting (or an
  alternative to birch bark biting).
• There is also some informational slides for them
  to see.

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Creating a birch bark biting

• In the video clip, Rosella explains that you can
  fold your piece of birch bark 1, 2, 3 or 4 times.
• Once this step is done, you bite your
  design/shape on one side.
• When you open up your folded birch bark you will
  have a symmetrical design.
• What other things in our environment are
  symmetrical? Take a look around the classroom or
  browse around in nature.

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Dont have birch bark handy? Try one of these
alternatives.

• Patty paper (patty paper is what is put between
  hamburger patties when they are frozen and can be
  purchased at the grocery store)
• Carbon paper (try an office store)
• Wax paper (easiest to find and very cheap)

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Biography Break Rosella Carney

• Rosella is from Molanosa, Saskatchewan which is
  just north of Montreal Lake.
• She is one of a handful of people who still
  practice the art of birch bark biting.
• She learned this form of art from a cultural
  resource teacher.
• Rosella also is talented at the art of moose-hair
  tufting.
• She teaches the Cree language.
• She currently resides in La Ronge, Saskatchewan.

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Choosing a design/shape for your birch bark
biting

• When Rosella creates a birch bark biting she
  first imagines her ideas and shapes out how she
  wants it to look in her mind.
• She finds that circles are the easiest. She
  creates triangles to represent things like skirts
  or tipis.
• Her favorite designs are of geese, ducks,
  chickens and other birds.
• She is talented at what she does. In the video
  she shows us a biting she made that represented 8
  girls dancing!

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Take a look at some examples of her birch bark
bitings
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Now lets look at the lines of symmetry found in
birch bark bitings
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Other Aboriginal art forms where you can find
symmetry

• Star blankets
• Parfleche bags
• Beaded arts
• Moccasins

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What are two new things you learned today?