Reader Eli Sagor from St. Paul, Minnesota submitted this picture—the objects have both a Midwestern and Northeastern woods connection. What are they and what are they used for?
Answer
Brown ash strips used to make baskets.
This photo shows brown ash (also called black ash) strips that were traditionally used by Ojibwe Indians in the Upper Midwest to make baskets and other items. Northeastern artisans carry on this tradition as well – check out the profile we did of basketmaker Bill Mackowski in our Summer 2009 issue: http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/at_work_making_baskets_with_bill_mackowski/
Thanks to Eli Sagor for sharing this great photo. Eli works for the University of Minnesota Forest Resources Extension – they maintain a cool webpage that our readers may find useful: http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/
This week’s contest winner was Casey J. Callahan from Morrisville State College. We had 7 correct answers.