THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE ARTS
The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/ Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs was formed, with the generous support of the Macdonald Stewart Foundation, to provide a forum for all those interested in the decorative arts.
The Ontario Arts Council is an Agency of the Government of Ontario
mi’kmaq basketry
grass + bark + splint
Joleen Gordon
click image to enlarge
If we could see beneath the forest floor, we would see that all the trees, the pine, the birch, maple and so on, are holding hands, regardless of species. We as people, regardless of race, must come together and hold hands and help each other. We must listen to our Mother Earth. She is sending us a message.
—Mi’kmaq Elder and Spiritual Leader
Chief Charlie Labrador, 1932-2002
Mi’kmaq First Nations People in Atlantic Canada draw on the natural world to provide the plant and animal fibres and dye sources necessary for their basketry. This extensive knowledge of surrounding resources— seasonal gathering times, preparation methods and weaving techniques to use with specific materials—has evolved over the years with demographic, economic and environmental shifts.
Two major archaeological sites have revealed to us information essential to the history of basket making. In both cases, fragments of organic material have been preserved owing to the presence of copper sulphate, acting as a biocide. The 2,500-year-old Augustine Mound on the Miramichi River in northeastern New Brunswick contained residues of an apparently affluent salmon-rich fishing area where makers created exceptional textiles with materials gathered from fauna and flora: moose-tendon warps wrapped with bundles of moose hairs; alternating rows of alternating pairs of unwrapped and porcupine quill-wrapped moose-tendon warps separated by rows of tendon twining; woven two-ply fibre used in both warp and weft; braids of plant leaves, wood splints and spun animal hair. Many of these fibres have yet to be identified.
Published twice a year, Ornamentvm is the only magazine that covers the huge spectrum of Decorative Arts in Canada. Subscription to this beautiful, full-colour publication costs only $20 per year