While sorting staves in the barn a long section of bark separated from a quartered trunk.  While this one is not from one of the usual species used for bark containers I decided to give it a try.  Bark is used as a raw material for making water resistant hats, bowls, quivers, and other containers far back into the mists of time.  From at least as far back as Mesolithic Europe to Pre-Columbian America, this type of “basket” has made it’s way into the human tool kit.  While this is not a tutorial proper, I took a few photos of the finished product.

The body is made from the whole bark of Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) and sewn with rawhide from deer.  The rim is constructed from a mesquite shoot split, steamed into a hoop, and sewn with rawhide.

It’s not perfect and probably won’t last forever as bark can be fairly brittle over a long time but will serve to hold some demonstration goodies for quite a while.

Have a look at a simple tutorial for a similar container by Ken Peek HERE.