Threads 128: Traditional Birchbark basket with John Wager

This year's 10th Anniversary guest artisan lineup is a wonderful sampler of techniques, materials and cultural traditions!

John Wager, a Michi Saagiig Anishinaabe from Curve Lake First Nation, will be teaching how to make a traditional birchbark basket. You'll start with a sheet of birchbark, use spruce root to stitch it together and add a rim.

Birchbark baskets were traditionally made for gathering, food storage and containers, cooking, serving and maple sugaring.

John makes and sells craft for a living along with teaching the skills he has learned along the way in workshops. He's lived in Curve Lake almost all his life and he loves his community.

John started crafting in college almost 8 years ago, he was handed some knives, taught how to use them and then shown how to carve and coal burn a wooden spoon but he didn't even make a spoon that year, he made a wooden knife. He ended up carving his first spoon almost a year after that and then he didn't stop. He met people and made friends and mentors along the way that helped him get to where he is today, and he's still learning.

John carves lots of spoons and he also makes baskets, knives, bowls, cups, canoe paddles and even some leatherwork.

We really appreciate John's diverse skill set and we're thrilled he's traveling to McDonalds Corners to share his craft with us on Saturday, June 13. Details and registration are here