Birchbark biting (Ojibwe: Mazinibaganjigan, plural: mazinibaganjiganan) is an Indigenous artform made by Anishinaabeg, including Ojibwe people,[1] Potawatomi, and Odawa, as well as Cree[2] and other Algonquian peoples of the Subarctic and Great Lakes regions of Canada and the United States.
Artists bite on small pieces of folded birch bark to form intricate designs.
[3] Indigenous artists used birchbark biting for entertaining in storytelling and to create patterns for quillwork and other art forms.
Though the practice almost died out, an estimated dozen practitioners are active in Canada and the United States, some of whom display the craft in contexts outside of their original intentions to show evidence of this ancient practice.
Birchbark bitings can be used in storytelling, as patterns for quillwork and beadwork, as well as finished pieces of art.