=Balsam Fir= (_Abies balsamea_ [L.] Mill.), “jîngoˈb” [any kind of
fir tree]. More properly “jîngoˈb pikewaˈndag” [fir tree that goes up
to a peak]. The Ojibwe chop a hole in the trunk and allow the resin
to accumulate and harden. When gathered and boiled it becomes a canoe
pitch. It is usually boiled a second time with the addition of suet or
fat to make a canoe pitch of the proper consistency. Another name given
the tree is “jîngoˈbandag”.
=Tamarack= (_Larix laricina_ [DuRoi] Koch), “mûckiˈgwatîg” [swamp
tree]. Larch roots are also used as a sewing material by the Flambeau
and Couderay Ojibwe and they used to sew canoes with them. They also
make bags from the root fibers, which are considered especially durable.
=Black Spruce= (_Picea mariana_ [Mill.] BSP.), “jîngwûp” [its name].
The Flambeau and Couderay Ojibwe used these roots to sew canoes, and
from incisions in the bark gathered the resin to be boiled with tallow
to make pitch for caulking canoes.
=Jack Pine= (_Pinus banksiana_ Lamb.), “gîgaˈndag” [its name]. Jack
Pine roots have ever been esteemed by all Ojibwe as fine sewing
material for their canoes and other coarse and durable sewing. They
dig the roots with a grub hoe as shown in plate 55, fig. 1, and often
find them fifty or sixty feet long. These are split lengthwise into
two halves starting at the tree end, and are wrapped in coils as shown
in plate 55, fig. 2. They are then sunk in the lake which loosens the
bark and enables them to be scraped clean, as well as adding to their
flexibility. They are an ivory white when used and very tough and
flexible. An Ojibwe woman is shown sewing a canoe with them in plate
56, figure 2.
=Norway Pine= (_Pinus resinosa_ Ait.), “abakwanûgiˈmûg” [bark in
plates], shown in plate 63, fig. 2. The Flambeau Ojibwe gather resin
from the Norway Pine just as they do from the White Pine, Balsam and
Spruce, by chopping a hole into the trunk and collecting the resin as
it forms. It is boiled twice, being combined with tallow the second
time, to make a serviceable waterproof pitch. This is not only used for
caulking canoes, but for mending roof rolls of birch bark and other
things. The wood is also utilized.
=White Pine= (_Pinus strobus_ L.), “jîngwaˈkwacêskweˈdo” [white pine
cone], shown in plate 63, fig. 1. The Flambeau Ojibwe use the pitch
from the boiled cones, along with the resin that flows from boxed
trees, for caulking and waterproofing purposes.
=Arbor Vitae= (_Thuja occidentalis_ L.), “giˈjîg” [cedar or sky].
The Ojibwe worships the Arbor Vitae or White Cedar and the Paper or
Canoe Birch, as the two most useful trees in the forest. The pungent
fragrance of the leaves and wood of the Arbor Vitae are always an
acceptable incense to Winabojo, and the wood is their choice for light,
strong straight-grained canoe frames and ribs, as shown in plate 53,
figure 2. In earlier times, the tough stringy bark was used in making
fiber bags, but these are scarcely ever seen today.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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