Native Indian Birch Bark Biting Art, Framed, Signed Start Price USD 1,400.00 Current Price USD 1,400.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, July 07, 2008 End Time Monday, July 14, 2008 Location White Rock, BC See more about 'Native Indian Birch Bark Biting Art, Framed, Signed' Description Native ArtsBirch Bark BitingOriginal, Signed, Framed VERY, VERY RARE The auction is for 7 framed Native Birch Bark Bitings. I believe there are only 3 artists who know this RARE technique today. Each is signed by the artist. The entire picture including frame measures 33 1/2 inches by 26 inches. The frame was custom made by Marcel of Winnipeg. I have included close up photos and details of each biting below. These are rare and hard it is hard to find even one today. To find seven is indeed a very, very rare treasure! What is Birch Bark Biting?Birch-bark biting is the art of dentally perforating designs on intricately folded sheets of paper-thin bark. The technique is known to have been practised by OJIBWA (or Chippewa), CREE and other Algonquian groups who used birch bark extensively in fabricating domestic containers, architectural coverings, CANOES and pictographic scrolls. Bark biting was a casual art among Aboriginal women, a means of experimenting with designs that might later be translated into porcupine quill or bead appliqué on bark containers or hide clothing (see QUILLWORK). It was a form of recreation or friendly competition. More recently, through the work of Cree artist ANGELIQUE MERASTY of Beaver Lake, Manitoba, bark biting has achieved the status and market of a fine art. Merasty's own technical virtuosity and visual repertoire have greatly amplified the traditional range of rudimentary geometric designs to include rich curvilinear floral, insect, animal and human figures. About the Artist:ANGELIQUE MERASTY was born in Beaver Lake, Manitoba in 1924. At the age of twenty, she learned the art of birch bark biting from her mother, Susan Ballantyne. During this time, Ballantyne enjoyed much respect for her outstanding designs throughout communities in the area near Beaver Lake and Denare Beach, Saskatchewan. Angelique Merasty was recognized and respected as a senior artist working in this medium. She passed away in January, 1996 in Winnipeg. In the 50's her pieces sold for a dime or 15 cents each. By 1996 a single piece sold for as much as $1,000.00 (Canadian). Her art is part of a permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. I will include with this a few newspaper clippings and articles about the artist and her amazing work. This biting is in the upper left corner. It is of bees and a flower, and measures 9 inches by 5 1/2 inches. This biting is in the middle at the top. It is of a flower, and measures 5 1/2 inches by 4 inches. This biting is in the very middle. It is of flower, and measure 6 inches by 7 inches. This biting is in the lower left corner. It is of bees and a flower, and measures 9 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches. This biting is in the middle at the bottom. It is of a flower, and measures 7 1/2 inches by 7 inches. This biting is in the upper right corner. It is of flowers, and measures 8 1/2 inches by 6 inches. This biting is in the lower right corner. It is of bees and a flower, and measures 10 inches by 6 1/4 inches. Shipping:Shipping and handling is $45 in the US or Canada, plus $19 for insurance (which is required).  International shipping will be more. I will accept PAY PAL, a certified check or a money order. NO PERSONAL CHECKS PLEASE!   Place a Bid!