Birch bark weaving technology for pottery in the Vitebsk region

Pottery is one of the oldest and most widespread crafts. Among the various pottery products, tableware decorated with birch bark strips stands out for its colourful ornamentation.

Obviously, the weaving with birch bark strips was done for purely practical purposes – to increase the durability of the manufactured clay vessels or to extend their use in case of damage; certainly, an increase in heat capacity also played a role.

To date, in the Vitebsk region, masters from seven districts of the region – Braslavsky, Horodoksky, Gluboksky, Lepelsky, Miorsky, Sennoensky, and Sharkovshchinsky districts – have found, become interested in, and started working on the technology of weaving pottery with birch bark.