Bark pot

Last updated

A bark pot [1] is the vernacular name of a vessel in Newfoundland English, used to hold an infusion of tree bark in which fishers would dip nets, cod traps, lines, or sails to preserve them. It was an integral piece of technology for the early inshore cod fishery of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was also the term used for a vessel used to make a solution of bark for tanning leather. [2] Also known as a barking kettle, barking pot, or tan pot, [1] it was often made of iron or copper. [2]

Contents

Etymology

The word bark to refer to the harder outer covering of trees dates back to the 1300s and likely comes from the Old Norse börkr, and the Proto-Germanic *barkuz which is most likely related to birch trees. The use of bark as a verb meaning ‘"to strip off the bark (of a tree)" sees its first recorded use in the 1540s. [3] Both the noun and verb form of bark as it relates the processing of fishing nets in Newfoundland was documented by Rev. George Patterson in 1895. [4]

Use in Newfoundland and Labrador fishery

Bark pot on the beach at Ferryland, Newfoundland, in July 2020. Ferryland bark pot 2 july 2020 dale jarvis.jpg
Bark pot on the beach at Ferryland, Newfoundland, in July 2020.

Fishing nets, cod traps, and sails would be dipped into a barking pot filled with a solution of bark and other materials. [5] The use of bark mixtures for the preservation of nets was brought over by English migrant fishermen during the 17th century; Aaron Thomas described the vessel used for making this bark mixture in his 1794-1795 journal of a voyage from England to Newfoundland and back to England:

In every Harbour, Creek and Cove there is what may be called a Parish Pott, this holds about 20 Gallons, and it is filled with Water and Spruce Bark, which is boiled together; they then dip the netts of the Fishermen into it, and the Sails of their Boats to which it is a great preservation. This Pott is generally the property of one person, and it is seldom that you will find more than one of these Potts in a Creek or Cove. For dipping a set of Boat Sails they pay 3/6d. I am told the Owners have made Fifteen Pounds in one season by Dipping! This is all clear profit, the Bark and firing not costing anything. I mention this circumstance of dipping to show in this particular the property of the Spruce Tree. [2]

Traditional bark pots were used on beaches to preserve nets and fishing gear. [6] Barking pots were described as resembling a witch's cauldron, while later workers used a kerosene drum which was cut in half; a flour barrel tub, puncheon, or piggin would be used for dipping out the bark solution. [7] The process of barking was described by A.F. O'Brien of Cape Broyle, circa 1964;

When the trap has been mended, it must be barked. The trap is boiled to help preserve the twine. Usually two large oil drums are set up in a fireplace on the beach. Bark is dumped into each drum and then they are filled with salt water. Then the fire is lit and the mixture is boiled. The different parts of the trap are put into large 'punchins' [8] and the bark poured over them. When each punchin is filled, they are covered with a sawed-off punchin and allowed to work for a day or so. The trap is then taken and spread on the wharf to dry. [1]

The barking of fishing nets and other gear was done to preserve it from corrosion in the sea. [9] When barked with a combination of ochre and cod liver oil, sails would become waterproof, but not stiff and heavy, making them suitable for storms, and other inclement weather. [5] Cod traps and nets were also barked in these pots, which not only preserved them, but made them less obvious to fish in the water. [10]

By mid-century, the barking of nets, sails, or cod traps was no longer necessary, as it became possible to buy these products already treated and made with materials which ensured a practically unlimited life span. [11]

Leather-work and contemporary craft

Running parallel to the practice of barking nets, sails, and canvas was the practice of using barking pots and barking solutions to tan hides into usable leather. In Newfoundland and Labrador, barking pots were used to make sealskin boots on the Great Northern Peninsula. The sealskin boot tradition was likely adopted by the settler community through marriages between migrant fishermen and Labrador Inuit women. [12] The boots are similar to traditional Inuit sealskin boots, but have been barked in a manner similar to settler traditions. [13] Some practitioners were working with these traditions as of 2020 and using large garbage cans and other containers in lieu of the traditional barking pot. [14] Contemporary craft producers such as those with the Labrador Artisans Co-operative have developed products which showcase the tradition of barking using innovative materials and techniques. [15] Barking was identified as a craft at risk in the province in 2021, [16] and selected as a skill to receive funding under a craft mentor and apprentice program in 2022. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador</span> Flag adopted 1980

The flag of Newfoundland and Labrador was introduced in 1980 and was designed by Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt. The flag design was approved by the House of Assembly of the province of Newfoundland, Canada, on May 28, 1980. It was flown for the first time on Discovery Day, June 24, 1980. The name of the province was changed to Newfoundland and Labrador by an amendment to the constitution of Canada in December 2001 at the request of the provincial legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th century in Canada</span>

The 16th century in Canada saw the first contacts, since the Norsemen 500 years earlier, between the indigenous peoples in Canada living near the Atlantic coast and European fishermen, whalers, traders, and explorers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newfoundland outport</span> Style of community

An outport is the term given for a small coastal community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Originally, the term was used for coastal communities on the island of Newfoundland, but the term has now been adopted for those on the mainland area of Labrador as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lobster trap</span> Portable trap used in lobster fishing

A lobster trap or lobster pot is a portable trap that traps lobsters or crayfish and is used in lobster fishing. In Scotland, the word creel was used to refer to a device used to catch lobsters and other crustaceans. A lobster trap can hold several lobsters. Lobster traps can be constructed of wire and wood, metal and netting, or rigid plastic. An opening permits the lobster to enter a tunnel of netting or other one-way device. Pots are sometimes constructed in two parts, called the "chamber" or "kitchen", where there is bait, and exits into the "parlor", which prevents escape. Lobster pots are usually dropped to the sea floor, one or more at a time, sometimes up to 40 or more, and are marked by a buoy so they can be picked up later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caplin Cove</span> Community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Caplin Cove is a small community on the north shore of Conception Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is surrounded on the north by Low Point near the end of the Bay de Verde Peninsula, and on the south by Lower Island Cove. Caplin Cove was probably named for the large body of capelin in its waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle Harbour</span>

Battle Harbour is a summer fishing station, formerly a permanent settlement, located on the Labrador coast in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Battle Harbour was for two centuries the economic and social centre of the southeastern Labrador coast. Mercantile saltfish premises first established there in the 1770s developed into a thriving community that was known as the Capital of Labrador. It fell into decline following reductions in the cod fishery and a major fire in 1930, and was abandoned as a permanent settlement following government resettlement activity in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fish flake</span> Outdoor platform for drying cod in northern fishing villages

A fish flake is a platform built on poles and spread with boughs for drying cod on the foreshores of fishing villages and small coastal towns in Newfoundland and Nordic countries. Spelling variations for fish flake in Newfoundland include flek, fleyke, fleake, flaik and fleack. The term's first recorded use in connection with fishing appeared in Richard Whitbourne's book Newfoundland. In Norway, a flake is known as a hjell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilting, Newfoundland and Labrador</span> Community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Tilting is a community on the eastern end of Fogo Island off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. It was incorporated as a town before becoming part of the Town of Fogo Island through an amalgamation in 2011. The community has been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada, and has also been designated as a Registered Heritage District by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Newfoundland and Labrador</span>

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador covers the period from habitation by Archaic peoples thousands of years ago to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing vessel</span> Boat or ship used to catch fish

A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing techniques</span> Methods for catching sea creatures, especially fish

Fishing techniques are methods for catching fish. The term may also be applied to methods for catching other aquatic animals such as molluscs and edible marine invertebrates.

Harry's Harbour is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is southeast of Baie Verte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cod fishing in Newfoundland</span>

Cod fishing in Newfoundland was carried out at a subsistence level for centuries, but large scale fishing began shortly after the European arrival in the North American continent in 1492, with the waters being found to be preternaturally plentiful, and ended after intense overfishing with the collapse of the fisheries in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cod fisheries</span> Fisheries for cod

Cod fisheries are fisheries for cod. Cod is the common name for fish of the genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and this article is confined to three species that belong to this genus: the Atlantic cod, the Pacific cod and the Greenland cod. Although there is a fourth species of the cod genus Gadus, Alaska pollock, it is commonly not called cod and therefore currently not covered here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional fishing boat</span>

Traditionally, many different kinds of boats have been used as fishing boats to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Even today, many traditional fishing boats are still in use. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), at the end of 2004, the world fishing fleet consisted of about 4 million vessels, of which 2.7 million were undecked (open) boats. While nearly all decked vessels were mechanised, only one-third of the undecked fishing boats were powered, usually with outboard engines. The remaining 1.8 million boats were traditional craft of various types, operated by sail and oars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newfoundland (island)</span> Island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Newfoundland is a large island within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated off the eastern coast of the North American mainland and the geographical region of Labrador.

Lodge Bay is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on the southeast coast of Labrador. Encompassing a population of less than one hundred residents, the community has uniquely evolved from both early European colonization of Labrador, and the inimitable patterns of land and resource use by the migratory Inuit population. The name Lodge Bay originated from the title Ranger Lodge, which was the name given to the area by trader and explorer, Captain George Cartwright in the late 18th century. "Ranger" was the name of the wooden-mercantile ship Cartwright used to trade, map and explore the Labrador coast, while "Lodge" was the name given to English hunting camps in Great Britain at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NunatuKavut</span> Proposed Autonomous area in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

NunatuKavut is an Inuit territory in Labrador. It is unrecognized by other Indigenous groups in Canada, including the Innu Nation, the Nunatsiavut government, and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. The NunatuKavummiut claim to be the direct descendants of the Inuit that lived south of the Churchill or Grand River prior to European contact, with recent European admixture primarily from English settlers. Despite claims of Inuit heritage, according to recent censuses completed by Statistics Canada, the vast majority of individuals living in communities that NunatuKavut claims are within its region continue to identify as Métis as opposed to 'Inuit'.

Ethnoichthyology is an area in anthropology that examines human knowledge of fish, the uses of fish, and importance of fish in different human societies. It draws on knowledge from many different areas including ichthyology, economics, oceanography, and marine botany.

Josephina Kalleo was a visual artist from Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador, known for her colorful drawings of traditional Inuit life and for her book Taipsumane: A Collection of Labrador Stories (1984).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Story, GM; Kirwin, WJ; Widdowson, JDA (eds.). "bark n". Dictionary of Newfoundland English. Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 1 [Extract: letter B] :: Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador". collections.mun.ca. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  3. ↑ "Bark". Online Etymology Dictionary. 15 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Patterson, George (1895). "Notes on the Dialect of the People of Newfoundland". Journal of American Folklore. viii (28): 27–40. doi:10.2307/533081. JSTOR   533081.
  5. 1 2 "DRESSING SAILS". www.duckworksmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  6. ↑ "Heritage NL, Craft Council Developing Program to Keep Traditional Craft Skills Alive in Province". VOCM. 2 Nov 2021. Retrieved 4 Feb 2022.
  7. ↑ "Atlantic Guardian, vol. 14, no. 04 (April 1957) :: Atlantic Guardian". collections.mun.ca. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  8. ↑ English wine cask units#puncheon
  9. ↑ "Barking the Twine". St. John's Woman: 18. June 1964.
  10. ↑ Holmes, Albert (1980). "Bonfire Night". The Newfoundland Quarterly. 76 (3): 57–60.
  11. ↑ Wells, Doug (2013). "Tanning Fishing Nets: Hot Water, spruce bark, and catechu". Intangible Cultural Heritage Update. 43: 2.
  12. ↑ Firestone, Melvin (1992). "Inuit Derived Culture Traits in Northern Newfoundland". Arctic Anthropology. 29 (1): 112–128.
  13. ↑ Firestone, Melvin (1994). "Skin Boots, Coach Boxes, and the Ski-Doo: The Renaissance of Traditional Items in Northern Newfoundland". Material Culture. 26 (2): 15–27.
  14. ↑ "Bark Tanning". Traditional Tanners. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  15. ↑ Crane, Katie; Jarvis, Dale Gilbert (July 2020). "Revitalizing Barking in Southern Labrador: The Labrador Artisans Co-operative" (PDF). Living Heritage Economy Case Study. 005.
  16. ↑ "Some N.L. crafts are facing extinction, and this heritage project wants to save them". CBC News. 27 Dec 2021. Retrieved 4 Jan 2022.
  17. ↑ Snook, Morgan (January 2022). "A new kind of 'hands on' learning". The Muse. Retrieved 4 Feb 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.