Three short lengths of butternut cut like miniature logs, their bark rough and mottled grey-brown, one split open to show the paler wood inside.
  • A single log seen close, its bark splitting into shaggy grey-brown plates with pale wood showing through the gaps.
  • A curved slab of bark lying on its own, the outer face dark brown and the inner face pale and fibrous along the split edge.

Butternut, also known as white walnut, is a North American hardwood with a light, soft wood and a straight grain.

Composition

Butternut wood

Handling Notes

  • Butternut bark is often used to create dyes for basket weaving and textiles, resulting in brown, red-brown, or orange-red colored objects

Applications in Craft

Keywords

Provenance

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels, Cherokee, North Carolina. Acquired 2024.

Sources

  • Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, “Cherokee Basket Weaving,” Visit Cherokee NC, n.d., https://visitcherokeenc.com/culture/cherokee-basket-weaving

In Use

Have you used this material?

Please contact Mellanee Goodman, Program Director, Curator, and Materials Specialist, to start a conversation about submitting your work for inclusion on this site.

mgoodman@centerforcraft.org

Variants