Bentwood Box Builder

Along the Northwest Coast, carvers made bentwood boxes from a single plank of red cedar. The carver cut three grooves, called kerfs, across the plank. Then the plank was steamed over hot stones and water until the wood became soft enough to bend. The carver bent the plank at each kerf to form three corners, then joined the fourth corner with wooden pegs or stitches of spruce root. A bottom was fitted so tightly that the box could hold water.

A Box for Everything

Families stored food, clothing, and treasures in bentwood boxes. Boxes even served as cooking pots: people filled a box with water and dropped in red-hot stones until the water boiled and the food cooked. Some boxes were painted or carved with designs and passed down in families.

Today: Northwest Coast artists still steam and bend cedar boxes, and they teach the skill in workshops so the tradition continues.

A student-made box decorated with a salmon design — A student-made box decorated with a salmon in a formline style.

Steam and Bend the Plank

You are looking down on the plank from above. Follow the steps to turn one plank into a box.

Which Nets Make a Box?

A net is a flat shape that folds up into a 3-D shape. A bentwood box is one long strip folded into four sides. A paper box needs six squares: four sides, a bottom, and a lid. Look at each net below. Will it fold into a closed box with no gaps and no overlapping squares? Tap Yes or No.

Tip: Draw the net on graph paper, cut it out, and try folding it.

Cedar: The Tree of Life

Many Northwest Coast peoples call the western red cedar the "tree of life." Carvers used its wood, and weavers used its soft inner bark. Sort each object. Tap an object, then tap where it belongs.

Cedar Wood

Cedar Bark

Something Else

Think About It

Why did the carver cut kerfs before bending the plank? What might happen without them?
A bentwood box made from one plank has only one joined corner. Why would that make it stronger and less likely to leak?
How could a wooden box be used to boil water, when you cannot put it over a fire?
Look at your cedar sort. Which part of the tree was used for clothing? Why would bark work better than wood?

Make a Paper Bentwood Box

Materials

a long strip of heavy paper or cardstock
a ruler and pencil
black and red markers
tape or glue

Directions

Measure four equal sections on the strip, plus a small flap.
Fold the strip at three lines, just like bending one cedar plank, and tape the flap to close the fourth corner.
Trace the box on more cardstock to make a bottom and a lid. Glue on the bottom.
Choose an animal that is important to you. Draw it on your box with black outlines, ovals, and U shapes.

Northwest Coast crests belong to particular families, so students design their own animal instead of copying a crest.

A tall carved pole in front of a cedar plank house — A carved pole and cedar plank house at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver.