Vyacheslav Vasilevich Yaroev describes birch bark wall panels

“Not long ago, we built a uraha made of birch bark – the traditional dwelling of the Sakha people. We demonstrated how to construct it and how to decorate it, and Sakha from across the country joined in to help. To learn more beforehand, we traveled to America and studied the birch bark uraha at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. We learned a great deal there — including how birch bark is sewn, how many layers the panels need to have, and what approximate size they should be. Of course, the dimensions may vary depending on the region. We focused particularly on the interior birch bark panels (ispe tuos) of the uraha — the most beautiful ones, like the one shown in this photo. The most important thing we learned there was that the interior panels are sewn in two layers. In some places, there are three layers; in others, two. Initially, we had been told they were sewn in only one. But after our trip, we found that the panels actually consist of two layers, including one very thick one. We realized that this technique was necessary for structural durability. After all, birch bark is birch bark — it shrinks and cracks when it dries. To prevent the bark from tearing, it is layered in different directions: one layer runs in one direction, and the second in a crosswise direction. This prevents it from ripping. The two layers cling to each other and become stronger as a result. That’s why the birch bark in the American Museum of Natural History has been so well preserved.

It was also fascinating to learn how birch bark was repaired. The horsehair stitches were made in a special way. For sealing, black birch bark was used. It was pressed into cracks and corner gaps to make everything watertight during rainfall. When making the inner panels, they are pre-shaped in advance, because the uraha has a conical structure with slanted walls. Patterns that are oriented vertically — upward and downward — are especially practical in this case. For example, this pattern here is called ‘high sky with stars’, and it is understood as a kind of amulet.”

Recorded in Yakutsk, 2024.