Historical Background on Pomor Chip Carvings

The carvings are made from white cedar, which grows in the Allagash region of northern Maine. Carving birds is an old Eastern European woodworking craft dating to the early 1600's. In the mid 1800's the skill was introduced to the logging camps in Maine, by Eastern European lumberjacks. They were working with French Canadian and American loggers and passed a lot of their free  time carving and trading skills and techniques. It is done with simple, basic tools and involves no glue or fasteners.