Tribal Significance of Trees

The bark of the Yanchama tree in the Amazon rainforest of Colombia is used by the Ticuna, the largest indigenous tribe, to make head dresses for their ritualistic dance ceremonies. It is a malleable material that could be virtually turned into cloth and shaped to the head like a mythical creature.

Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherers used birch bark for various purposes, including making an adhesive to attach their arrowheads. Evidence is found at the Star Carr site in what is now North Yorkshire.

Some Germanic tribes used the wood of the lime (linden) tree to make their shields.

In Yoruba culture (West Africa), the date palm is revered as the "axis mundi" – a bridge between Heaven and Earth. The use of 16 sacred palm nuts, known as Ikin Ifá, is the traditional method of connecting with Ọrunmila, the deity of wisdom, prophecy, and destiny. (Ayodeji Ogunnaike, McGill University)