Alma Jumbo
All Genres and Mediums
Artist Story
I was taught to sew and bead as a young girl growing up in Trout Lake. When I moved to Fort Liard, my mother-in-law taught me to make birchbark baskets and decorate them with porcupine quills. I instantly fell in love with the feel and the softness of the bark, and the smell of nature when you put on the quills. I also love the smell of the roots. When I make baskets, I release my stress. It’s just like being connected to nature.
The key is finding the perfect bark. I spend a lot of time in the forest looking for the perfect tree; peeling small pieces of bark from trees and seeing if it is flexible. I am very careful when I take birchbark so I don’t damage the tree and introduce disease. I am very respectful of the raw materials I am given. I usually make flowers with the quills and sometimes birds like chickadees and grey jays. One time I did a humming bird! I like the natural colour of quills. If they are dyed, after a while they fade.
When I’m finished making a basket, I feel a sense of accomplishment and I want to make and try different shapes and quill patterns! I just love it.
Artist Bio
Alma Jumbo is a Dene artist and resident of Fort Liard, Northwest Territories. Alma started beading at a young age and only started making birchbark baskets when her mother-in-law taught her the techniques to gather materials from the land and create beautiful baskets decorated with porcupine quills. She instantly fell in love with the feel and the softness of the bark, the smell of nature when you put on the roots, and the vibrant colours of the porcupine quills, all which release her stress and connect her with nature.