As long as two thousand years ago, the wood and bark of the Birch Tree were popular in Russia for making utensils, footwear (known as bast shoes or lapti), and jewelry. Because of its central place in the Russian forests, birch was revered as a sacred tree. The natives particularly valued the bark since, being a strong and pliable material akin to leather, it not only insulated heat but also seemed to radiate warmth. On winter expeditions in the taiga, the hunter trusted his hand would not go numb if the handle of his weapon was wrapped with birch bark. Parents carved personal bark toys for their children, called igrushki-oberegi (guardian toys), to protect them against the evil eye. The bark was also used, like papyrus was by the Epyptians, for symbolic inscribing and ritual drawing.