A trailer of the Paddle For Sustainability expedition
Making A Birch Bark Canoe
Maiden Voyage scene
September, 2009
Spruce Roots
(Watap) can be split, debarked, and refined into a cordage that can be used for making lashings and sewing bark pieces together. Perhaps the most time consuming element in making a bark canoe, watch the gathering and production of Watap, a practice that has been advanced through thousands of years of development.
Cedar (Giizhik) is used for making the 70 ribs (waagana) that give the boat its shape, the sheathing that lies between the bark and the ribs, and the long gunwales that run the length of the boat. Carving the ribs by hand with a crooked knife took several weeks, and the shavings accumulated.
A time-lapse of a full days activities, the birch bark is unrolled and the building frame is constructed. The building frame is weighted down with rocks to hold it in place, and stakes are driven around the sides to stabilize bark pieces and gunwale placement.