Alexandra Conover Bennet Demonstrates the North Woods Paddle Stroke

 A recent video clip of Alexandra Conover-Bennet showcasing a Penobscot-style paddle, Wabanaki birchbark canoe and the "Northwoods Style Stroke" is now on YouTube. It originally appeared on the WoodenBoat channel, Season 3, Episode 3 of their "Mastering Skills" Series.

Omàmìwininì (Algonquin) Birchbark Canoe Build - Algonquin Park

 I had the privilege of checking out a rare birchbark canoe build taking part in Algonquin Park. The event, taking place on unceded Algonquin Territory, was sponsored in part by Algonquin Outfitters and featured canoe builder Chuck Commanda.

I visited the build site on the 2nd morning of the event. It was taking place under the shaded protection of a canopy at the Lake of Two Rivers store (km 31.4 of the Highway 60 corridor). By then the  hull had already been shaped on an elevated building bed, the gunnels lashed on with spruce root amidships and side panels stitched on. Quite a lot of work for just a single day!

Chuck was kind enough to answer some of my questions regarding pre-contact tools and various construction techniques between builders. 

The build was for a roughly 14 ft hull using a single length sheet of bark for the hull, except for two small side panels along the sides. The bark was indeed impressive. I inquired about the overall length. Chuck lamented that he had found a super tree and was peeling an impressive 42 foot long sheet. At the last moment however, the part of the bark cracked resulting in this roughly 16 foot sheet and another 26 foot sheet being reserved for another future build.

Interestingly, Chuck mentioned that quality white cedar that is straight grained and without branches or knots on the lower section of the tree is getting harder to find than the actual birchbark itself due lumber practices. There was a bunch of split cedar on hand for future parts of the construction which will be taking part at the Opeongo Store near the East Gate of the Park.

Volunteers were on hand to assist with some of the building and the public was encouraged to come in close, take pictures and chat.

Also on hand to answer some cultural questions was Christine Luckasavitch, lead Cultural Consultant of Waaseyaa Consulting, an Omàmìwininì (Algonquin) business focusing on providing cultural awareness and communication.   

For those of you in the area and wish to visit. Further details are below:

AUG 15th until Friday, AUG 19th 2022

Lake Of Two Rivers Store 

South of Highway 60 at km 31.4

GPS location: 45.579811°, -78.506886°

MON AUG 22nd until Friday, AUG 26 2022

Lake Opeongo, Algonquin Park

Located at Access Point #11

GPS location: 45.6356°, -78.3603°

Daily Work Hours: 9 am – 3 pm (approx.)

Pejepscot Historical Society Wabanaki canoe update

An update on an historic Wabanaki birchbark canoe first discussed in this post from 2017. It seems that fundraising efforts to stabilize and do a partial restoration on the canoe was successful. Noted canoe builder Steve Cayard completed some work on the 19ft long historic craft, carbon dated to between 1729 and 1789. 

 Image Source Link/Credit: VOANews.com

The nearly intact boat has spent the last three decades in a barn behind the museum, exposed to extreme temperatures and humidity. Despite this fact, it has remained in remarkable shape. Just too bad that there doesn't seem to be any paddles associated with the canoe.

Historic Paddle Photo: c1900 Explorers near Kaministiquia

Here's a  photo from the AmeriqueFrancaise.org site showcasing some traders with their large bark canoes and slender paddles. The photo is dated to circa 1900 and was taken near present day Thunder Bay, Ontario. The French caption translates to "Canadian Pacific Coast Explorers' Camp on the edge of Kaministiquia"

Campement d'explorateurs de la Cie du Pacifique Canadien sur le bord de la Kaministiquia (lac Supérieur, ThunderBay, Ontario) . - Vers 1900  

BAnQ, P407 S2, D1, P2

Domaine Public

In the background, there are two paddlers standing at the bow of the trade canoe stabilizing the craft with their paddles. The slender blade designs are clearly evident in the posed photo.

Closeup of paddles

Another crewman, possibly someone of importance to the expedition, is standing at the far right. He poses closer to the camera and reveals a close up of the ridged, narrow paddle design. The blade looks to have some sort of painted decoration.

c1900 "voyageur" paddle design

New Contender for World's Oldest Birchbark Canoe

Some interesting news out of Maine. The Pejebscot Historical Society in Brunswick carbon dated an old birchbark canoe in their collection. The results indicated that it was constructed sometime between  between 1729 and 1789. Museum records date the canoe to the mid-1700s.

19 Foot Wabanki Canoe

Image Source Credit: Pejepscot Historical Society

The nearly intact boat has spent the last three decades in a barn behind the museum, exposed to extreme temperatures and humidity. Despite this fact, it has remained in remarkable shape.

Pejepscot Historical Society/Larissa Vigue Picard via AP

Image Source Credit: CentralMaine.com

The two other canoes thought to be among the oldest were originally located in Europe (i.e. the 21 ft. Galway / "Grandfather" Canoe) found in Ireland and the Enys Canoe found at the Enys estate in Cornwall, England.

The museum has begun a fundraising campaign  in order to raise the $10 000 needed to restore the canoe and build an appropriate display. Work will be done by well known bark canoe builder, Steve Cayard.

One of the unique things about the Pejebscot Historical Society canoe is that it was built without any European technology at a time when metal fasteners and other innovations were being adopted by local Wabanaki builders. In addition, rather than use canvas cloth dipped in pitch on the stem pieces, the builder used tanned deerskin, something Cayard had never seen before in a surviving canoe. Thwarts were attached using an older method as well, basically by splitting the inwale and jaming in the tenon rather that using a chiseled mortise. More footage of the canoe and details of this exciting canoe news can be found in a video clip here.

Passamaquoddy Paddles and new 14' Bark Canoe

Back in March, renowned birchbark canoe builder Steve Cayard began construction of a 14 foot bark Passamaquoddy style bark canoe. Along with  boat-building interns Dan Asher and Tobias Francis, the build took four weeks to complete.  A  writeup of the recent launch appears in an online article, " Passamaquoddy Ceremony Launches Birchbark Canoe Built at LA " in The Lincoln County News.

Photo Credit: Christine LaPado-Breglia

Lincoln County News

Image Source Link

Another set of photos appears in a facebook post of the Abbe Museum...

Image Source Credit

To add some more authenticity to the experience, the paddlers are using traditional Passamaquoddy paddles with long flat grips and decorative notches as illustrated by Figure 65 by Adney & Chappelle.

Figure 65Source Link

Birchbark Canoe now on the wall

The 12 ft bark canoe I attempted to build back in '08-'09 has been repaired and regummed many times but is no longer water worthy. Over the years, vertical splits developed in the low quality bark I ended up using, but I still have fond memories making it and paddling around the lake. Anyway, thought it would be time to try and get it up on the cottage wall so that I can make space in the garage for another usable boat.

Happy times in the bark canoe

During a brief solo visit up north back in April, I managed to get through a tight entryway and into the unit. After that, some straps were set up into the wall studs and the canoe muscled up approximately 14 feet. 

Also ended up throwing in an old burning of the lake's name and the unused Diamond Passamaquoddy paddle. When my wife wanted to repaint the large accent wall a blue colour, I didn't think it would work, but now it looks like the canoe is at least floating on a wall of calm water.

Grandfather Canoe Update

Here's an interesting update regarding the famed 21 ft "Grandfather" canoe discovered in Ireland and repatriated to St. Mary's Maliseet First Nation back in 2009.

Documentary make Joe Kearney created a podcast on RTE Radio1 (Ireland) explaining the spiritual significance of the canoe. A bark replica of the original was built under the guidance of Steve Cayard and appropriately named the Grandmother Canoe.

G. Wayne Brooks & Steve Kearney with Maliseet Paddles

Photo Credit Original Link

Turns out that if funds can be arranged, another replica with be made in an effort to teach youngsters these nearly forgotten skills with the final product donated back to the University where the original Grandfather Canoe once hung. 

More details in the accompanying article that appeared in the Irish Times...

 • http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/first-nation-canadians-offer-traditional-canoe-in-thanks-1.1905532 

18foot Agwiden Penobscot Birchbark Ocean Canoe

Recently came across this newly uploaded video (52 min) called "Agwiden" showcasing an 18 foot birchbark canoe build. Steve Cayard was the builder invited to the Penobscot Nation to help construct the first bark canoe there in over 60 years. Lots of closeups of the build technique. Learned some new things about bark canoe construction.

Can't seem to embed the video due to restrictions by the film-maker, but here is the direct link for viewing on Vimeo...

http://vimeo.com/77745115

One of the neatest things is around the 4 minute mark where Steve climbs up the trunk of the monster birch to harvest the bark. Never saw this standing method of bark harvesting before...no need to haul a ladder into the bush!

What also caught my eye was the elegant paddle used by Chief Barry Dana during the initial launch (around the 48:00 mark). Here is a screen shot...

The grip style is what Adney described as a "Malecite Group" paddle (Fig 65) belonging to a 18 foot Passamaquoddy Ocean Canoe.

Passamaquoddy Ocean Canoe Paddle (Fig 65)

I've carved quite a few paddles with this simple but effective grip style, including one of my earliest cherry paddles from 2008. It is quite comfortable when draping the wrist over the wide palm area. Here are some shots from the old condo balcony "workshop"

Ended up decorating this with a burned image of a Chickadee on a white pine branch...

For all you folks in the south who get to paddle year round...enjoy it! The temperature right now feels like a chilly -22 Celsius with the windchill.

Maliseet & Mi'kmaq Museum Paddles

Here are some new pics of two East Coast museum paddles courtesy of Lloyd of Canoe Canada East. They were posted over on the SongofthePaddle.co.uk forums a while back. One of them is a paddle I've featured here before  (see posts here, here, and here). It seems the museum has changed its name from the York Sunbury to the Fredericton Region Museum. Either way, thanks to Lloyd's photography abilities, we now have 3 more clear shots of the delicate etching on this c. 1878 paddle.  

At the Halifax Maritime Museum, Lloyd took some shots of an ocean hunting Mi'kmaq canoe and antique paddle on display. The paddle has warped with time, but the flattened grip and carved drip rings are just visible in the shots. For some old time footage of how such a canoe was used in ocean hunting, check out my earlier post HERE showcasing a 1936 film, "The Porpoise Hunter". The style of canoe on display with its low rounded ends is virtually identical to the one in the film .

On a side not, be sure to visit Lloyd's Canoe Canada East site which features some great DIY canoe related projects. In particular, it was his tutorial on making a canvas portage pack that was a major source of inspiration & instruction for my own Woods No.200 canvas pack restoration back in '09.

Temagami Birch Bark Canoe Project

An interesting Birchbark canoe project is in the works for this summer. The folks at Voyages of Rediscovery are raising funds for a canoe build on Bear Island, Lake Temagami. They've begun their drive with a detailed video of their goals and intention (see below)


Seems like worthy project to involve the youth of the island and bring back some pride in their native canoe heritage. Their project site on Kickstarter mentions their fundraising progress...they're getting close to their goal of $10,000. Their pledge page also lists some tempting "rewards" for pledges ranging from bumper stickers, T shirts, DVDs, crooked knives, for donations of $25 or more.

The builders previously built a 25 foot trade canoe based from a historic HBC freight canoe photo taken on Bear Island in 1896...


Photo credit: R.S. Cassels collection at the National Archives of Canada.
Here are some of their Program Objectives:

• Film the entire project and conduct interviews with tribal community members and the young people who help build the canoes.
  Harvest enough materials to build 3 birch bark canoes.
  
• Build 2-3 birch bark canoes with and for the young people of the Bear Island Band of the Temagami First Nation.
  
• Incorporate the youth in every facet of the Birch Bark canoe building process: harvesting materials, preparing materials and building the canoe.
  
• Facilitate a week long material gathering canoe trip for 10-15 teenagers. On this trip we will look for all the necessary materials needed to build a birch bark canoe: Birch Bark, Spruce Root, Cedar, and Ash.
  
• Produce a professional feature length documentary as well as a 3 minute trailer, and a 12 minute promotional edit.

For those wondering what the donated money will be spent on, here's a list from their site:

• Transportation to and from Bear Island, Lake Temagami, Ontario, Canada. We will be driving from Washington State in our Waste Vegetable Oil Van over 6,000 miles round trip (WVO is cheap but there are still expenses). Then taking a 2 hour barge ride with all of our equipment to Bear Island.
  
• Fine wood working tools
  
• Food for three months (we won't have a fridge so it'll be cheap: rice and beans, cans, pasta, nothing fancy)
  
• Some professional quality videography equipment
  
• Post-production expenses
  
• Entry into film festival

Wishing these folks well and good luck on their exciting project!

Outdoor Adventure Show

I was able to swing by the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show on Sunday afternoon to catch the last 2 hours before closing. Greeting guests at the entrance was a beat-up looking, faux bark canoe to set the mood.


This canoe is actually an old cedar canvas with panels of birchbark stapled to the hull. Certainly not meant to be paddled but it was a romantic entrance to event. The thing was a total wreck but luckily there was much more canoe related stuff inside the show.


The good folks from the Canadian Canoe Museum had their booth stocked with volunteers carving away. One of my paddle making instructors from the Artisan workshops at the museum, Don Duncan, was there and we got to catchup and say hello again.



Badger Paddles was well represented again as was Bruce Smith who had a booth showing off his lovely creations. It was there that I got to see friend, Mike Ormsby from the Reflections On The Outdoors Naturally blog. Mike was scheduled to give a solo paddling demo in his 16ft Cedar Canvas. The demo pool at the show is quite small and its miniature size would make it a challenge for any paddler in a larger boat. Always a good humoured jokester, Mike put on quite a show after an accidental dunking. He even wrote all about his (mis)adventure on his site in this great post. I've certainly dunked in front of spectators before so kudos to Mike for taking it all in stride and being willing to laugh at oneself.

For me the highlight of the show was getting a chance to meet the folks of Northern Sound Canoes who make traditional birchbark style craft with plywood-based hull. I've written about such alternative bark canoes before on this site, including those Hans-George Wagner of Germany, Tomas of Poland, and blog reader Johan of Belgium


Northern Sound Exhibit


16 foot Algonquin Model


Another view


Beautiful Edge-to-Edge planking

These canoes were well received I'm told and have generated some interest. While they are based in the UK, the builders are planning a means of making them more available here in North America. Seeing these craft up close got me excited to attempt a build of my own - it certainly solves the problem of limited bark available to builders today...and being birch based plywood, should be a fantastic medium for pyrography decoration as well. I'm giddy with the potential excitement of another build but am not sure the family is that happy with yet another canoe plan in the works.

Summer's Last Paddle

Well, we're back from our vacation up north. Regrettably, my paddling season may be over with the demands of work and the real world taking over again. But at least I was blessed with a calm lake and gorgeous setting sun to take a couple of shots in the bark canoe before she rests again for another winter. The last shot was snapped by putting the camera on a neighbour's floating dock, setting up a 10 second time-delay and maneuvering the canoe into the frame.


With the nontraditional kneeling pad and stuff sack


Paddling View


Just in the frame
Despite the brief melancholy I'm experiencing right now, I've been busy with a few new paddle designs and other summer projects that'll be on the site soon.

Runny Spruce Pitch

The last week has been a scorcher by this season's summer standards. Temperatures in the 30 degree Celsius range with the humidex making it feel much hotter. While many sun worshippers have welcomed the change, I've always despised steaming hot weather. Seems like my bark canoe doesn't like it either.

Back in the early spring (May) when I first tested out the boat, I made the spruce pitch according to the temperatures of the time. The ideal ratio of tree gum to fat in the pitch is dependent ambient temperature of the season. Too little fat and the pitch will crack and chip off in colder weather, too much fat and the gum will become runny during hotter days. Well, I must've put in a tad too much fat, because after resting the canoe on horses in the protected confines of the garage, I awoke to the horror of messy, melted, runny pitch leaking down the side of the canoe. The stern in particular took the brunt of the ugliness, as I had loaded up on this weakpoint where most of the leaks seemed to have originated.


Runny pitch down the sides; Lots of runny gum on the stern
I guess the short term solution is to sit the canoe right side up on some slings and hope the gum runs back down to the seams. Either way, my ugly duckling of a canoe now looks like she's got runny mascara.

First Water Test

Even though the birchbark canoe is not fully cosmetically complete (still needs deckplates, gunwale caps, & winter bark decoration), I couldn't resist taking the newly gummed hull to the lake for its first water trial especially during a brief warm spell with minimal wind. Thought it was fitting that I'd use the very first paddle I made to go with it. My wife & son came down for the "launch" to take in the show and the lack of anyone else around this early in the season made it a very nice family affair.

The whole boat feels very sturdy with the ribs in and to be honest is a bit heavier than I imagined (probably because of the thicker rib size I opted to go with to strengthen the weaker bark hull). Despite this the boat floated quite high on the surface of the lake given the the cedar's amazing bouyancy. The hull's flattened bottom gives it decent primary stability but she still heels over quite well for solo paddling and responds just like bark canoes are supposed to, with an amazing delicate touch.


Action shot on the port side

Heeled over in the shallows


Final pose showing the starboard side
After about 10 minutes of paddling by the shoreline however, I felt some wetness on my shins and sure enough, the boat was taking on some water. Leaking on the first attempt is quite normal for a novice builder I suppose. But I'm a bit bummed out that I've run out of time to fully complete the boat and start paddling around the lake. Work and family obligations meant this was my last trip up here until August, so finalizing the boat would have to wait until then. Before packing the canoe up in garage, I let the outer bark dry up a bit, set it up on sawhorses and poured a bucket of water into the interior. The water eventually drained from the hull in numerous spots (mostly the 2nd lap seam and the stern end seam) and these were marked off with permament marker. When I'm back up again in August, I'll be repitching these seems and am confident the holes can be sealed off. In the meantime, I'll be thinking about designs to etch on the winter bark of the hull and fantasize about paddling it some more.

Gumming the seams

Armed with the purified tree gum from last summer, I set out to make the pitch needed to seal the canoe's seams. Set up a little workstation by the garage using an alcohol stove for the heat source and an old pot to mix up the brew.


Workstation with chunks of purified resin
The recipe and method I used was the same as that for the pitch on the miniature canoe - basically about 5:1 ratio of Gum to Lard, although this time, I decided on adding in some ground charcoal. Apart from blackening the colour, the charcoal apparently makes the pitch a bit less advesive when working it with the fingers. Some blackened chunks had been collected last summer from the communal fire pit and using a simple concrete block and a rock, the chunks ground to a fine powder.


Collected charcoal; Ground up with a rock
Once the mixture was hot and bubbling, a test strip of bark was added and then quickly dunked into cold water. After a minute or two, the test strip was bent back onto itself and if it cracked, a little more fat was added to the mixture. Satisfied that the pitch was the right consistency, I applied some of the warmed pitch on the masked seams of the canoe and worked it in with wet fingers. Not sure if the charcoal thing worked because my fingers were still a gooey mess so didn't take many pics for fear of covering the camera with pitch residue.


Pitch ready; Applied to a lap seam
I've used up about a 1/3 of my gum supply and need to mix up another batch of pitch to seal the ends and some gores and should have some better pics of the whole boat in the coming days