Historic Paddle Photo - Charles G.D. Roberts 1905

A great photo dated to 1905 of  Canadian Poet Sir Charles G.D. Roberts (1860-1943) in the University of New Brunswick Archives & Special Collections

Charles G.D. Roberts holding a canoe paddle (1905)

Fonds: MG L 42 Roberts family photograph collection; Item: 7

University of New Brunswick Archives & Special Collections

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Historic Paddle Photo: Kahnawá:ke Mohawk decorated paddles

"A trio of Indians of the Caughnawaga tribe with decorated paddles bows and arrows"
Creator: John Boyd

Date: 1914

Reference Code: C 7-3, 11272

Archives of Ontario, I0003496

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McCord Museum - Haudensaunee (Iroquois) Paddles

The McCord Museum has updated their online gallery to include a variety of Haudensaunee paddles. Two are from the Lac Tremblant region of Quebec with a decorated paddle blade fragment sourced to the Six Nations Reserve in Southwestern Ontario.

Haudenosaunee Canoe Paddle

1900-1920

Dimensions: 159 x 9.9 cm

Origin: Lac Tremblant, Quebec, Canada

Numéro D'accession: ACC2970.2

Gift of Dr. J. B. Porter

Source Link

 Haudenosaunee Canoe Paddle

Date: 1900-1920

Dimensions: 159 x 9.9 cm

Origin: Lac Tremblant, Quebec, Canada

Numéro D'accession: ACC2970.1

Gift of Dr. J. B. Porter

Source Link

Iroquois Boat Paddle Fragment

1865-1900

Dimensions 8 x 55.8 x 2.3 cm

Origin: Six Nation Reserve area, Ontario, Canada

Numéro D'accession: M980

Gift of David Ross McCord

Source Link

Historic Paddle Photo - 1903 - Song of Hiawatha Performance

Found two historic photos dated to 1903 which feature some decorated paddles. Take note of the decorative checkerboard pattern on the large paddle on the right side...

Actor in Hiawatha [1903]

Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

 Washington, D.C. 20540 USA 

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020637513

Source Link

Another shot showcases the grip styles of the large steering paddles being used to lash open the door of the cloth teepee.

Actors in Hiawatha [1903]

Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

 Washington, D.C. 20540 USA 

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020637514

Source Link

These photos were  taken from the annual "Hiawatha Pageant", a major tourist attraction in the Upper Great Lakes at the turn of the 20th century. Odawa and Ojibwa actors from Garden River First Nation (Gitigaan-ziibi Anishinaabe) as well as Waganakising Ottawa communities in Northern Michigan were recruited to take part in Louis Oliver Armstrong's theatrical production "Hiawatha, or, Nanabozho: An Ojibway Indian Play" inspired by Longfellow's epic poem "Song of Hiawatha."  Though the costumes are more reflective of Plains Indian culture stereotype for white audiences, the group included some tribal paddles more reflective of Great Lakes canoe culture.

Miniature Scale Model Paddles

Some of my work has been featured in the latest issue of Wooden Canoe (Issue #227 - Vol 45 - No3). Rob Stevens wrote an article entitled, "Small Paddles: An Exploration" which features the history of miniature paddles manufactured as samples / souvenirs from various canoe companies, as well as historical artists like Alpheus E. Keech (1855-1926).

Over the pandemic years, I've been using up smaller off-cuts of wood to make scale model historic replicas ranging from 12" to 24" long. Many of these are versions of full-sized paddles already listed on the Gallery page. Most have been decoratively burned but a few have been painted. Also made some little stands from other thin remnants. Here are some of the examples...

Wooden Canoe, the journal of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, is one of the primary benefits of membership in the WCHA. It is published four times each year, and each 32-page issue is packed with articles about canoe building and restoration, canoe tripping and wildnerness skills, stories about the history and romance of the wooden canoe, news about the WCHA and its Chapters, classified ads, and  more.