Traditional canoe built, launched at Point Pelee

An estimated two-week build was able to be accomplished in about 10 days as members of Caldwell First Nation, Walpole First Nation and the Great Lakes Lifeways Institute (GLLI) recently partnered on the construction of an Anishinaabe wiigwaasi-jiimaan (birch bark canoe).

The canoe was made with traditional tools and methods, spearheaded by Kevin Finney of the GLLI.

Finney and Director Kaesha Baloch and their team arrived on Tuesday, August 13 after some travel delays, with a hopeful finish date of August 24.

Baloch said it usually takes 14-15 days to build the canoe, but they were aware of the planned celebration on Saturday, August 24, as the canoe was launched at Point Pelee National Park’s Marsh Boardwalk right on schedule.

The build was held at Madbin Jina inside Point Pelee, giving members an opportunity to learn the techniques required to build such a vessel, where every part of the process is very much rooted in tradition.

The outside of the canoe is covered in birch bark with the supporting pieces being hand-carved in cedar — all sewn together with handmade tree-produced twine.

Carrie-Ann Peters, Caldwell’s Culture and Language Coordinator, indicated that the canoe was finished just hours prior to the boardwalk launch and took 83 hours of work in total.

The canoe was walked two kilometres from its point of origin to its launch point.

The project was deemed a healing project by Director Kevin Finney of the Great Lakes Lifeways Institute and would be a means of bringing traditional ways of life to the present day.

Finney provided a spiritual vessel speech before the launch and said the canoe is regarded as a living being and members of the First Nations smeared blood on the canoe, connecting the male and female ends of the canoe and bringing it life.

Carrie-Ann Peters and Dan Dufour of Point Pelee were the first paddlers on the canoe’s maiden voyage.

A crowd of 100 witnessed the launch. The canoe will be stored at Point Pelee with the hope of using it in programs with the focus on reconnecting our waterways.

The canoe has been named mno mshkeki bmowjegadek, which translates to ‘it carries good medicine’.