VISITING THE CANOE PROJECT
CHANIE WENJACK SCHOOL FOR INDIGENOUS STUDIES at TRENT UNIVERSITY
Our ongoing support and relationship continues with Trent University and their Indigenous Studies program. Sisters Helen and Anne visited for a canoe building workshop in October.
On October 21, Sister Helen and I had the privilege of meeting a young canoe builder, Alex Labelle. He is a young man of 19 years who has learned to build birchbark canoes since he was four years old, under the mentorship of his grandfather, Marcel Labelle. The Sisters of St. Joseph have helped to fund this project in the spirit of reconciliation, recognizing and supporting the culture, knowledge and teachings of Indigenous and Metis peoples.
Labelle was invited to Trent to build the canoe by Lorenzo Whetung, the cultural advisor at the First People’s House of Learning (FPHL), and by Dawn Lavell-Harvard, the director of FPHL. The idea is to build a canoe that can be used by members of the Trent community and also to teach people the skills involved in constructing one.
Alex was constructing the canoe from Sept. 27 - Oct. 25, 2024, and students were invited to assist (no experience necessary), so why not us too? I had a moment of “getting a feel” for the shaving of wood slats. And in learning about the cedar root ties I had a “hands on” moment for what is involved in scraping the root and splitting it along the spine. Alex of course has done all the work of splitting the slats and soaking the roots in warm water. There was so much to learn about the parallels and interconnections of the canoe to the human body with its ribs and skin. Everything that holds it together is made from nature such as the bear grease, ashes and resin that make the sealant as well as the root used for ties and stitching.
The completion date might be moved back while the work continues and once completed there will be a naming ceremony. The name, not yet revealed, will be one that comes forth from the Spirit, as the canoe comes to life in a way similar to our own naming which indicates a certain spirit within us. We anticipate a launch ceremony before the winter arrival and the celebration of this new being. The birch bark canoe has played an essential role in the life of the original peoples and the opening of the waterways and lands to those who arrived later.
-Sister Anne Karges, CSJ