canoe maker: Mi'kmaq

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Khamis, 20 Jun 2013

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.

Selasa, 19 Februari 2013

Mi'kmaq Canoe Paddle - Glooscap Heritage Centre

The Glooscap Heritage Centre in Truro, Nova Scotia has an exhibit entitled Kmu'jiktuk Wejiaq = Made from Trees. It features a roughly carved, large bladed Mi'kmaq paddle along with some other tribal artifacts.

Mi'kmaq paddle

Glooscap Heritage Centre

Selasa, 26 Oktober 2010

1936 Birchbark Canoe Film - Porpoise Hunter

From this thread on the BushcraftUSA forums, I learned about a 1936 silent film featuring Mi'kmaq style birchbark canoes. Entitled "The Porpoise Hunter", it is a re-creation of the traditional hunt enacted by Digby County Mi'kmaq and illustrates the subsequent rendering of the carcasses into oil. The oil was apparently sold by the Mi'kmaq to various local businesses for a time, but the practice died out when there was no longer any market for the product.

Here are some interesting moments in the video

7:27 - Canoe Portage to beach
8:11 - Launching on the rocky shoreling
8:47 - "Indian" Paddling style
9:32 - Quick turn around strokes

The video clearly shows some wonderful images of the unique design of Mi'kmaq style canoes and also illustrates some authentic paddling techniques of these canoe experts - short but powerful strokes with lots of prying of the gunnels. I was also able to capture a screenshot where the sternman's paddle design (looks to be a painted blade) is quickly seen before it is driven back into the water

Sternman's paddle design