Student-built traditional birchbark canoe to be installed at Carleton

Tuesday, September 26th, 2017 9:57am
Students at Carlton University build a birchbark canoe with master building Pinock as their teacher. Photo by Brett Forester
Well-known artist and canoe builder Daniel “Pinock” Smith from Kitigan Zibi introduced students to customary Anishinaabe tools, materials and methods in canoe-making.

Carleton University will celebrate a Wigwàs Chiman (birchbark canoe) installation at the MacOdrum Library on Thursday, Sept. 28. The canoe was built using traditional methods by 12 Carleton students working with Daniel “Pinock” Smith.

Windspeaker.com wrote about the canoe construction in March. See our story here: http://www.windspeaker.com/news/windspeaker-news/traditional-canoe-construction-nets-students-more-than-grades/

Carleton President Alastair J.S. Summerlee, Vice-President (Academic) Jerry Tomberlin, Wigwàs Chiman workshop leader Pinock Smith, Indigenous Liaison Officer Benny Michaud, University Librarian Wayne Jones, Carleton University Art Gallery Director Sandra Dyck, and students Summer-Harmony Twenish and Gabby Richichi-Fried will be in attendance.

The Centre for Indigenous Initiatives and Carleton University Art Gallery hosted weekly gatherings with Daniel “Pinock” Smith, a well-known artist and canoe builder from Kitigan Zibi, where students were introduced to customary Anishinaabe tools, materials and methods in canoe-making.  

The gatherings took place at the gallery from January through May, with one final session at Smith’s workshop in June. Recently the canoe was taken to Kitigan Zibi and launched on Lake Bitobi.

More information on the long-running workshop that constructed the Wigwàs Chiman can be found here, in a reflective text written by Carleton student and canoe builder Alexandra Kahsenni:io Nahwegahbow: https://carleton.ca/our-stories/story/crafting-birchbark-canoe/