Building A Dene Birch Bark Canoe

Qayaqs

Caribou Inuit, now in the Canadian Canoe Museum

Inuvialuit qayaq built in Tuktoyaktuk as a community project.

Netsilik qayaq, paddles, bladder, dart harpoon, lance, harpoon, bird dart, atlatl, 3 piece wood sinew backed bow, fish spear, caribou antler bow and clothing. All in a museum in Hokkaido, Japan

8 ft. "tear down" play qayaq for classroom fun.

Videos

Dogrib Birchbark Canoe

Dogrib Birchbark Canoe (1997) from PWNHC on Vimeo.

New People Old Ways

New People Old Ways from Glen Crawford on Vimeo.

Don's Canoe

Don's Canoe from Leanne Allison on Vimeo.

Birch Bark Canoes

Don in Old Style Algonquin, now in a castle near Munich, Germany.

14 ft Dogrib, now in USA.

24 ft North Canoe, now in Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta.

24 ft North Canoe, detail of stem spruce root.

Harvesting Bark 4 ft x 18 ft.Using a ladder is better than cutting the tree down.

15 ft. Tete de Boule canoe, now in River Cafe, Calgary, Alberta.

Workshops and Community Projects

Inuvialuit qayaq workshop in Inuvik

Dene Dogrib birch bark canoe building at Rae-Edzo

Inuvialuit qayaq workshop in Inuvik

Tools and Implements

Arctic

(top to bottom) Atlatl for throwing bird dart, bird dart, gaff for retrieving seals to the qayaq, slate backed lance for killing seals.

Two styles of arctic fish spears (pakivak)

Atlatl ready to throw bird dart from a qayaq to snag low flying geese.

Various arctic flint carving tools for wood and antler work.

Various arctic tools for sewing, hide scraping, wood carving and drilling.

Arctic stone bladed adze, sinew twisting tools and bow drill.

Hafted flint tools. ( left to right) hide scraper, wood side scraper, micro.

Dene bow of birch wood and babicke.

Copy of 10,000 year old clovis spear point hafted on wood with birch pitch and sinew.

Inuvialuit one piece "D" type sinew backed bow, bow drill, adze and tool case.

Plains

Flint knaping (flaking) kit, needle case and various hafted flint scrapers.

Sinew backed (glued) chokecherry bow, dogwood arrow, hafted groved maul, hafted endscraper, leg bone flesher and parflaske tool bag.

Hafted grooved maul, flint scraper, hafted on antler handle, flint knife and leg bone flesher.

Other Projects

Gathering and mixing natural pigments for painting leather and bark.

Birch Bark Fashion