Canoe Cultures – Canoe Carving Demonstrations

Canoe Cultures is a local community organization that celebrates resiliency by bringing forth the War Canoe as a vessel which carries gifts forward for future generations.  Carvers from Squamish and Snuneymuxw First Nations honour the strong cultural connection the canoe has to the lands and the waters.  Carvers will be working on their newest design, a cedar strip 6-person war canoe. They will also be working on paddles and other associated artwork. The experience of crafting a dugout from a massive single red cedar log or red cedar strip is a rare opportunity as there are few canoe carvers left in Canada to pass the knowledge on to their communities. As part of the Canoe Culture Program, Lead Carver Mike Billy Sr. addresses the cultural transmission of Indigenous knowledge from one generation to the next.