Birchbark canoe building links tribe to ancestral roots

The building of birchbark canoes is a legacy that was close to disappearing but is now much more alive, following a hands-on program to replicate a 19th century Passamaquoddy canoe that involved over 50 people in its construction during the month of August. The canoe was recently launched earlier this month.
"It's important for people to have hands-on experience to practice and learn the art of birchbark canoe-building," says Donald Soctomah, the Passamaquoddy historic preservation officer who applied, with Stephanie Francis, for the funding from the National Park Service for the project. "If only one person takes it on as a trade or dedicates their life to this, it will be passed on to future generations."
David Moses Bridges of Pleasant Point, a master canoe-builder who led the project, along with Steve Cayard of Wellington, says that it was great "to see tribal youth and elders doing the work of their ancestors." He notes that 100 years ago most tribal families had a canoe and there were a number of good canoe-makers.
Those who constructed the replica were involved with the entire process, from gathering the materials and splitting the spruce roots to building and launching the canoe. A large birch tree, which was 49" in circumference at the base, was found in northern Washington County. Spruce and cedar with the right characteristics were located in Indian Township. "You really have to comb the forest to find that material," notes Bridges. "It takes a community to do that."
"People followed the process from the beginning to the end, so they understood it. They took it from the forest to the sea," he observes. "I think it gave people a lot of strength, and it's something that will continue."
The canoe is an exact replica of one that was built by Peter Atwin in 1852 at Indian Township. That 21-foot, ocean-going canoe was a traditional family design. Atwin would go out on Passamaquoddy Bay, where he lived during the summers, and would fish, harvest shellfish and hunt for porpoise and seals. The canoe was sold in the early 1900s to a Manly Hardy, a fur trader from Brewer, who sailed it down to Penobscot Bay. His daughter, Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, was a chronicler of Native people, so the story about the canoe ended up being written down. "We're lucky to have that information. It's a pretty special boat," notes Bridges.
For Maine's centennial, Hardy painted the canoe, which covered over the etchings on its side. However, the etchings were recreated in the replica that was built. Later Peter Atwin's canoe was given to the Maine State Museum, where it is still located.
The replica was built at the Wabanaki Cultural Center in Calais from August 1 to September 2. Soctomah says 53 people took part, whether for an hour or for the entire month, and included Passamaquoddys, Penobscots, Maliseets and non-tribal members from this area and from as far as Philadelphia. The oldest canoe builders were Calvin and Lane Nicholas, and the youngest builder was Xavier Soctomah‑Newell. Some 1,600 hours were spent constructing it, and approximately 3,000 people from throughout the country stopped by to view the work, since the cultural center building also houses a Maine State Visitor Information Center. Responses from those who watched the canoe being built ranged from "incredible" to "beautiful," Soctomah says. Bridges notes that the canoe is "very graceful" with "real sweet lines."
Three launchings were held -- at Calais, Pleasant Point and Peter Dana Point. "For a lot of people, it was the first time they were in a birchbark canoe," Soctomah says. "They said there's no other type of feeling like being in the water in a birchbark canoe."
The canoe will be kept at the tribal museum at Indian Township and will be used on the lakes and bays and will travel around the state whenever Soctomah presents talks about Passamaquoddy culture. "It will be a working canoe," he points out.
It will also be an ocean-going canoe like the original 1852 one. Bridges has built a mast and a spar and will make a sail, hoping next year to recreate the voyage that Manly Hardy made from Passamaquoddy Bay to Penobscot Bay.