"One of my biggest concerns when building canoes is how to pass them on to the next generation. We're taking it over..And they're making better canoes than I am."— Mike Billy Sr.
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Alvin Martin Jr., an eighth-generation canoe carver from Squamish, hopes to one day find his own tree.
"In the old days, when we were carving canoes, people would go into the woods to find a particular tree they wanted to make into a canoe," Martin said. .
Once you find the tree, chop it down until it's light enough to move into the village.
"I haven't had the chance to do that yet," said Martin, but he looks forward to the day he knows he's found it when he sees the tree.
"According to the old teachings, after finding such a tree, it is cut very easily, and when the canoe enters the water, it is pulled forward when it begins to paddle."
Martinhas a traditional Squamish name of Xachá7lh, lives in Eslha7an (Mission Indian Reserve No. 1), and works byCanoe Cultures for this year's Featured at the Pacific National Exhibition.
For as long as he can remember, Martin said he liked working with trees. In high school, he erased the Batman and Canucks logos in minutes.
He learned canoe construction from his two uncles. The two uncles learned from their father and Martin's grandfather Cedric Billy
Martin led visitors through the canoe-building process at the PNE fairgrounds. From cutting the cedar in half to creating a flat surface to starting to shape the outside or inside of the canoe depending on the sculptor's preference.
These days, cedar plank canoes are becoming more popular, craftsmen say, because it's getting harder to find trees big enough to make big logs. rice field.
"It's really cool to be a part of this," he said. "When I was younger I wanted to join, so I asked my uncle Ian (Billy), but he told me I was too impatient at the time."
Now 32 19-year-old Martin was 19 at the time. He moved on with his life and at the age of 26 asked his uncle Ian again if he could teach him the art and craft of canoe building.
"He pointed to a piece of wood and told me to pick it up. I looked shocked and confused. 'Now'
"He said, 'Do you want to learn?' 8th generation canoe builder Alvin Martin Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG
Mike Billy Sr., Hereditary Head of Squamish, 7th generation sculptor and chief sculptor of the current project, a 40-foot canoe made from West Coast cedar.
Billy's His ancestral name is Lemxacha Siyam, which means canoe builder, and he learned sailing ship carving from his father, and as the craft is on the brink of extinction, he has been working with indigenous peoples through colonization and boarding schools. Billy feared that the craft would disappear, as it was one of the many consequences of trying to destroy the culture of
"One of my biggest concerns when I'm here is how to pass it on to the next generation," said Billy, 58. "Now we're handing it over...and they make better canoes than I do."
As well as leaving decisions such as these to young sculptors, we teach job skills and provide forklift and first aid tickets.
Joining the young canoeists who make cedar strip canoes and cedar paddles at the fair are indigenous artists and their work, including textiles, beading and leatherwork, traditional medicine, painting and carving, Children's clothing, shoes and boots. — Two completed dugout canoes and demonstrations of traditional methods such as drying fish on racks.
"There are many more, so please come and visit," she said Reeva Billy (Sialtinot) of Canoe Cultures.
"We manufacture traditional dugouts and cedar-striped racing her canoes, also called war canoes," she said. "Once completed, it will be used on the shores of Canada and the United States, but canoe culture is more than just learning how to build a canoe.
"It is about a deep respect for the environment and our place within it.
The PNE will operate every day except Mondays through September 5.
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