Wisconsin The Enduring Thomas Vennum, Jr. Craftsmanship of Wisconsin's Native Peoples: The Ojibwe Birch-bark Canoe he bark canoe of the Chippeways [Ojibwej Tis, perhaps, the most beautiful and light model ofall the water crafts that were ever invented. They are generally made complete with the rind of one birch tree, and so ingeniously shaped and sewed together, with roots of the tamarack . that they are water-tight, and ride upon the water, as light as a cork. They gracefully lean and dodge about, under the skilful [sic] balance ofan Indian . but like everything wild, are timid and treacherous under the guidance of [a} white man; and, if he be not an equilibrist, he is sure to get two or three times soused, in his first endeavors at familiar acquaintance with them. Fig. 1. Earl Nyholm and Charlie Ashmun tie inner stakes to exterior canoe -George Catlin, Letters and Notes of the Manners, Customs, form-stakes. Note the boulders weighting down the canoe form; also, that and Condition of the North American Indian (1841) the white outer bark of the tree becomes the inside of the canoe. ·Photo by Janet Cardle The traditional crafts of Wisconsin as metal and plastic, as they became for Indian peoples in the western Indian tribes are perpetuated by many of available were adapted by Indian people Woodlands. Early European travelers in their talented craftspeople, several of to age-old technologies. For example, the the American wilderness were amazed by whom are represented in this year's traditional birch-bark tray used to "fan" this unfamiliar type of boat and rarely Festival. Centuries-old traditions contin­ wild rice - that is, to separate the seed failed to comment on its construction. ue to flourish and develop, not only in from the chaff - is generally made Most scholars generally agree with the the realm of decorative arts but also in using birch bark, cut and folded into 19th-century artist George Catlin that the the manufacture of utilitarian objects. shape, then sewn with split roots. But Ojibwe more than any other people Wisconsin Menominee, Potawatomi, and some Indian people create the same raised canoe-building to a fine art. Ojibwe still produce bark containers tra­ object using heavy cardboard or even Although the birch-bark canoe today has ditionally used to store wild rice and pieces of sheet metal riveted together. been supplanted by wooden, metal, and maple sugar, historically the principal Perhaps no single item in the tradi­ plastic boats, a handful of Ojibwe crafts­ subsistence foods of Woodlands Indians tional economy combines finesse and men still retain the important knowledge in the western Great Lakes area. And craftsmanship better than the birch-bark of all the steps in its traditional manufac­ even materials not naturally found, such canoe - historically the principal mode ture and the skills needed to apply them. of transportation and cargo-freighting 26 SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL 1998 Wisconsin In the summer of [N] ew canoes are being 1997, a film crew from constantly built around the Smithsonian Center me or old ones repaired for Folklife Programs & and I saw them in every Cultural Studies docu­ stage of perfection. The mented the construction Indians expend as many of a traditional Ojibwe bark canoes as we do canoe. (Currently in pro­ huntingboots .... The duction, the film, like largest and smoothest this year's Wisconsin trees are selected so that program, was supported the pieces of bark may by a grant from the be as large as possible Wisconsin Sesquicen­ and prevent too much tennial Commission.) sewing (Kohl1860:2829). The master builder, Earl Nyholm, is a professor of Fig. 2. This detail of the gunwale assembly shows the tapered end of the thwart inserted into the Canoe builders have a the Ojibwe language at mortise of the in wale, split jackpine roots for lashing, and double-stitch sewing. trained eye for picking Bemidji State University Photo by Janet Cardle out a "canoe birch-bark in Minnesota and had tree," which ideally demonstrated his canoe-building skills should be some 50-60 inches in diam­ at two of our earlier Festivals. Earl was eter. Due to the decimation of forests assisted by his 84-year-old mother, for lumber and pulpwood, birch trees Julia; an apprentice, Mark Wabanikee this size are a rarity today. from Bear Island in Lake Michigan; Furthermore, the tree must be straight, several of Earl's relatives living on the free of "eyes" and lichen growth that Bad River Reservation in Wisconsin; might cause the bark to tear under and a craftswoman from the Red Cliff pressure, and must not bifurcate at its Reservation, Diane Defoe, whose birch­ top. (Earl suggested that only one in a bark work is featured in this year's hundred trees meets these criteria.) Festival. The five-week-long construc­ After they had rejected for imperfec­ tion took place on a Lake Superior tions a number of large trees identified beach on Madeline Island - the in advance of the builders' arrival on ancestral homeland of the Ojibwe peo­ the mainland opposite the island, their ple. The site selected was in fact the search ended in a wilderness preserve location of the first trading post of the on Madeline Island with the discovery Northwest Fur Company in the 18th of a 54-inch tree. century; undoubtedly this very beach (Canoe builders need a single large had witnessed canoe construction in piece to run the bottom length of the earlier times. vessel; if the bark is not wide enough The process began with an exhaus­ to reach the gunwales on either side, it tive five-day search for the proper requires "piecing"; that is, bark must birch tree. The German cartographer Fig. 3. Canoe-prow assembly with "man-board"- so called be added along the gunwales at the Johann Kohl visiting Madeline Island because it resembles a human form. Asingle piece of cedar is widest part of the canoe. Such in 1854 to observe the distribution of used which is split into more than 30 laminations to effect "pieced" bark requires double-stitch treaty annuities remarked on the the bends in its form. These are held in place using wiigoob sewing to the bottom strip, which is importance of good bark for a canoe: (the inner bark of the basswood tree) and threaded through very time consuming. Thus the harvest and inserted over the man-board. Photo by Janet Cardle of large birch by the dominant society 1998 SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL 27 Wisconsin hastened the decline of the craft - one virtually sprang off the tree with a loud that the outside of the tree becomes the reason there are so few today building zipping noise; several days later it would exterior of the canoe.) An elliptical bark canoes.) have been irremoveable. wooden canoe form with pointed ends The builders made their incisions to To begin canoe construction a flat rec­ was placed on top of the bottom bark remove the bark. (Some builders will fell tangular bed of sand was spread out and weighted down with rocks to stabi­ the tree, but Earl likes to take his bark evenly and picked over for rocks and lize it. Ojibwe believe that their culture from a standing tree. The removal of twigs. At the site a wigwam framework hero, the legendary Wenabozho, invented bark does not kill the tree immediately was improvised over this building area to the canoe for them, and Indians can since the exposed cadmium layer will accommodate tarps (see Fig. 6). These point to a pile of rocks on one of the heal, although the tree will eventually kept the canoe out of direct sunlight and Apostle Islands, saying these were the die.) Timing is critical, for there is only thus prevented materials from drying too ones he used in weighting down the form about a five-day window of opportunity quickly; bark, for example, will curl. On of the first canoe. in late June, dependent on both day- and the level bed of sand, Earl spread out the The bark was brought up outside the nighttime temperatures, when the bark is piece of bottom bark with its exterior length of the canoe and large birch ripe for taking. After two circumference (the white side) facing upward. canoe stakes driven into the ground incisions, the final cut was a straight ver­ (Miniature canoes made for sale to along each side the length of the canoe tical joining them. The bark of this birch tourists mistakenly give the impression to begin to form its shape (see Fig. 1). Fig. 4. Earl Nyholm bends canoe ribs, using two at a time to guard against Fig. 5. View of the interior of the canoe with some of the thin cedar planking in breakage. Photo by Janet Cardle place. Note the hanging bent and dried ribs which will be reinserted once the flooring is completely set in place. Photo by Janet Cardle 28 SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL 1998 Wisconsin The ends of the bottom piece were research, extolled the creation of the construction: "The Indians make no use clamped together using "Indian clothes­ canoe from natural resources: "All the of nails and screws, but everything is pins" made of cedar. The outer stakes forest's life was in it,/All its mystery and sewn and tied together. But the seams, were then tied to the inner stakes with magic,/All the lightness of a birch­ stitches, and knots, are so regular, firm, "Indian string" (pieces of the inner bark tree,/All the toughness of the cedar,/All and artistic, that nothing better could be of the basswood tree; see Fig.