paddle craft Archives - the spotted tail

The Canadian Canoe Museum- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post on the Canadian Canoe Museum. Located in Peterborough, Ontario, this facility has handmade vessels from all over North America. Before Europeans, before automobiles, canoes are how folks got around. I kept thinking how Tom Mitzlaff would have loved the place. I certainly did, welling with emotion repeatedly.

Canoe Museum entrance.

Paddle rack. You see this just inside the entrance, a compilation of paddle designs.

The birchbark canoe, a classic craft. A few folks still make these.

Inuit kayak, covered with sealskins, complete with hunting gear.

This is a sailing, whaling canoe, used by natives of the Pacific northwest, used for hunting gray whales. It’s an enormous dugout, made from a single log.

A piece of art- a drum made from a canoe. I foolishly failed to record the artist’s name.

A decorated birchbark canoe made by William and Mary Commanda.

Detail of the Commanda canoe.

Part of a plaque about William Commanda.

Instructions for building a birch bark canoe.

Mock-up of birch bark canoe construction.

Men used to be tougher. Blackflies have nearly driven me insane.

Rick Schuett, who hand-builds beautiful custom canoe paddles, works on one in the demonstration area of the museum. You can learn how to build paddles or canoes here.