Article taken from Innuvelle newspaper
Article taken from Innuvelle newspaper
vol. 7, no 7 published in August 2004
Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw
Title: Following in César’s footsteps
Passed down from father to son
Written by: Liliane C. Awashish
Manawan- Artisan Jean-Louis Néwashish, an Atikamekw from Manawan, has been making birch bark canoes from the time he was just 10 years old. He sat down with Innuvelle newspaper to share his story.
As a young boy, Jean-Louis Néwashish would watch his well-known father build canoes on the shores of lac Métabeskega in Manawan. As he got older, he would sometimes assist his father, skilfully learning how to assemble the pieces of the all-natural canoes: “It’s by helping my father that I learned how to build canoes and I have always applied everything he’s taught me.”
Jean-Louis Néwashish was only 10 years old when he built his very first foot-long canoe, and since then, he has built dozens of traditional birch bark boats. In 1985 he, along with his brothers and then 83-year old father, built a 30-foot rabaska that was exhibited at the Universal Expo in Vancouver.
It takes approximately one month to complete a traditional 15-foot canoe. Once all the materials have been gathered, it takes up to 2 weeks to assemble. Gathering the birch bark needed to make the canoe is the most important step, and it is always done in the spring, usually during the month of May. Mr. Néwashish singlehandedly removes the bark and sews it with spruce root.
The canoes are made entirely from natural materials. Cedar wood is used to build the hulls, the bilge stringers, ties and gunwales. The final step consists of gumming—or sealing—the canoe with spruce gum. “We do not use any nails, glue or whatever else,” points out Mr. Néwashish.
His father
Jean-Louis Néwashish’s father, César Néwashish, was famous for his handmade birch bark canoes, and was a highly respected member of the Atikamekw community. In 1971, he produced a documentary on how to build a birch bark canoe. His documentary, which was without commentary, shined a light on the lost art of building traditional canoes using only material found in the forest. César Néwashish passed away in 1995, at the age of 92.