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Fabrication of a white birch bark canoe

Sepia-toned photo, two men building a traditional birch bark canoe by the shoreline. A few pieces of bark cover the ground.

Fabrication de canot, Manawan
Photo collection of the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw

 

The collection and preparation of the material, as well as the actual fabrication was divided into tasks; the men would gather the bark, wood and roots, while the women were in charge of preparing the roots and resin, as well as engraving the decorative motifs. Still today, spouses work together to create bark baskets and other objects, while the whole family helps to gather materials.

Source: site web du Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec

A woman applies balsam resin to a birch bark canoe, as a young child looks on attentively.

Sepia-toned photo, in the foreground, an Atikamekw woman applies fir resin to a birch bark canoe, while a young boy looks on attentively.

Photo collection of the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw