Reviving the art of the birch bark canoe by offering authentic birch bark canoes, fiberglass replica canoes, paddling accessories, books, videos and more!
The birch bark canoe has long been the icon for the woodland Indian. I conjures romantic images of quiet solitude on northern lakes and rivers only interrupted by the cry of the loon, the rustle of autumn leaves, or the splash of a beavertail. Paddling a birch bark canoe provides for a complete seperation from time. It allows the paddler to immerse himself in the environment for the canoe itself is part of that immediate environment. Rather than the clank of the aluminum canoe or the dull thud of the fiberglass or plastic canoe, with the birch bark canoe the soft quiet cedar wood does not intrude with your primordial experience but rather augments it with its aromatic smell.Generations of Native American builders handed down their knowledge of the forests and the refinements of their techniques to create what has long been considered the ultimate canoe.
Replaced by wood canvas canoes at the beginning of the 20th century and later by aluminum canoes and in turn by fiberglass and plastic canoes at the end of the century the birch bark canoe was facing extinction. Large birch trees were harvested for veneer while smaller trees were cut down for fire wood. Native builders who once made a living providing canoes for sportsmen could not compete with modern manufacturers and eventually faded. In the 1960's like so much that is natural to North America the birch bark canoe had almost become a rememberance of the past.
But a new breed of builders emerged. Trained by a handful of the last remaining Native builders or borrowing the knowledge put down by Edwin Tappan Adney in his masterpiece journal Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America, these young craftsmen have been creating a comeback for the birch bark canoe.
One of these builders is John Lindman. First trained in 1992 he has built over 30 full size canoes for private owners, museums and films. Recently he started a line of fiberglass canoes that replicate the authentic birch bark models. These are intended for living history, camps or general touring. John holds classes and we also offer a selection of books on the subject. We hope your life is enriched.
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