Canoe

This spruce bark canoe is made from a single sheet of bark. Bark canoes are made in the spring when the sap is rising and the bark can be easily peeled from the tree. Spruce roots are used to sew the bark at each end of the canoe. Babiche lashings along the gunwales hold the bark in place. Holes in the bark are plugged with spruce gum to keep the water out. Spruce bark canoes were often made for immediate use and then discarded, although a well made canoe could last up to five years.
Accession No.
983.039.001
Maker
Klondike, Johnny
Culture
Dene
Region
Dehcho
Location
Fort Liard, Liard River
Date
1983
Canoe