Traditional canoe or ‘xwaxwana’ carved from windfall cedar, 1st in B.C. for 100 years

For the first time in more than 100 years, a traditional xwaxwana (canoe) has been carved from a windfall large cultural cedar tree high in H’kusam Forest near Sayward on Vancouver Island.

For the past two months, three Indigenous carvers, Max Chickite (We Wai Kai), Junior Henderson (Wei Wai Kum) and Karver Everson (K’ómoks) have been working to create the traditional canoe using traditional methods. The three men are from three different generations.

The canoe is approximately 10 metres long.

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In a ceremony on Monday, the Nanwakolas Council, comprised of six member First Nations whose traditional territories are located in the Northern Vancouver Island and adjacent South Central Coast areas of B.C., was moved from the forest to Kelsey Bay Spit, Sayward.

On Tuesday, the canoe will be steamed in the traditional way, using hot rocks and tarps, which softens the cedar, making it more flexible to increase buoyancy and sturdiness.

2:45 First ocean-going canoe in decades being built in Haisla Nation

The project is part of the Nanwakolas Council’s intergenerational forest stewardship strategy.

Once finished, the xwaxwana will be used in cultural events such as Tribal Journeys and in practices associated with food sovereignty, such as loxiwe (clam garden) restoration and cultivation.