During the month of October, Alex Labelle will be crafting a birch bark canoe inside Trent University’s Bata Library. The project began on Sept. 30 and is scheduled to be complete by Oct. 25.
The project was commissioned by Trent University’s First Peoples House of Learning (FPHL) after Elder and Knowledge Holder, Lorenzo Whetung, FPHL Cultural advisor, brought the idea forward.
“I’ve seen a lot of birch bark canoes hanging up, or on a shelf adorning a place, and I thought we needed one we could use,” says Whetung.
Labelle learned to build canoes with his grandfather; and Labelle recently took over the business after his grandfather’s retirement.
The build is taking place in public to encourage students to observe, participate, and learn about birch bark canoes, as part of Bata Library’s commitment to reconciliation, says FPHL Director, Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard.