Pien makes a canoe: Innu canoe-making project

Introduction

In the summer and early fall of 2002, Innu Elder, Pien Penashue, from Sheshatshiu, Labrador, built a canoe for the Innu Exhibit at The Rooms, Provincial Museum in St. John’s, NL. His son, Melvin, and his nephew, Alistair Pone, were apprentices. Anthropologist, Peter Armitage, documented the process, and CBC Television visited on several occasions to film the canoe-making and interview Pien, Melvin, Alistair, and others with the view to making a documentary film.

The Innu name for the type of canoe made by Pien and his apprentices is katshishtashkuatet, from tshishtashkuan - nail.

The tools: axe (ushtashku), wooden wedge (utakan), wooden maul (utamaikan), crooked knife (mukutakan), pestle (mitunishan), hand plane, electric planer, chainsaw, metal rasp, handsaw, hammer.

The materials: white spruce (minaiku), nails, canvas, metal strapping, green & gray paint.

Pien, Melvin, and Alistair built the canoe mostly at Uhuniau ("Owl Point," aka North West Point), about 5 km from Sheshatshiu and North West River, Labrador. Pien and his wife, Nishet, and several relatives, have cabins at the point. Pien Penashue, the master c Read More
In the summer and early fall of 2002, Innu Elder, Pien Penashue, from Sheshatshiu, Labrador, built a canoe for the Innu Exhibit at The Rooms, Provincial Museum in St. John’s, NL. His son, Melvin, and his nephew, Alistair Pone, were apprentices. Anthropologist, Peter Armitage, documented the process, and CBC Television visited on several occasions to film the canoe-making and interview Pien, Melvin, Alistair, and others with the view to making a documentary film.

The Innu name for the type of canoe made by Pien and his apprentices is katshishtashkuatet, from tshishtashkuan - nail.

The tools: axe (ushtashku), wooden wedge (utakan), wooden maul (utamaikan), crooked knife (mukutakan), pestle (mitunishan), hand plane, electric planer, chainsaw, metal rasp, handsaw, hammer.

The materials: white spruce (minaiku), nails, canvas, metal strapping, green & gray paint.

Pien, Melvin, and Alistair built the canoe mostly at Uhuniau ("Owl Point," aka North West Point), about 5 km from Sheshatshiu and North West River, Labrador. Pien and his wife, Nishet, and several relatives, have cabins at the point. Pien Penashue, the master canoe-maker, was born in 1926 in the Akamiuapishku area. Pien learned how to make the katshishtashkuatet (nail) canoe from his step-father, Pien Toma.

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The good tree

Canoe-making starts with the selection of the appropriate trees. They must be minaiku (white spruce), tall and straight, with at least a couple of metres of trunk free of branches. Trees that have branches along the trunk or are twisted will cause a lot of grief because they cannot be split very easily, and knots (from the branches) do not make strong planking.

A big part of being a good craftsman involves knowing which trees will make good lumber for canoes, toboggans, and snowshoes.

Several utakan (wooden wedge) are made to split the wood. They are often badly damaged by being hit with an axe or maul and must be replaced. Tools such as the utakan were probably very important to the Innu in the days before metal could be obtained in trade with Europeans. But wooden tools do not turn up at archaeological sites because the wood rots over time.

The utakan is used to split more narrow planks following the grain of the wood. These planks will be used for anashkan (planks) and uatshinau (ribs). If the wood has a straight grain, it will "pop" open easily. Some of the thinner planks can even be split open with a knife if the grain is good.

Canoe-making starts with the selection of the appropriate trees. They must be minaiku (white spruce), tall and straight, with at least a couple of metres of trunk free of branches. Trees that have branches along the trunk or are twisted will cause a lot of grief because they cannot be split very easily, and knots (from the branches) do not make strong planking.

A big part of being a good craftsman involves knowing which trees will make good lumber for canoes, toboggans, and snowshoes.

Several utakan (wooden wedge) are made to split the wood. They are often badly damaged by being hit with an axe or maul and must be replaced. Tools such as the utakan were probably very important to the Innu in the days before metal could be obtained in trade with Europeans. But wooden tools do not turn up at archaeological sites because the wood rots over time.

The utakan is used to split more narrow planks following the grain of the wood. These planks will be used for anashkan (planks) and uatshinau (ribs). If the wood has a straight grain, it will "pop" open easily. Some of the thinner planks can even be split open with a knife if the grain is good.


© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The good tree

Melvin about to cut down a tree for canoe lumber.

Melvin is about to cut down a tree for canoe lumber. Pien pulled the bark off the tree in strips on one side so that he could examine the grain underneath and look for knots and other imperfections.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Driving the utakan

Pien driving the utakan into the minaiku to split it open.

Pien driving the utakan into the minaiku to split it open. If the wood has a straight grain, it will "pop" open easily. Some of the thinner planks can even be split open with a knife if the grain is good.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Splitting wood

Alistair and Melvin splitting wood using a couple of utakan

Alistair and Melvin splitting wood using a couple of utakan.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The planks

Alistair shaping thin planks using a hand plane. Pien watches on.

The split pieces of minaik (white spruce) are further thinned and shaped using a crooked knife, hand plane or electric planer to make the planks and the ribs.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Mukutakan

The mukutakan (crooked knife)

Alistair's mukutakan (crooked knife) that his grandfather, the late Matiu Penashue, gave him. The handle is covered with a weasel pelt.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The gunwales

The minikukanashku (gunwales) are made out of thin strips of wood. The bow and stern must be bent upwards in order to create "rocker" in the canoe hull. "Rocker" is the round shape of the bottom of a canoe than determines how maneuverable the canoe will be. The more round it is, the more maneuverable is the canoe. Canoes with little rocker are not that maneuverable, but they "track well," that is, they can be paddled easily in a straight line. Temporary thwarts are used to hold the gunwales together until they can be attached to the ribs, and the permanent thwarts installed.
The minikukanashku (gunwales) are made out of thin strips of wood. The bow and stern must be bent upwards in order to create "rocker" in the canoe hull. "Rocker" is the round shape of the bottom of a canoe than determines how maneuverable the canoe will be. The more round it is, the more maneuverable is the canoe. Canoes with little rocker are not that maneuverable, but they "track well," that is, they can be paddled easily in a straight line. Temporary thwarts are used to hold the gunwales together until they can be attached to the ribs, and the permanent thwarts installed.

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The gunwales

Close-up of the end of the gunwales

Close-up of the end of the gunwales

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Working with the gunwales

Melvin and Pien working on the gunwales.

Melvin and Pien working on the gunwales. Temporary thwarts are used to hold the gunwales together until they can be attached to the ribs, and the permanent thwarts installed.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The ribs

The uatshinau (ribs) are soaked in boiling water.

Prior to bending, the uatshinau (ribs) are soaked in boiling water in the "mishta-passikan" ("big gun"). This ingenious device consists of a piece of heavy pipe, stuck in the sand at an angle. It is filled with water and a fire is built underneath to heat the water.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Bending canoe ribs

Bending canoe ribs

Pien bending canoe ribs (uatshinau). Despite his age (76 at the time), Pien had all the flexibility of a yoga master.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The assembly

Side view showing how the ribs are laid out along the bench with a gunwale frame (vertical stakes in ground with cross-bracin

The canoe is assembled on a “bench” consisting of a couple of lengths of 2x4 lumber nailed to some short posts in the ground. The bottom planks and ribs are nailed temporarily to this bench. Once the canoe is fully ribbed and planked, the nails will be removed and the canoe set free. Side view showing how the ribs are laid out along the bench with a gunwale frame (vertical stakes in ground with cross-bracin

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Attach planks

Pien starts to attach planks to the bottom of the canoe.

Pien starts to attach planks to the bottom of the canoe.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Use of a rasp

Alistair uses a rasp to smooth down the ends of the ribs above the gunwales.

Alistair uses a rasp to smooth down the ends of the ribs above the gunwales. All of the temporary thwarts have now been removed.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The finishing

When the planking is finished, the canoe is removed from the bench and taken to Pien’s house in Sheshatshiu where it will be covered with canvas and painted. In the days before settlement, the Innu painted their canoes green or white with paint purchased from the Hudson’s Bay Company in North West River. A metal stem plate is applied to the bow and stern of the canoe.
When the planking is finished, the canoe is removed from the bench and taken to Pien’s house in Sheshatshiu where it will be covered with canvas and painted. In the days before settlement, the Innu painted their canoes green or white with paint purchased from the Hudson’s Bay Company in North West River. A metal stem plate is applied to the bow and stern of the canoe.

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

The finishing

The canoe it is washed with hot, soapy water to prepare it for painting.

After the canvas is laid out on the hull of the canoe it is washed with hot, soapy water to prepare it for painting.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Stem plate

Pien nailing a stem plate to the canoe.

Pien nailing a stem plate to the canoe.

The Rooms
Peter Armitage, curator/facilitator (St. John's, NL), Nympha Byrne, researcher (Natuashish, Labrador) and Gillian Davidge, education consultant (The Rooms, St. John’s, NL)

© 2008, The Rooms. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the steps involved in the making of an Innu canoe (nail variety)
• Appreciate the knowledge, skill and patience required to construct an Innu canoe
• Appreciate the importance of Innu Elders passing on traditional knowledge and skills to younger Innu

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