HOW TO BUILD A BIRCHBARK CANOE

In the early 1700s, the forests of what will come to be known as Canada are vast and seemingly impenetrable, but you still need to move quickly as you carry hundreds of kilograms of goods and furs. For centuries, Indigenous peoples of the eastern woodlands have been building light and durable birchbark canoes that can help you navigate the water highways that lie ahead.

Begin collecting what you will need to build the canoe. This is the most difficult step, but the effort will pay off — if you find quality material, your canoe can last a century.

Harvest the bark around June, when the sap is flowing. Remove it carefully by peeling off only the outer layer, so the tree can still survive by growing new bark.

Construction will take about a week.

1. Look for a large, straight tree free of limbs, bumps, and cracks. Test a small piece of bark to ensure that it is flexible and not brittle. Remove the bark in one large piece with your hands after cutting it with a sharp edge.

2. Collect spruce roots in a swampy or sandy area where they grow in straight lines. Pull roots from ground, remove the bark, and split them in half.

3. Collect spruce gum (sap) by scraping it off natural tree wounds. Heat in a pot over fire and add animal fat. In cool weather add more fat so the gum won’t crack. Add less in warm weather so the gum will stay hard.

4. Build the canoe frame out of cedar. Place the frame on top of the bark. The bark’s white outer layer should face up so it becomes the inside of the canoe. Cover the frame with rocks to hold it in place.

5. Bend the bark upwards and hold it in place with stakes driven into the ground. Make slits in the bark to allow for the curve. Sew sections of bark together with spruce roots.

6. Build the upper edges of the canoe frame — the inner and outer gunwales — and sandwich the bark between them. Wrap spruce roots around the gunwales to hold everything together.

7. Add the bow and stern. Take out the frame and add thwarts (lateral crosspieces). Add sheathing (thin pieces of cedar) and ribs.

8. Apply the spruce gum mixture over the seams to seal and waterproof the canoe.