Words Ashley Morris
Photos NILTUO Child & Family Services Society
NIȽ TU,O’s recently completed cedar strip and dugout canoes, beautifully handcrafted by local artists, will soon be blessed in preparation for Coast Salish youth to experience shared culture and community, through participation in Tribal Journeys, and NIȽ TU,O’s many cultural programs. This year, on March 21st, NIȽ TU,O held a Canoe Blessing Ceremony for new canoes before they go out on the water.
Over the years, NIȽ TU,O has supported the making and use of two canoes, a cedar strip and a dugout. In 2022, NIȽ TU,O invited staff and youth (with staff or caregivers) to visit Coast Salish Master Artist Luke Marston’s workshop, to learn from his amazing work, share knowledge and answer questions. NIȽ TU,O staff and youth also participated throughout the process of building the traditional Coast Salish carved cedar canoe.
Creating a dugout canoe is no small task. It takes place over the course of many months and involves many steps from selecting and blessing the log, to shaping the inside and carving the outside, to completing the prow, and finally, painting the canoe.
On March 17, 2023, NIȽ TU,O Child and Family Services brought the newly finished dugout cedar canoe from Stz’uminus (Kulleet Bay) to its home at NIȽ TU,O. It took master carver Luke Marston over a year and a half to complete. The canoe was finely painted with beautiful artwork depicting the traditional W̱SÁNEĆ Great Flood Story including The Raven, The Wolf and The Frog. The story represents resilience, culture and connection to W̱SÁNEĆ ancestors.
Additionally, Len Morris built a Cedar Strip Canoe for NIȽ TU,O while Chazz Elliott designed and painted the artwork. Their contributions are strongly appreciated and admired for how they help capture and preserve Coast Salish culture, stories and worldview.
Beyond participating in the building process, the traditional canoes will provide youth involved with NIȽ TU,O Culture Camps the opportunity to participate in Tribal Journeys. This cultural practice connects Coast Salish communities to one another. Paddling to other communities in canoes, each arrival in a different community involves the exchange of traditional songs, dances, and stories of their area, along with a shared meal and visit.
Before the canoes can be used by NIȽ TU,O, they are blessed. Past canoe blessings have involved the preparation of songs to be shared. The blessings can honour family, The Creator, nature, the water, and working together with one mind, known as NUTSUMAT SHQWALUWUN.
After all the hard work and dedication that the talented Luke Marston, Len Morris and Chazz Elliott put into making these two canoes, they’ve been transported to NIȽ TU,O for the canoe blessing, thus ushering in the opportunity for children to participate in Tribal Journeys this year.
Over the past year, NIȽ TU,O has been working on new cedar strip and dugout canoes which will continue this culturally enriching and uniting project.
This is one of many cultural initiatives that NIȽ TU,O provides to help Coast Salish children stay connected to community and culture. To stay up to date on this story and others, visit www.niltuo.ca.
