Just behind Ditidaht Community School sits a 36-foot western red cedar log that, in just six months, will be carved into a canoe by the Ditidaht Warriors.
As lead for the canoe carving project Tom Patterson of the Ditidaht First Nation will be guiding the way for seven to ten young Ditidaht members.
Youth participating in the project are excited as they anticipated it’s start.
Ditidaht member Randall Tate, who is a Grade 12 student, has been a warrior for just over two years. For Tate this will be the first time participating in a canoe carving project.
“[We’re] going to be able to see it next Paddle days,” he said, when reflecting on what he is most excited about.
He looks forward to learning the techniques used to carve the canoe.
“It’s a pretty good opportunity for us… to be getting the experience to carve a canoe,” said Jimmy Joseph, of Ditidaht, a Grade 10 student.
“It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” added Levi Sutherland, Ditidaht Warriors coordinator. “I don’t know the last time a canoe was built around here.”
The youth are fearless in their approach to learning and engaging with the activities through the Ditidaht Warrior program, said Sutherland.
The program teaches youth leadership, traditional knowledge and practices, and wilderness survival skills through activities connected to land and culture, such as archery, fishing, and harvesting.
Sutherland is excited to see the youth “getting their hands in there and learning something new each day.”
They’ll likely be meeting every day for the six-month period, he added.
“The whole log belongs to the school and the kids,” said Patterson, who has been a carver since 1977.
The Western Red Cedar was donated by C̕awak ʔqin Forestry and facilitated by Ts'aa7ukw Forestry of the Ditidaht Economic Development Corporation, said Tina Joseph, language and culture coordinator at the Ditidaht Community School in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa. She added that through the Sharing Traditional Arts Across Generations grant, the First Peoples' Cultural Council provided funding for the project.
Once finished, the canoe will be about 20 feet long, explained Patterson. He predicts the Western Red Cedar is roughly 600 years old.
“We're going to utilize as much wood as we can,” he said.
He explained that the excess wood will be used to make seats.
On Monday, June 12, the Ditidaht Warriors planned to gather to bless the log and then officially begin their work carving the Western Red Cedar into a canoe for their community.
“The canoe will be for our community to use and hopefully one day it could be used in canoe journeys as well,” shared Sutherland.
