EFS 10th Birthday: Birch Bark Canoe Community Paddle

ELY FOLK SCHOOL 10th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!

Friday, June 6, 2025
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Free event (donations encouraged!)

How does it feel to paddle a birch bark canoe? Come down to Semer's Beach Park and find out!

Participants in the Birch Bark Canoe Project spent 4 summers, beginning in 2017, learning, teaching, processing, creating, and building a 20ft birch bark canoe. From harvesting wiigwaas, wadab (roots), and pine pitch to steaming the waaginaag (ribs), numerous volunteers have been witness and builder to all of it. 2022 marked the first of many community paddles. Multitudes of hands have been involved in the process of building this canoe.

The birch bark canoe is an ancient vessel, used for thousands of years to support life in this vast region of lakes and forests of white birch trees. When hunting, foraging, traveling, exploring, or hauling, wiigwaasi-jiimaan was light to carry on portages and easy to fix when damaged. It supported a way of life and the makings were passed down through history by oral legend. One version says that the Anishinaabe were given the knowledge and taught how to make the birch bark canoe by cultural hero Waynaboozhoo.

We are honored to share such a beautiful tradition with so many in our community and we are ever grateful to the Anishinaabe elders who have participated and shared their stories along the way. Honoring that legacy, we would love for all of you to join us in paddling this community canoe. 

*No experience needed, paddles and PFD's are provided by Ely Outfitting Company.