1-Introduction - NW Coast Indian Canoe Project

Executive Productions-Seattle produced a series of 11 videos for the Jayhawk Institute describing how to make a traditional Northwest Coast Indian Canoe from a cedar tree or log. The Canoe Legacy Project provides insights into both traditional and modern techniques of how to shape, carve and steam (spread) the cedar log into an elegant seaworthy canoe. A Salish style canoe, typically used on the quiet waters of The Salish Sea (incl. Puget Sound) was chosen for the project.

Lewis and Clark, after traveling over 500 miles down the Snake and Columbia Rivers in crude log dugouts, commented on the superior quality of the Native Indian Canoes they encountered on the Lower Columbia in 1805-06.

The NW Coast Canoe Video series is supported and partially funded by the Suquamish, The Port Gamble S'Klallam and the Puyallup Tribes. The Suquamish Museum has a 300 year-old Salish Style Canoe on display, in addition to many other Salish cultural art and artifacts.
http://suquamishmuseum.org/

Many thanks to Bill Holm for the use of his watercolor paintings. Bill is well known for his studies of Northwest Coast Native art. To see a video on his studies go to...   • The Exploration of Northwest Coast Indian Art  '

For more information on the JayHawk Institute and how you can help go to: http://jayhawkinstitute.org

For more information about our work, contact Rich Deline, 206-780-2500 http://www.execproductions.com