Birchbark Canoe: Living Among the Algonquins

by David Gidmark

Discover the dying art of birchbark canoe building as seen through the eyes of someone who is passionate about it. In this book David Gidmark tells the story of the building of a traditional birchbark canoe and his apprenticeship learning the skills and the language of the Algonquin of western Quebec. Through learning how to do (how to strip the bark from the tree, fashion gunwales from the cedar logs, carve the ribs with a crooked knife and sew the huge sheets of bark onto the frame with spruce root) David Gidmark learns how to see the wilderness and relate to it in Algonquin ways that are very different from ours. As his knowledge increases, so does his respect for the culture and wisdom of native peoples. Part way through this odyssey, he meets his future wife, Ernestine, a young Ojibway woman who was taken at the age of five from her family and placed in a residential school. As she and David made a life together in the woods, she was able to begin relearning her language and culture.

202 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[John Geary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Again, it’s one of those books that probably deserves better than 3 stars - but I didn’t find it engaging enough to give it 4.
The author writes about living in the woods in the 1980s in Quebec north of Ottawa and learning how to build birchbark canoes from Algonquin canoe builders. He learns about their culture, the way they live, the way they relate to the land and all the creatures that live in it.
One chapter in particular I found quite interesting was one in which he kept relating back to passages written by Henry David Thoreau in his book, “The Maine Woods” (my favourite by HDT). Some interesting observations too, about how the aboriginal culture is being lost as “modern” white culture is pushed upon it.
It will be a shame if a day comes in the future where there is nobody left with the skill and knowledge to build a birchbark canoe in the traditional way.

[Matt Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book! It was partially about making birchbark canoes, and I certainly learned a great deal about the making of these seriously impressive watercraft in this book. However, what this book really is about is Gidmark’s life living among the Algonquin of Western Québec. Canoemaking is only part of the story, but it also joins the entire arc of the book together.

Gidmark is also a superb and engaging writer. This book should be better known and more read.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Gave my husband and I the idea of taking time for an outdoor adventure for our anniversary every year. We've done it for several years now and I really look forward to that time together.