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The
Canadian Canoe Museum
©
Outdoor Adventure Canada
"Canada
exists because of the canoe. The canoe determined national boundaries
and carried sovereignty to the northern half of the continent.
Long before the arrival of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere,
the canoe was at the centre of Aboriginal life and was the principal
means of trade and communication between First Nations."
- from canoemuseum.net
 Canoeing
is no longer a necessity but Canadians still embrace this graceful
form of transportation and over 2 million Canadians enjoy paddling.
When I think of canoeing it is with a sense of cultural heritage
and thoughts of Native Canadians, Voyageurs and the exploration
of our country.
It is only fitting
that Canada has a museum dedicated to canoeing, aptly named the
Canadian Canoe Museum. Peterborough, Ontario is the perfect location
for the museum because it is steeped in canoe history. The wooden-plank
canoe was invented in this region. The city has been home to canoe
manufacturers since the mid 1800's and was considered the centre
of canoe manufacturing until the early 1960's. Professor Kirk
Wipper collected canoes and started the Kanawa International Museum
of Canoes and Kayaks. The collection was at Camp Kandalore in
the Dorset area until it became too large. Then the collection
was moved to Peterborough and was handed over to the entity that
is now known as the Canadian Canoe Museum.
It takes a few hours
to complete a self-guided tour. The exhibits are very well done.
There is even a waterfall as you enter the museum. Exhibits include
everything from a Mi'kmaq wigwam the birch bark canoe paddled
by Pierre Trudeau who once quoted as saying "I am not a communist;
I am a canoeist". The famous red Prospector canoe paddled
by Bill Mason is also on display.
There are many feature
exhibits. The Grand Portage shows Canada's waterways and discusses
the materials used in early canoes. The Origins Gallery is about
the canoe in Aboriginal cultures. You will see different types
of native canoes which vary greatly.
The tour moves on to
the Trade & Alliance exhibit which portrays how instrumental
canoes were to the fur trade. This is followed by the Preserving
Skills exhibit that illustrates how canoes are built. This exhibit
is referred to as a "living exhibit" and is appropriately
placed in the reproduction of a French-Canadian shed that would
have been used in the 1700's.
Other exhibits include
The Land Becomes Canada, It Wasn't All Work, Summer Strokes, The
Peterborough Tradition and Reflections: The Land, The People and
The Canoe. Artisans illustrate paddle carving and other skills
steeped in tradition. There is even an authentic Hudson's Bay
Trading Post from 1876.
The museum has been
in operation since the summer of 1997 but due to financial hardship
and lack of funding it was forced to close its doors last fall.
Thankfully the museum has been able to reopen as of May 2004.
Memberships, donations and income generated from visitors to the
museum will help ensure that we do not lose this national heritage
treasure.
A visit here would
be ideal for the entire family. The museum has a hands-on approach
providing many interactive features where you can touch. Guided
tours are available but must be booked in advance. Tours are available
in both English and French plus bus drivers and group leaders
are not charged admission.
The Canadian Canoe
Museum is a reminder of how instrumental the canoe was in the
discovery of our country. It interests me to see how the technology
of canoes changes yet our passion for it only deepens.
For more information
please visit the Canadian
Canoe Museum's website.
Proceeds from the Canoesongs
Volume
1 and Volume
2 help support the museum.
For more articles
please view the archives.
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