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Great Lakes Lifeways Institute, La Pointe, WI (2026)

11/10/2025

Dugout canoe boil and community feast happening today starting at 4pm: at Prairie Island winter camp by the bark lodges. All are welcome to attend.

08/09/2025

A few photo updates from Mooningwanekaaning Canoe Journeys. Marvin is now on day 7 and is lashing in the waagaadoowaatigoog (stem pieces) and sewing the side seams on the new wiigwaasi-jiimaan. The 125 year old jiimaan has all new black spruce root lashings on the gunnels and will be ready for replacing the stem lashings tomorrow on the bow and stern.

Don’t miss the opportunity to come by and visit this powerful work happening throughout August at the Madeline Island Museum.

08/09/2025

Waadabiig are long thin conifer roots used for sewing and lashing birch bark canoes and baskets. To make one wiigwaasi-jiimaan requires hundreds of feet of carefully prepared waadabiig. Many different types of conifer roots can be used, though spruce and jack pine tend to be preferred in ttis part of the Great Lakes Region. As waadabiig are very difficult to harvest from areas with lots of vegetation like grasses and plants, most harvesters prefer to gather roots from either barren sandy areas or from boggy areas with spruce and sphagnum moss.

When harvesting, only the roots closest to the surface are accessible. Many of the roots crisscross in large expansive networks traveling dozens of feet out from a tree. The best roots for sewing and lashing are finger sized in diameter and remain very consistent in size for a great length with few bumps or kinks. Harvesting roots properly does not harm the tree as only a few select surface roots are taken from the vast network.

Once harvested the moist, supple roots are split in half them bundled and coiled for transport and storage. In the summer months, the thin bark can be peeled fairly easily from fresh roots, or the roots can be soaked underwater for a few days to help loosen the bark from the roots.

The peeled waadabiig are then split by hand a few more times until they have reached the desired width and thickness for sewing or lashing. When sewing with waadabiig, the roots are always kept damp to ensure the greasiest strength and flexibility.

On some birch bark baskets (such as the one pictured in this post), fine roots are used for elaborate embroidery decoration, very similar to porcupine quillwork.

Waadab - conifer root
waadabiig - conifer roots
zesegaandag - black spruce
gaawaandag - white spruce
akikaandag - Jack pine

08/02/2025

A few pictures of the work taking place through Canoe Jouneys today at the Madeline Island Museum.

This morning Marvin Defoe has officially began to layout the bark for a new wiigwaasi-jiimaan. The birch bark sheets have been pressed flat on the building platform using stones and planks and the seams between each panel are being sewn together using waadabiig (split Jack pine roots).

Work is also progressing on the restoration of the 125 year old jiimaan. The original cedar cedar ribs are being cleaned up using a crooked knife and the old spruce gum and root stitching on the gore cuts are being delicately scraped away so they can be replaced.

If you are in the area, stop by for a visit and an opportunity to jump in on the projects.

08/02/2025

Did you know that many bark canoe builders often spend just as much time out on the land, looking for their materials, as they do actually building a wiigwaasi-jiimaan. It is typical tbat only one out of perhaps 1500 birch trees will be selected for good canoe bark. Wiigwaasatigoog (birches) tend to be a relatively short lived tree, generally living from around 80 to a hundred years. Only the largest diameter, mature trees have the size which can provide sheets of bark wide enough to make a useable canoe hull. Even in stands of large mature trees, most of the trees will not have a necessary qualities to make a canoe. Much like populations of people, birch forests can be understood as communities. Within any given community of birches, there are distinct families and lineages of trees; parents, grandparents, children, aunties and so on. The thickness, flexibility, size of the eyes and many other qualities of the bark of any tree within tbe community are actually genetic traits passed down through family lineages. Like people, even within one family, there is some diversity of genetic characteristics. Good canoe bark must come from a a straight tree with few or no bumps or branches going up the trunk. Tbe bark should be at least as thick as two nickels and flexible when bent. The eyes (small horizontal lines on the bark) should be small and not open or crack when under tension, and the bark should not come easily apart in thin layers.

Before harvesting any bark, a small cut is made partway up the trunk and the bark is checked to ensure it has the desired characteristics. Proper ceremonial protocol including petitioning the tree is necessary before harvesting bark. Some canoe builders prefer to cut the tree down, felling it on the stump to keep the bark off the ground, intact and undamaged. Other builders peel from a standing tree, using a ladder and long wooden battens to prevent the edges of the bark from cracking while peeling and then lowering the sheet to the ground.

Today, in the northwoods, birch populations are under ever increasing pressures. Warmer regional temperatures with climate change are making the trees susceptible to new diseases and insect populations which have recently migrated north. The management policies applied to public lands and forests within the ceded territories around the Great Lakes have tended to favor larger populations of poplar which is harvested for pulpwood, leaving less areas for thriving birch and hardwood forests. Birch also tends to thrive after fires, which promote the growth of new trees. Prior to the treaties, large areas of forests witin our region were traditionally managed by controlled burning, which helped maintain thriving birch populations and well as blueberries and other important plant relatives.

07/31/2025

A 125 year old wiigwaasi-jiimaan is slowly coming back to life at the Madeline Island Museum, as part of the Canoe Journeys Project. At just under 16 feet in length and 36 inch beam, this canoe was built using one, single, massive sheet of thick flexible birch bark. Over the past two days, the GLLI team in partnership with Wisconsin Historical Society and with the help of local community volunteers, has disassembled the canoe down to the bare bark hull. After over a century, the waadabiig (spruce root sewing and lashings) has nearly disintegrated, and the spruce gum used to seal the seams was crumbling away. Most of the wooden parts of the canoe including the cedar ribs, sheathing and gunwales have remained in surpisingly good condition.

Today our team worked to clean and make repairs to the cedar inwales and outwales, as well as carving a new maple thwart, then resetting and centering the gunwale assembly into the bark hull.

The canoe restoration is located outside of the Madeline Island Museum and is open to the public every day from 10 am - 3pm, except Mondays and Tuesdays.

07/31/2025

When wiigwaas Is properly harvested, the birch tree will heal and grow a new layer of bark. Harvesting bark for canoes, baskets and roofing usually takes place on hot days in midsummer when the sap is between the outer bark and the cambium. The arrival of fireflies typically signals the beginning of the birch bark harvesting season. When peelimg bark, traditional harvesters are careful not to cut through the inner bark or cambium which can expose the tree to disease. After a tree is peeled the new bark grows back with a rougher texture and has a dark color. After seven years this new ‘scar bark’ can be harvested again and is prized by some Anishinaabe artists for decorative panels and cut outs used on items such as baskets and picture frames. The images below show the difference between newly harvested bark and and the rough scar bark which was peeled previously. The last picture shows a birch which has been peeled and has healed over.

07/30/2025

A long time ago, wiigwaasaatig (the birch tree) was marked by the Animikii benasiiwag (thunder beings), who carved images of their babies into the bark of the tree. As such, birch bark was gifted many unique and protective qualities, such as being waterproof and resistant to weathering and decomposition. These important qualities have long been utilized by Anishinaabeg who have used wiigwaas (birch bark) for lightweight and durable roofing, waterproof containers and of course for building birch bark canoes. Around the world, many different cultures recognize this connection between birch tree and the thunders, and acknowledge that birches are rarely if ever struck by lightning. If you look carefully at a birch tree, you can still see these dark images of the baby thunderbirds contrasted against the light bark.

07/21/2025

Our GLLI team is excited to be partnered with the Madeline Island Museum / Wisconsin Historical Society and master canoe builder Marvin DeFoe of Red Cliff for a busy summer of hands-on community programming and projects. Come visit the island and join us for an amazing journey into the world of the wiigwaasi-jiimaanikewin (birch bark canoe building). Stay tuned for more online updates, pictures, videos and information.

06/19/2025

In honour of National Indigenous History Month, head down to the Visitor Centre to check out the indigenous history display developed by Caldwell First Nation!

As part of the display, take a close look at the wiigwaasi jiimaan (birch bark canoe) built here at Point Pelee last summer by the Great Lakes Lifeways Institute and Caldwell First Nation.

The canoe is named Mno Mshkeki Bmowjegadek which means “it carries good medicine” in Bodwewadmimwen (the Potawatomi language).

06/12/2025

Happy falling out day to our dear friend, teacher, and co-founder Kevin Finney!

Kevin brings not only wisdom, humor, and deep integrity to everything he does—but also a lifetime of dedication to land restoration, and community care. His hands have built bark lodges,
and helped plant seeds that continue to grow across generations and geographies.

Whether he’s guiding a build, mapping out our next canoe project, or making sure everyone’s feeling seen, Kevin leads with humility, heart, and an unshakeable belief in the power of our collective work.

Chi-miigwech for your presence in this world and all the ways you help shape a more just, beautiful, and connected future.

Join us in wishing Kevin a joyful, restful, and love-filled birthday!!

Appreciate you, Kevin!
-Kaesha

04/08/2025

Under the bright spring sun, our team finished the final layers on this hand-carved dugout canoe. Each brushstroke reflected deep care, regional knowledge, and seasonal practice — an offering of intention as we moved with the rhythm of spring’s return.

The rich black finish was made using a traditional mixture of wood tar, linseed oil, and bear grease — a powerful blend that protects the canoe, preserves the materials, and honors the relationships between animal, plant, and human kin. These ingredients have long been valued for their strength, resilience, and deep connection to the land and water.

This work honored generations of makers and the lifeways embedded in traditions of movement, craftsmanship, and relationship with place. We were grateful to be in this process and excited for what’s to come as the ice melts and new journeys begin.

We recognize that each canoe holds not just form and function, but spirit — the spirit of those who carved before us, those who gathered the trees, hunted the animals, and passed down teachings across time. We carry these stories forward.

This work is made stronger through the deep partnerships we are building with Wakan Tipi, Minneapolis American Indian Center, and Owámniyomni Okhódayapi. Together, we are reconnecting to the land and water, revitalizing ancestral knowledge, and lifting up future generations of makers, movers, and protectors.

Chi miigwech to all who continue to support GLLI’s commitment to seasonal teachings, cultural practice, and land-based knowledge. Your presence and encouragement make it possible for these lifeways to thrive.

— KB

Great Lakes Lifeways Institute

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