Birchbark Canoe Launch – June 10, 2014
Carrying Our Heritage Forward Celebration – Students and Community Launch Canoe
On Tuesday, June 10, 2014, Lac du Flambeau Public school students and staff carried the traditional birchbark canoe built by Wayne Valliere and the ENVISION students from the school to the shores of Lake Pokegema. They were accompanied by Tribal Elders, a drum and community members.
The canoe was built in cooperation with The University of Wisconsin and will be permanently displayed at the new Dejope Residence Hall on the campus in Madison. Major funding for the project came from the Wisconsin Humanities Council.
The project is part of an effort to learn about and honor Ojibwe culture and centuries old technological skill within the context of a contemporary public school. “These Canoes Carry Culture” began in the summer of 2013 when Valliere and ENVISION students gathered materials for the canoe in the traditional way. This project gave students an opportunity to be proud of the wisdom and knowledge of their ancestors and to see how they can gain an academic education without sacrificing that culture.
ENVISION is a middle school project based service learning program with Ojibwe culture at its heart.
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