Chicago (CBS) — There are few people left in America who know the Native American skill of making birch bark cans.
One of them is an artist currently in residence at Northwestern University – teaching students his skills and reviving a tradition that spans three millennia.
Morning Insider Tim McNichols reports that his lesson goes far beyond canoe construction.
When Wayne Valierre was just a boy, he learned about the identity and history of his Ojibwe tribe.
“My original name is Mino-Gizig. It means good sky,” he said. “
Those elders taught him the skill of birch bark canoe construction, which was once passed down from generation to generation along the Great Lakes.
This is a tradition that began to disappear as Native Americans were forced to leave their ancestral homes.
“So we brought back our canoe culture,” said Valierre.
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Now, he’s brought that culture from his home in Wisconsin to Northwestern University, where he’s building canoes in front of students and other onlookers.
His apprentices are tough to work with. The lessons they teach are not just about woodworking – but about life and environmental challenges.
“Cedar wood breaks … it’s very easy to break,” said Valierre. “All these things are very weak, but when they are put together they become strong.”
“Teaching is: Alone, we are nothing. But together, we are stronger. Hence the importance of working together is teaching,” he said. “Our grandmother, Prithvi, is not doing so well right now.”
“Stand together. We all need to pitch in and make sure that our grandmother Prithvi is healthy,” he said.
There are plans to launch the canoe at sunrise on October 29 from the edge of Northwestern’s campus in Evanston.
The public is invited to attend.
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