Built in 2015 to house, restore and showcase historical First Nations canoes, the Xwu’nekw Canoe Shelter (pronounced Whoo-Nay-Oak) is housed on a traditional Squamish Nation village site where the Skwxwú7mesh people and visitors from other First Nations beached their canoes.
The canoe currently (as of July, 2017) housed inside the shelter is a restored traditional sea canoe. Joshua Watts, a canoe maker from the Squamish Nation, worked on the repair and is featured in the video link, courtesy of Surrey 604.
The canoe is carved out of one giant cedar tree, and was made with a wide body so that it’s stable enough to go to the open sea. The width was achieved by a ‘steaming’ process using local lava rocks. If you get a chance to go inside, look for the ‘scar’ along the edge of the canoe which was part of the recent repair.
This dugout traditional canoe is one of the only seagoing canoes in the valley. It is important for our people to continue this oceanic life because our people come from these waters. Our life was by the river, or on the ocean. All life revolves around the water. The ocean provides so much for our people. The canoe guides us through its world. It is essential that our people hold this canoe life with pride and carry this tradition for the sake of our ancestors and future generations.
Joshua Watts, taken from an interview featured on Squamish.com.
A Little Story
The canoe is named Skwa7ils (skwa-ails) after The Copper Man legend, which tells the slightly grizzly story of the origin of copper.
