Traditional Birchbark Canoes
Built in Malecite, Abnaki, old- form Algonquin and Fur-Trade era styles


Henri Vaillancourt

18 foot Fur - Trade style birchbark canoe

18 foot Fur-Trade style birch bark canoe  with typical painted  decoration and fancy root sewng on bows . This type  of bark canoe was built from the 1600's to the early 1900's  by both Indian and French craftsmen for Canadian government and military purposes ,as well as  for the fur-trade

   
16 foot St. Lawrence River Malecite birchbark canoe 14 foot Abnaki style birchbark canoe

 16 foot birchbark canoe of a style built by the Malecite Indians  in the St. Lawrence River area of Quebec

 

14 foot Abnaki birch bark canoe built in the style of a rare old bark canoe found in the Lake Memphramagog  area of Quebec

 

 

 An 18 foot Fur-Trade type birchbark canoe  A 1/2 scale model of a 24' Fur-Trade type birch bark canoe . This style with an upright stem profile was formerly built by the Algonquin of western Quebec. Mistassini Cree family in front of their winter hunting camp with ''beavertail '' and ''pointed -toe'' snowshoes. photo- Henri Vaillancourt 1979 Jocko Carle and Basil Smith pitching a newly made birchbark canoe prior to launching ; from ''Building an Algonquin Birchbark Canoe'', photo Henri Vaillancourt 1980 A very fine example of Attikamek Indian snowshoe, circa early 1900's . The end sections are woven with complex geometric patterns and the midsection features the fancy ''double selvage cords'' ; from ''Making the Attikamek Snowshoe'' ; photo -courtesy of Lower Fort. Garry National Historic Park
Full size birchbark canoes Scale model birchbark canoes

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close-up of a section of canoe paddle blade decorated with traditional Malecite Indian style incised line decoration  Moise Flamand shaving a snowshoe stave of yellow birch wood with the traditional crooked knife , Manouane P.Q. ; from  ''Making the Attikamek Snowshoe'' ; photo Henri Vaillancourt 1979 18 foot Fur-Trade style birch bark canoe  with typical painted  decoration and fancy root sewng on bows . This type  of bark canoe was built from the 1600's to the early 1900's  by both Indian and French craftsmen for Canadian government and military purposes ,as well as  for the fur-trade Jocko Carle and Basil Smith peeling birch bark for a new canoe ; from "'Building an Algonquin Birchbark Canoe '' ; photo- Henri Vaillancourt 1980 Henri Vaillancourt
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