Abstract
This paper explores the cultural, ecological, and technological significance of birch bark canoe (wiigwaasi-jiimaan) building among the Anishinaabe people, emphasizing their identity as an inland maritime society. Drawing on historical accounts, oral traditions, and personal experience as a park ranger, the author examines the intricate process of harvesting materials and constructing canoes, highlighting the deep environmental knowledge and gendered labor involved. The canoe served not only as a vital means of transportation and subsistence—facilitating fishing, wild rice harvesting, and seasonal migration—but also as a symbol of familial and spiritual connection. Through detailed descriptions of material selection and craftsmanship, the paper reveals how canoe building reflects broader Anishinaabe relationships with land, water, and community. The study also considers colonial reliance on Anishinaabe technology and the enduring legacy of jiimaanikejig (canoe builders) across shifting landscapes. Ultimately, the canoe emerges as a vessel of survival, sovereignty, and cultural continuity.
Recommended Citation
Kingsbury, Jeremy
(2025)
"Anishinaabe Nibiing: Anishinaabe Waterscapes and Canoe Building as Traditional Ecological Knowledge,"
The Cicadian: Vol. 1:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://commons.und.edu/cicadian/vol1/iss1/2
Included in
American Material Culture Commons, Canadian History Commons, History of Gender Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Native American Studies Commons, Public History Commons, United States History Commons