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Friday, May 18, 2012
Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
Brian Krehbiel, a cultural education specialist for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, is overseeing the creation of a 17-foot dugout canoe, possibly the first made by the tribe since the 1850s, to be exhibited at the Mission Mill Museum in Salem beginning April 8.
March 29, 2011
GRAND RONDE -- The mostly hand-carved shovelnose river canoe taking shape in a small shed off Hebo Road near Grand Ronde may only be 17 feet long, but it carries a tradition long dormant in the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde culture.
The canoe, about three months in the making, is the first river canoe made by the tribe in decades -- perhaps even longer, as Brian Krehbiel, a cultural education specialist for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, has found no evidence of such a canoe being made by the tribe since tribal members were forced to move to the reservation in 1856.
"We are doing this to help bring back part of our culture, canoe culture and everything that comes with it," Krehbiel said.
Last week, Krehbiel was bundled up against the chill of a cool and soggy afternoon while he worked in the shed near the tribe's powwow grounds, now home to two canoes in progress.
One is a much larger canoe, about 26 feet long, suited for large bodies of water such as the Columbia River and the ocean.
Smaller river canoes, such as the one Krehbiel and other volunteers are now crafting, were used for travel, hunting, fishing and trade on shallow, smaller rivers, such as the Willamette or Yamhill.
Progress on the canoe can be measured by the ever-thickening layer of sawdust and thin curls of wood covering the shed's floor.
The spicy scent of cedar permeates the shed and drifts outside in the crisp, damp air to greet anyone stopping by to work or to check on progress.
Krehbiel used an adz, a texturing tool, to demonstrate the traditional technique used to give canoes a unique look and feel. His quick movements removed paper-thin chunks of the fragrant cedar wood. If done with skill, the wood is removed in curls, like peeling an apple in one continuous cut.
Krehbiel said the project was born when Salem's Mission Mill Museum called to ask if the tribe wanted to participate in an exhibit. David Lewis, manager of the cultural resources department, said he jumped at the chance and suggested canoes.
Larry Cole, a Grand Ronde tribal member who came from Glide to help carve, uses an adz on the interior of a 26-foot oceangoing canoe also under construction.
"I liked the idea," he said.
The exhibit will feature old shovelnose canoes, but Lewis also thought it would be a great opportunity for the tribe to relearn river canoe carving.
"It turned into a progressive project for us," he said.
Krehbiel spearheaded the effort to craft a new canoe for the exhibit.
"He was real excited to take it on," Lewis said.
He noted that unlike the larger oceangoing canoes, the smaller size and function of river canoes don't require expert crafters to do the work, just oversight and advice from experienced carvers.
With a background in building and some experience carving, Krehbiel said he was up to the task. He said it's been a learning experience for him and a few other younger tribal members.
"It's been trial and error," he said with a smile.
Work began in January, when tribal elder Don Day selected the cedar log used for the project. The log was split and one half of it has since been shaped into the canoe.
Krehbiel said the work will intentionally be left unfinished when taken to Mission Mill for the beginning of the exhibit, which starts April 8. A portion of the texturing work will be done at the museum, offering a "live" exhibit to viewers.
Krehbiel said he plans to take classes of young tribal members on field trips to see the canoe and give them a lesson in texturing technique.
"I want everybody to put their hands on it," he said, noting he wants them to feel they are part of reviving the canoe carving tradition.
The project has provided learning opportunities for a number of older tribal members, as well.
Last week Larry Cole, a tribal member who lives in Glide, made the 3- to 4-hour trip to carve for a day.
He read about the project in Grand Ronde's Smoke Signals newspaper and asked his daughter, a language teacher with the tribe, where he could find Krehbiel.
"I asked `Where is that at?'" Cole recalled. "I want to do that."
An experienced carver of smaller objects such as masks, Cole said he wanted to learn to use traditional tools on the canoes.
Lewis said offering such experiences to tribal members old and young was precisely why he wanted to pursue the project.
"We're still restoring a lot of our culture," Lewis said. "There is really a thirst to understand our past."
He said tribal members have limited material to draw from when looking into their history, but reviving canoe carving and other Native traditions are providing opportunities for them to reconnect with their heritage and display it for others to see.
"This shows we actually have a culture that is distinct," he said.
Lewis said he would like to see more canoes made, allowing for more exposure to traditional canoe culture, especially for younger members of the tribe.
"It will be fun to have a whole fleet of them," he said.
The canoe will be part of "The Grand Ronde Canoe Journey" exhibit at the Mission Mill Museum, 1313 Mill St. SE, Salem, from April 8 through May 30.
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