Skills

This film makes turning out Kevlar boats look likes child’s play. The work of master birchbark canoe builder, Cesar Newashish, is silently revealed in this 57-minute documentary produced by the National Film Board of Canada.

This is a must-see film for all canoe enthusiasts. Newashish’s craftsmanship, is mind-blowing and remarkable — a mastery of skills which could have only been passed down through generations. The film left me in awe of the 67-year-old man from the Manawan Reserve north of Montreal.

See Full Screen at: National Film Board of Canada

From start to finish, offerings from the forest are transformed into a work of art and historical functionality. Birchbark, cedar, spruce roots, gum and a few handmade tools, which Newashish wields with astonishing precision, are the simple ingredients used to create a complex work of art — the birchbark canoe.