The Canoe in Canadian Cultures

by Bruce W. Hodgins (Editor), John Jennings (Editor)

The canoe is a symbol unique to Canada. One of the greatest gifts of First Peoples to all those who came after, the canoe is Canada's most powerful icon. Within this Canexus II publication are a collection of essays by paddling enthusiasts and experts. Contributing authors include: Eugene Arima, Shanna Balazs, David Finch, Ralph Frese, Toni Harting, Bob Henderson, Bruce W. Hodgins, Bert Horwood, Gwyneth Hoyle, John Jennings, Timothy Kent, Peter Labor, Adrian Lee, Kenneth R. Lister, Becky Mason, James Raffan, Alister Thomas and Kirk Wipper.

312 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A conference proceedings from the 2nd Canexus Conference. Different authors, therefore a variety of writing styles. It was generally good but some of the subject matter was not as interesting to me. Didn't find the paper on "Origins" very interesting, though I thought I would (Origins is my business ;-). Paper on the French River was quite interesting for its historical context. "Dao of Paddling" and "The Dark Side of the Canoe" were excellent, especially Dark Side. Anyone who has canoed into the wilds for more than a couple days will see themselves and/or others in the Dark Side.

The best paper of the book for me was "The Conot du Maitre: master of the inland seas" It puts the canoe rightly into the center of North American history. I learned more about my own ancestral history in the bargain.