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Natives of Sea and Cedar

© Mary M. Alward

The typical stereotype of Canada's Native Peoples is a dark skinned man sitting on a horse with only a woven blanket for a saddle. He may be leading a group of braves into a village of teepees, or chasing buffalo across the plains. This is a glimpse into the lives of Canada's Plains Indians, but not all Natives in Canada lived in this manner.

The Natives of Canada's Northwest coast lived a much different life. Their very existence was centered on the Pacific Ocean and the cedar tree.

The Natives of the northwest coast lived along the western shores of Canada and the United States. The Rocky Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west kept them isolated. The climate in this area is mainly mild and wet. The rain produces masses of shrubs, trees and all types of berry bushes. It also produces the cedar tree with its thick, gnarled bark.

Natives of the area made homes, ropes, dishes, baskets, mats, spoons, clothing and totem poles from the wood of the cedar. Fish was their main food and oil source, so they needed reliable boats that could be paddled out into the ocean. These were carved by hand from the cedar tree.

Canoes:

Cedars selected had to be large enough to carve canoes that would hold many men. After the tree was found, it had to be cut down without the aid of modern tools. The natives used only sharp, stone chisels to fell the cedars. Sometimes an opening was hollowed out of the base of the trunk and a fire started in it. Wet sand was then used to guide the fire through the base of the tree and prevent the sides from being burned.

Natives started the fires by rotating a pointed stick between their hands. This caused the point of the stick to burn in a hole that had been made in a piece of soft wood. Dry, shredded cedar bark was then laid around the hole. Friction caused a spark that would ignite these shavings. The flame was rapidly given more bark until the fire was started.

When the tree had been felled, it was shaped with adzes, stone hammers and chisels on the outside. The center of the log was burned and then hollowed out. The shape of the canoe was finished by filling the hole with hot water to make the wood soft and pliable. This made for easier shaping.