This footage was produced by Sealaska Heritage Institute to document the making of a traditional dugout canoe in Sitka, 2016. The project was led by master carver Steve Brown, who taught the canoe-making process to apprentices T.J. Young, Tommy Joseph and Jerrod and Nicholas Galanin, who also are accomplished artists. The institute began pursuing the project in earnest after artists who participated in SHI’s first Native Artist Gathering in 2015 ranked canoe construction as a high priority.
SHI collaborated with the National Park Service on the project with additional programmatic support from Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka School District and Sitka Fine Arts Camp, in an effort to preserve and revitalize this endangered art form. The project is funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service and in part by a grant from the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Any use of this footage must be first authorized by Sealaska Heritage Institute.
