AGWIDEN follows the building of a Wabanaki Birch Bark Canoe from the harvesting of the birch bark, the cedar logs (which are split and carved into ribs and gunwales), and the black spruce roots (which are used to sew the bark) all the way through to the launching of a completed canoe. For 80 years the Penobscot Indian Nation had stopped building birch bark canoes. Then Chief Barry Dana invited Steve Cayard (a white man) to help him and the Penobscots, along with members of the Passamaquoddy and Maliseet nations, to bring back the ancient craft and tradition of birch bark canoe building, which is the heart and soul of Wabanaki culture. The Wabanaki Nation is made up of the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi'kmaq tribes.
