The traditional carving of a cedar dugout canoe is a long process during which powerful and sacred transformations take place. As a cedar morphs into a new form of life—from a tree into a log to and ultimately into a canoe—it absorbs and releases the vital energies and spiritual forces of the lives which surround it. As this happens, transformative life-changing processes unfold. To take part in the Healing Canoe Program is to witness these transformations and to find a sense of belonging in the transformative process itself.

Your class will join Coast Salish canoe carver Beau Wagner and Stz’uminus hereditary man George Seymour on a series of Field Trips to learn through carving, forest walks, x’pey bark weaving, songs, stories and ceremony. Hul’qumi’num language teachings based on Dr. Luschiim Arvid Charlie and Dr. Nancy Turner’s book Luschiim’s Plants-Traditional Indigenous Food, Materials and Medicines are woven throughout. This program is based on knowledge from the Land and is delivered by people who live on the Land and whose ancestors have done so since time immemorial.

The Healing Canoe Program is grounded in deep acknowledgment of all Beau’s ancestors and in particular his mentor, the late Stz’uminus Master Carver Elmer Sampson. Beau’s mentor taught him infinitely more than just about carving. He passed along Coast Salish values of respect, accountability, commitment, sacrifice, honour, generosity, and above all, love and belonging.