Canoe Paddle

Item number A1599 b from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Carved wood paddle painted black with red bands. White and red double-headed snake motif painted on the blade on both sides. Handle grip mortised and nailed to the shaft.

History Of Use

Anthropologist Homer Barnett notes that: "Paddles were made of yellow cedar, yew and maple. Those of maple and cedar were painted, the mem's being black, the women's red. A smoky pitch fire and oil gave an impenetrable black. Ocher or an alder-bark infusion supplied the red. Practically, the colouration protected the wood and, so some say, prevented the glint of sunlight on a moving paddle (1955:116)."

Cultural Context

water travel; contemporary art

Narrative

This painted paddle was made as a commission for the BC Arts and Welfare Society. It is a man's paddle - its diamond shaped blade differentiates it from the woman's paddle which has a round or pointed end, while river paddles are distinguished by a triangular notch cut into the bottom of the blade (see Elmendorf 1960:188-189).