The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum kicks off the celebration of Samuel de Champlain's explorations in 1609 with construction of a traditional birch bark canoe.
July 2009 will be the Quadricentennial of Lake Champlain marking the visit to the region by Samuel de Champlain in 1609. Abenaki People know the lake as Bitawbagok and were the first navigators of its waterways. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) has launched the Lake Champlain First Navigators Project with the construction of a historic canoe. The project is meant to offer an initial perspective of Native history in the upcoming 400th anniversary of Champlain's visit to the territory.
Project Details - In July of 2007, Aaron York, a member of the Abenaki Nation completed an 18 foot birch bark canoe as an artist in residence at the maritime museum. Aaron is an internationally recognized artist from Swanton, Vermont. York fashioned the canoe body from a single sheet of birch bark, using a cedar frame and spruce root stitching on the grounds of LCMM during the summer of 2007. The canoe is a replica of the type used by Champlain in his exploration of the the lake in 1609. The canoe project received research support from Professor Frederick M. Wiseman of Johnson State College and the Wôbanakik Heritage Center is insure historical accuracy.
Members of the El-nu Abenaki Tribe and Woodland Confederacy held a ceremonial launching of the canoe in early August of 2007. The event was an opportunity to celebrate Abenaki life, heritage and culture. It formed a natural starting point for the upcoming anniversary of exploration on Lake Champlain.
Regional History - Samuel de Champlain first visited the region from his base on the St. Lawrence River traveling the waterways in the French Chalupa. Seeking the River of the Iroquois, Champlain's journey was blocked by rapids that couldn't be traversed with his watercraft. The explorer and his companions transferred their goods to the Native birch bark canoes. Champlain found that the new canoes were more maneuverable and easy to portage around rough spots in the river. Surviving an encounter with the Iroquois lead Champlain to name the battle place from his own name.
A Traveling Exhibit - Materials developed and the canoe built by York in the First Navigators Project will be in a traveling display and part of the interpretative resources available for exhibit in Lake Champlain area communities. Sponsors hope to raise awareness of indigenous culture prior to contact with Samuel de Champlain in 1609 and the technology displayed in the construction of birch bark canoes. Champlain commented in wonder at the sophistication of birch bark canoes used by the Abenali People.
Sponsors - The Amy Tarrant Foundation, Lake Champlain Basin Program, Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, Vermont Quadricentennial Commission, New York Quadricentennial Commission, Wôbanakik Heritage Center, and farm families of Cabot Creamery are project sponsors. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's mission is to share the regions history and it known for its leadership in nautical archaeology and reproduction of historic vessels.
