The Earth Is Kind - Foods, Fishing and Hunting

The secret was given to me to make a bark canoe in 1973. It was a part of my life that I will never ever forget. Now the gentleman that showed me how to do it and told me when to do it, it was Uncle Les Briggs. One day he said to me, “How would you like to make a bark canoe?” and I said, “Uncle, that would be my ultimate dream.” I said, “I would love to.” I said, “That is me, because that is my culture, that is what I want to know.”

So we did a bark canoe and it was the most amazing thing you have ever seen in your life. He did it in about one hour, he chopped it and we just popped it off the tree with an ease you couldn't believe. Then we went and finished it and it probably took us a day and a half to cure it with the fire and then he just turned it up and it was magic. And then he said to me “Did you learn anything?” And I told him exactly what I had seen and he said “Well, does it mean anything to you?” and I said “Not really, but I have learnt how to do it.” He said to me “Take the time to look at your environment, take your time to look and learn of where you are.” I was meant to be the next canoe-maker.

WALLY COOPER Yorta Yorta/Moidaban