DREAMWEAVER: Interlacing history and
art at the Canadian Canoe Museum.
PHOTO: JEREMY WARD
The Most Influential
PEOPLE
of 2010
CANOE
T h e A r t i s t
Beth Stanley 26
PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO
YEARS CANOEING: 4
I
t wasn’t long after Beth Stanley first started work at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario, as a summer student in 2006 that she became
a canoeist. A keen interest in Canadian histo- ry and art made her a perfect candidate when the museum was looking for a permanent arti- san program coordinator. Now, Stanley’s pas- sion for resurrecting the ancient handiwork of First Nations and voyageurs is matched only by her newfound love of paddling. Stanley’s artistic medium of choice is weav-
ing—whether braiding colourful voyageur-style sashes or creating old-school pack baskets, which have long been used by canoe trippers to protect and portage gear. Most of her skills are self-taught through research, particularly her re- discovery of the ancient skill of finger weaving. “It has a murky history,” she says. “The
general thought is that aboriginal people in Canada were weaving in a similar way with natural fibres when Europeans brought yarn to North America. Finger weaving requires no loom or expensive equipment. All you need is nice yarn in colours that you like.” Not only is Stanley recovering lost tradi-
tional skills, but she’s now teaching others— leading finger-weaving workshops at the canoe museum where visitors create their own voya- geur sashes. She also helps visitors build pack baskets, and coordinates weekend courses in paddle-, wannigan- and tumpline-making. Meanwhile, her time at the museum has
taught her to love canoeing. “My canoeing experience took off when I started working here,” she says. “That’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned from my time at the mu-
seum.” —Conor Mihell
www.canoerootsmag.com
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