River of Forgiveness Documentary - Photos

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March 2, 2020

Tradition Rekindled

Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian had envisioned the creation of the mooseskin boat nearly 20 years before the project came about. 

 In 2005, Norwegian had his opportunity to set the plan in motion. Filmmaker Geoff Bowie was travelling in the Northwest Territories (NWT) filming Ghosts of Futures Past: Tom Berger in the North for The Nature of Things with David Suzuki. The film schedule brought him to the Dehcho Annual Assembly where Norwegian approached him with the idea for a documentary about the building and paddling of a traditional mooseskin canoe.

To read more about this documentary click here

The 36-foot canoe was five hides in length.

 

The builders, five Shuhtaot’ine or Mountain Dene from Tulita, had to be as flexible as the sinew they used.

 

Corrine Andrew takes a well deserved break.

 

Stretching wet hide.

 

Putting in the ribs of the canoe. 

 

Between June and July 2018, a group of Northwest Territories Dene, licensed guides, and a handful of filmmakers set out to build a hand-crafted mooseskin boat and to paddle it down the Nahanni River, something that had not been done in 100 years. The film recently screened at the first Liidlii Kue Film Festival in Fort Simpson February 21-22, 2020.