SfS Grant in Snaw-naw-As Brings Back Canoe Carving Skills

With support from Kw’umut Lelum Foundation’s Snuw’uy’ulh for Success grant, a project in Snaw-naw-as has brought traditional canoe-making back to the Nation and created a pathway for Indigenous youth and community members to strengthen connections to each other, the land, the waters, and their ancestral teachings.

Guided by Mike Billy, a seventh-generation Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) canoe builder and founder of Canoe Cultures, community members Melanie Bob-Coleman, Ron Fraser, Logan Bob, and Sophia Sampson spent six months building a six-person canoe. Along the way, they gained far more than technical skills; they experienced how a project like this can be lifechanging, awakening the community back to its culture, traditions, and history. 

As Sophia said: "I'm very proud to say that I was able to take part in something this big, and I'm excited to see how far we can go with this."