Beware, canoes may soon be politically incorrect...

This is an old thread but I was reminded of it when reading a recent article by R. C. Cross in the Northwest Chapter’s Fall Newsletter. He commented that “The First Nation tribes began to build wood/canvas canoes after the Europeans stole their designs and added the improvement of canvas over birchbark.” I sent him a message saying that my understanding is that the common designs for most canoes have been freely shared for thousands of years. These are generally considered to be in the public domain from a legal perspective. He responded saying "It is harsh to say The Europeans stole the idea of Native canoes. Perhaps better to say the Europeans added to the long history of the development of canoes and kayaks with the introduction of new materials, tools and soon production methods." I suggested that this might be a good topic for further discussion here and he agreed.

Benson
 
Putting Clinton and Trump in the same canoe (I'm assuming in the wilderness alone) would be a hoot. They would go in circles forever unless one fell out. If we got lucky both would fall out and the canoe would come home.
Would help to calm the waters of hateful spite that is covering the land. Wish I could just move into the wilderness and ignore the spiteful politics I'm surrounded by. No discussion just empty words putting down an opponent and doing/saying nothing constructive.
 
This is an old thread but I was reminded of it when reading a recent article by R. C. Cross in the Northwest Chapter’s Fall Newsletter. He commented that “The First Nation tribes began to build wood/canvas canoes after the Europeans stole their designs and added the improvement of canvas over birchbark.”

I sent him a message saying that my understanding is that the common designs for most canoes have been freely shared for thousands of years. These are generally considered to be in the public domain from a legal perspective.

He responded saying "It is harsh to say The Europeans stole the idea of Native canoes. Perhaps better to say the Europeans added to the long history of the development of canoes and kayaks with the introduction of new materials, tools and soon production methods."

I suggested that this might be a good topic for further discussion here and he agreed.

I agree too.

If looking at canoes as symbols (and not simply as cultural diffusion objects or material cultural artifacts), rather than ‘stole’, another perspective could be that of ‘appropriated’ or even ‘exploited’. Further reflection can reveal the nuanced meanings.

In the case and in terms of indigenous water transport technology well suited to its environment, the ‘indigenous gift’ is what also contributed to the gifters’ demise within an historical context of colonialistic thinking and genocidal tendencies.

The current ongoing discussions around Truth and Reconciliation (in Canada) provide a more nuanced perspective on the unequal relationship between the native cultures and the invasive, displacing settler culture, particularly in what is today Pacific Canada, where far fewer treaties were in place compared to the Great Lakes and Atlantic Canada realms.

Another element is that western views of watercraft are utilitarian and economic (and now leisure-recreational) and a means towards an end; whereas in many other so-called ‘non-white’ cultures, paddled watercraft can embody a much deeper social and spiritual significance, for example Pacific Northwest dugouts, Polynesian paddled craft and longboats of East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia, including, in some cultures, religious significance.

There is perhaps much more at play and below the surface than mere superficial ‘political correctness’, if one wishes to peel back the layers and delve a little deeper that is.
 
Last edited:
Is there any interest of WCHA to explore the concept of inclusivity within all aspects of the organization. The vast majority of outdoor adventure and recreation participants tend to be overwhelmingly white. As a member I would like to see steps taken to establish a process of inclusivity and an intentional effort to take leadership within the canoeing community to determine if there are like minded organizations. I think the time is right. I would be happy to help explore the broader canoeing community. Maybe the board can take up the establishment of an inclusivity statement that acknowledges prior cultures contributing to the modern canoe community.
 
Another option is to simply make an effort to invite anyone that you feel has been excluded or not properly acknowledged to go canoeing with you. My experience is that individual actions are often much more effective than board statements in situations like this.

Benson
 
The vast majority of outdoor adventure and recreation participants tend to be overwhelmingly white. As a member I would like to see steps taken to establish a process of inclusivity and an intentional effort to take leadership within the canoeing community to determine if there are like minded organizations. I think the time is right. I would be happy to help explore the broader canoeing community. Maybe the board can take up the establishment of an inclusivity statement that acknowledges prior cultures contributing to the modern canoe community.

Yes, interested. (I am a member of a working group of a maritime museum that formulates and implements policies and best practices to enhance inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessability. The corporate business literature has already revealed that DEI practices have evidence-based benefits along many dimensions, even beyond mere profitability and productivity parameters.)

Yes, there now exist groups that aim to promote: greater respect and inclusion in outdoor recreation, increased representation in retail industry advertising, LGBTQ2S+ outdoorism including allies, other ‘out groups’ participation (paralympics is another example)
 
Hi John. I've long thought about this issue. I personally would love to see more diversity in the wooden canoe community. Our membership is certainly weighted more toward the older white male. By comparison, women, younger people, and minorities tend to be smaller proportions of our community (the gender gap is certainly the narrowest). I personally find that a diverse cross section of people makes my world more interesting, and I also wish to share wooden canoes and canoeing with more people who might not otherwise experience them. With all of this said, it can be a significant challenge, especially for a smaller, nonprofit, membership-based organization like ours to mount a broad, cohesive, and productive effort to bring in more people from under-represented groups. Part of the difficulty lies simply, I believe, in the fact that people from certain walks of life tend to gravitate toward certain things than others, and different segments of a population may find it either easier or more challenging to engage in certain things (because of time and financial constraints, for example).

This is not an issue unique to the WCHA. I watch contributors to Fine Woodworking magazine and they tend to be predominantly white male. It's not just those contributing to the magazine; training in woodworking is pursued more actively by white males:
https://datausa.io/profile/cip/woodworking

Some organizations are working to broaden diversity in woodworking circles:
https://brokeassstuart.com/2022/11/...ringing-diversity-to-woodworking-communities/
and in the paddlesports arena as well:
https://americancanoe.org/dei/

We are a segment of the paddlesports community, a community where the highest proportions of participants are predominantly older, caucasian, have higher levels of income, have higher levels of education, and male (but only slightly higher than female participation):
https://outdoorindustry.org/resource/2019-special-report-paddlesports-safety/

The same kinds of trends are seen in outdoor recreation generally (fishing, biking, camping, hiking, etc):
https://outdoorindustry.org/wp-cont...022-Outdoor-Participation-Trends-Report-1.pdf

None of this is meant to be negative and none of this should dissuade us from trying to be as inclusive as possible. In fact, it should urge us on, and recent data shows growth of paddlesports in non-white segments of the population:
Screenshot 2023-01-19 at 4.48.31 PM.png
Screenshot 2023-01-19 at 4.48.31 PM.png

(from the 2019 ACA Paddlesports Report)

All of this said, grassroots efforts, individual efforts can do wonders. I agree with Benson that individual action is an important and likely a productive way of increasing diversity in the things important to WCHA members. This includes not only paddling and outdoor pursuits generally, but also wooden canoe building and restoration and all the things that come along with that (woodworking, metalworking, history...). As valuable as individual efforts are, an effective program of inclusivity could be a good thing for participants, the WCHA, and the legacy of wooden canoes (more people participating, enjoying, supporting builders, etc.).

I would be happy to talk with you more about inclusivity and sharing of our wonderful world with people of all kinds and in all places. Note that you do not have to be on the WCHA's Board of Directors to take an active role in initiatives that you care about. From inclusivity to service at the annual Assembly to building and supporting regional chapters... whatever... everyone's involvement is welcome.

Michael
 
Last edited:
Our membership is certainly weighted more toward the older white male… Part of the difficulty lies simply, I believe, in the fact that people from certain walks of life tend to gravitate toward certain things, or find it more challenging to engage in certain things

If one does a google search on:
“diversity in outdoor recreation”
there are many an article to examine.

Right now we are seeing a split between those who are accused of being ‘woke’ and those who are more traditionally aligned. So it might not be until a generation from now or two has passed that there will be significant diversification.

Having a conversation on this subject on a forum would be another small step towards shaping the future one way or another… where people can be invited and welcomed simply as people who also enjoy canoes (and woodworking etc) just like the rest of us, and where attributes of diversity like gender orientation, ethnic heritage, disability, less privilege or any other irrelevant aspect are things the vast majority of people will find perfectly acceptable. But canoeing by its very nature does take financial resources to participate (generally we pay to play) so achieving economic diversity will require support in the way of subsidies, grants and philanthropy. Canoeing may well remain a privileged pursuit into the future, who is to say?
 
Last edited:
Okay, I can’t hold my tongue any longer. It’s not about inclusion, it’s about interest. If I’m interested in something, I look into it, then if I’m really interested, go after it. I’m an old privileged white guy, yes. I love canoes. That’s all. ANYONE that wants to go for a paddle is more than welcome for free. If it’s a matter of being able to afford it, if you really wanna do it, there are ways. I won’t debate this all day, sorry.
 
Wow! I find it difficult to consider myself as a "privileged white boy" paddling a wooden canoe in a world of bass-boats, jet-skis, and other power boats!

....Dave
That maybe be because you might misunderstand how the word privilege is beingused nowadys in the context of social justice research. I’ll provide an explanation when I get a moment.
 
Okay, I can’t hold my tongue any longer. It’s not about inclusion, it’s about interest. If I’m interested in something, I look into it, then if I’m really interested, go after it. I’m an old privileged white guy, yes. I love canoes. That’s all. ANYONE that wants to go for a paddle is more than welcome for free. If it’s a matter of being able to afford it, if you really wanna do it, there are ways. I won’t debate this all day, sorry.
The concepts we’re debating here have wider dimensions of consideration, a wider context of factors to factor in. When I have a moment I will try to expand on what the angles amd context are that drive these recent discussions.
 
Well, well, well you all have drawn me in to conversations I don't usually participate in.
Most of my life I have been somewhat embarrassed (?) of being a simpleton. Now in my old age I have come to relish it.
Lets use canoeing as a complete metaphor of the whole of this conversation. Lets say you have been exposed to different cultures and races growing up or as an adult.
So this is not unknown (fearful) to you.
Now you are paddling down the the greatest river in the world, the AuSable River and you see someone on the rivers bank and you can tell they are interested in what's going on but you do not stop to talk to them or invite them to try it out only because of the way they look, than in my opinion, you are missing out. But still no harm no foul towards the person on the bank they probably aren't thinking you didn't stop because of that. Now if you did stop and engaged with them only because they were different than you then you are still missing out. So is it right to purposely go out and look for people that are "different" from us to join us? Rather insulting in my opinion. We are canoe nuts, hard to believe it but not everyone is. People find us everyday that want to.
Don't let those out there that are trying their hardest to separate us do so.

Hope this makes sense, after all I'm just a simpleton.
 
Last edited:
Interesting comment on the thread about paddle painting. Appears the French may have been painting their paddles in North American and the idea was "stolen" by the Indigenous Peoples. Although it, and nearly ever issue that gets "debated" these days, is far more complex and over generalized.

I'd bet you dollars to donuts there were plenty of individuals ornamenting paddles for the sheer pleasure before some anthropologist declared it a unique culture factor. Not criticizing anthropologists, that was my undergraduate degree.

To be fair to Dragon1 I am interested in his perspective.
 
I listened to the entire radio interview of Prof. Misao Dean discussed in the OP. She didn't sound that radical. Her main point was that folks should realize, when canoeing, that the canoe was used in Canada as an instrument of colonialism. My reaction: While it may literally be true that Europeans used canoes when colonizing Canada, they also used shoes, pants, shirts, axes, guns, knives, spoons, and food itself. I confess: I don't think much about centuries-old colonialism when using any of these things.

Dean's controversial three sentences seem to have been: "Certainly the majority of wilderness canoers are people who have a very privileged place in society. They’re frequently highly educated people. They’re almost completely white."

Having canoed for 70 years all over North America, the last 45 obsessively and addictively, I agree with her third sentence. I have only rarely seen Blacks or Asians canoeing, but I have always seen plenty of females because spouses and families always frequently canoed together. However, I'm not sure how "privileged" or "highly educated" the white canoeists have been. It seems to me that paddling has fairly low financial barriers to entry, especially in the age of cheap rec kayaks, and the canoeists I've met seem to have come from many different job categories and educational levels.

I also suspect there is an urban vs. suburban/rural dynamic in play. People who live in big cities, which include lots of minorities, have little exposure to daily outdoor life and literally have no place to store or work on canoes.

As to whether the WCHA should have some sort DE&I statement, I suppose that would be doable, but what would it practically accomplish in the real world of canoeing? Frankly, one can be an electronic member of the WCHA, the ACA or any other geographically dispersed digital organization, for years, and never actually meet anyone else in the organization in person, much less some non-participating group.

Moreover, I suspect that almost everyone who joins the WCHA does so either because they already own a wooden canoe or because something has caused them to have a serious interest in wooden canoes, such as already being an owner of non-wooden canoes. That means the practical, real world challenge for DE&I is not somehow to spur spontaneous minority membership in the WCHA out of the blue, but rather to get more minority non-canoers interested in canoes generally and wood canoes specifically, as a necessary prerequisite to interest in the WCHA.

One problem is this: Wood canoeing probably has the highest financial and physical barriers to paddling entry. New wood canoes are extremely expensive, and old ones are either very expensive to have professionally restored or require significant tools, experience, shop space, woodworking interest, and time. In addition, wood canoes are much heavier than comparably priced composite canoes, so are rarely a day tripper's or wilderness tripper's first choice.

Another practical problem for increasing DE&I is that most canoeists I know spend the majority of their paddling alone or with very small family or friend groups. They are usually not around stranger groups at all, whether exclusive or inclusive stranger groups. (The only poll I know of on the percentage of canoeists who paddle alone is THIS ONE, which reports that 77% of the 69 respondents mostly, almost always, or always paddle alone.) We're all different, but, except for my whitewater days, canoeing for me has almost always been a solitary sport, whether on day trips or wilderness trips, in which I look forward to getting away from meetings, phones, politics, problems and . . . yes . . . people.

Hence, I'm not sure how to practically and effectively improve DE&I in the real world of canoeing, especially for wood canoes, as a sine qua non prefatory step for interest in joining the WCHA.

Just some random thoughts from my personal experience, all subject to change by persuasive evidence.
 
Back
Top