Haida canoe takes shape on Lake Union in tribute to tribal culture

The metal adz blade bites into wood, releasing the scent of cedar.

Robert Peele jumps from his perch atop this 600-year-old log and scoops chips with both hands, tossing them over the side of the hole he's dug. He points to a long patch of discolored wood in the log's center that looks like an ugly bruise.

"I think this tree was hit by lightning when it was about 100 years old," says Peele, 50, a member of the Haida tribe. "But it survived and grew up strong."

When the log arrived at the Center for Wooden Boats last March, it was 34 feet long and more than 1,200 pounds. Brought from Alaska last March, the red cedar is half-hollow now, it's exterior roughly shaped into stern and bow. Peele is slowly turning it into a dugout canoe.

There's still a lot of work to do. But Peele, who also teaches Haida cultural heritage to school kids through a King County Arts in Education grant, uses the canoe as a way to talk about spirituality and his Native beliefs. He calls his project "Spirit of Peace," and wants to share his culture with people of all races.

"A long time ago, we lived in harmony with Mother Earth," says Peele. He uses the metaphor of a spider's web to explain the Native belief that all things in nature, including humans, are interconnected.

"But see how disrespectful we are as humans," he says, sweeping his hand to destroy an imaginary web. "We have to bring back that respect."

Part of respecting nature, Peele says, is to make sure nothing is wasted. He's using every piece of the log: making masks and oars from cutout sections, woven jewelry from the bark. Chunks of wood are also given to school children and other visitors to take home.

After he finishes hollowing the canoe, Peele will finish carving the exterior and shaping the keel. A 10-foot mast pole will then be fashioned along with paddles and a trapezoid-shaped sail. He'll also paint an eagle on the bow to represent his mother's family and a raven on the stern for his father's.

Lastly, Peele will "steam open" the canoe. Now about 28 inches across, the gunwales will be widened to 44 inches. He will pour warm water into the canoe and then add 400 pounds of heated rocks in the center. The steam and weight of the rocks will bend the canoe so the bow and stern angle upward, creating wave breaks to protect the paddlers.

"Robert has a global view and I'm so grateful he's here," says Dick Wagner, founding director of the Center for Wooden Boats.

For years, Wagner says, he's wanted Native American boat building to be represented at the center. After all, it was at this site on the banks of Lake Union that the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes once landed their canoes for winter gatherings and potlatch ceremonies, he says.

That history gives Peele's canoe carving added significance. And because of the center's location, the canoe is accessible to people of all races.

"Here he is, carving a traditional dugout canoe next to the busiest traffic corridor in the whole state and reaching out to people of all cultures so they can better understand the Native American approach to life and nature," Wagner says.

For Peele, carving the canoe is but the first step on what he calls his spiritual journey. In the spring, he and his partner, Melissa Koch, plan to sail up the coast in the canoe to Alaska, visiting Native American communities along the way. He's hoping at least four more people will come on the trip. The canoe will seat a dozen, maybe 14.

Peele's final destination is Klawoch, a Tlingit village 40 miles north of his home in Hydaburg on Prince of Wales Island, off the coast of Southeast Alaska. The canoe will be a gift to the people of Klawoch.

From there, he wants to return to his hometown and recruit young men to help build a longhouse for the community.

But there's still a long way to go. While Peele was able to get a donated log from the Haida Corporation in Alaska with help from the Center for Wooden Boats, he couldn't secure financing for the project. He works on the canoe in between other jobs.

Though lack of money has created some hardship, Peele doesn't complain about his slow progress. He's thankful for the support he has received.

For instance, there was the schoolgirl, visiting with her class, who donated her lunch money for Peele's journey, and the homeless man who handed over change. Then there was a group of elders who came along just when Peele needed help rolling the canoe. Someone gave him a chainsaw, someone else a new adz. Another man launched a Web site so others could watch the canoe's progress.

"The people who come feel a connection with this canoe," Peele says. "Everything is happening the way it's meant to happen."

Sara Jean Green's phone number is 206-515-5654. Her e-mail address is sgreen@seattletimes.com.

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If you go:

The Center for Wooden Boats is in Seattle at 1010 Valley St., just west of Fairview Avenue North (next to Burger King). Peele's schedule changes daily. For more information call the center at 206-382-2628. You can also learn about "Spirit of Peace" at www.spiritofpeace.pwebtech.com.