Canoes are the oldest mode of transport in Ojibwe country, and these birchbark canoes have long been etched with beautiful floral, scallop, and pictograph designs. But they’re not just symbols of the past—canoes are just as important to modern Natives as they were to their ancestors. “Canoes continue to be an ever-present part of our modern traditional way of life and food systems,” says artist Sarah Agaton Howes (Anishinaabe/Ojibwe). “My family uses our canoe when we gather, fish, and just for fun.” In this striking enamel pin, Sarah shares both the historic significance and continued importance of canoes for Indigenous people around the globe.

About 1.2" x 1" (3.25 cm x 2.25 cm)
Two post closure

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Cultural Context:

These photos show Sarah's family using a canoe to harvest manoomin or wild rice. The man in front is "poling" which moves the canoe through the dense plants while the person in the back "knocks" the wild rice into the canoe with two short sticks. This photos were taken here on Fond du Lac in her home community.