Menominee Nation Revives Ancient Canoe Tradition

Wayne Swett and Dawn M. Wilber of the Menominee Nation in Michigan successfully launched a traditional dugout canoe, called Maeqtek-ōs, on the Menominee River, marking the first such launch in recent memory.

The pair, along with community members, spent a month crafting the 17-foot canoe from a single pine log at the historic Chappee Webster Learning Center, a site central to Menominee culture. The project faced delays due to intense heatwaves, but the completed canoe proved watertight upon its maiden voyage.

The canoe’s creation signifies a reconnection with ancestral practices, as dugout canoes were historically vital for transportation and communal life for the Menominee and other Indigenous groups in the eastern woodlands. Oralann Caldwell, a Menominee and Anishinaabe elder, noted silhouettes of woodland animals visible within the sanded wood of the canoe, representing the spirits of creatures who lived among the tree. The canoe now belongs to the community and will be used for traditional practices like wild rice harvesting.