Jason Carr, Oneida Nation name Lakalakone, building this wooden canoe, August 28, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — History is coming alive in the Green Bay area.
An authentic wooden canoe is getting some finishing touches ahead of its maiden voyage Saturday.
“This canoe. At one time, it was the portage for the world. This would be the first design of the modern made ships,” said Jason Carr.
His Oneida Nation name is Lakalakone, and for the past two months, Carr has been transforming a century-old white oak log into a dugout canoe.
“What you see right here, this is Pancake. My canoe’s name is Pancake. I’m building her the old way. This like predates modern canoes. The shape and everything,” said Carr.
“I started with a trench I built on top to hold the coals in, and the fire. Then I lit it up, and it all just connected all the way across. And I just worked it down. Fire, chopping, fire, chopping, fire, chopping,” he said.
“I pretty much use this,” said Carr.
“Chisel away the outside, chip away on the inside and all of this up here. This is all tomahawk work. It’s a lot of hard work,” he said.
“Everything that I see, everything that I know how she’s done, is all in here. I don’t write nothing down. It’s just, how you see it, is how it looks in my mind,” said Lakalakone.
The canoe project ties in with the French and Indian War Encampment event Saturday and Sunday. Liz Jolly-Haslitt the Heritage Hill State Historical Park Director of Development.
“A lot of interactive, hands-on, cool. Putting yourself, experiencing history as the people that actually were a part of it,” said Jolly-Haslitt.
Back to the Fur Trade encampment, Carr continues to work. He says Pancake comes with a cause.
“In this vessel, I’m going to be carrying a message. My message is peace and unity throughout all human beings. I have hope. I know I should have named my canoe Hope, but Pancake seems to fit her a whole lot more. Because everybody loves pancakes. Everybody loves it. So I’m sticking with Pancake,” he said.
The canoe is scheduled to launch on Saturday at noon, and then again on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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