Canexus: The Canoe in Canadian Culture, edited by James Raffan

REVIEWS / 91
bers, consisting primarily
of developing nations and non-govern-their design to make them suitable as recreational watercraft.
mental organizations, is assessed. Any Antarctic resource regime
However, heoffersfew ideas on how form might facilitate
hncwill have to take into account theof non-treaty
interests members tion in this regard.
claiming that the area is a “commonof heritage
mankind.” In this In an essay entitled “Lilly dipping it ain‘t,” Kenneth Rogers
section the book is a bit dated, though throughno fault of the
details thesix modes of propelling a canoe
- paddling, poling,
author. Unfortunately for him, the final session of the Fourth
sailing, tracking (lining), manhandling in the water, and portagSpecial Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting on Antarctic
and stories to illustrate
ing -using copious historical accounts
Mineral Resources was held
at Wellington, New Zealand, from the
2 beauties and limitations
of the canoeas a watercraft.
book was released. The
May to 2 June1988 - shortly after the
C. Fred Johnson reviews
the historyof competitive canoe sport
Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource
in European Canada, pointing out that in its early days the sport
1988, a con- was fostered more in Great Britain and but
Activities was opened for signature
25 November
on
America
that the open
vention that will govern resource exploitation in the region.
Canadian canoe, propelled by a single-bladed paddle and modMuch of Orrego Vicuiia’s work will assume onlyan academic
elled in the Peterborough area after the birch-bark canoe, came to
of the treaty.While the
interest if this convention becomes part
dominate competition. He concludes that this is an example
recommendations themselves will have lost some
of their valid- of ”. . . our country‘s genius for compromise while staying true
ity, the historical background to the convention, as well as theto its diverse roots and unique heritage”
(p. 70). However, I was
alternative suggestions, retain importance.
left wondering about the rather casual references to competitive
The book itself is a high-quality publication and contains a
canoe racing in native Indian culture and the extent to which
valuable bibliographyand set of appendices.The bibliography is canoeing in Canada today owes its existence to the prominence o
immense, though its division into numerous subheadings makes
competition in Euro-American cultural attitudes, plus the exisit difficult to find a particular reference.
of the
Some
citations are tence of a landed gentry with the leisure time to experiment with
not complete, with particulars as to publisher
and place of pubnew materials and designs.
lication left out.
Gwyneth Hoyle recounts the turns
of human prideand desire
Antarctic Mineral Exploitation is a meritorious contribution to that led to the rivalry between Americans Dillon Wallace and
Antarctic affairs, but it will be of interest only to those with a husband and wife Leonidas and Mina Hubbard in trying to
strong legal bent. Its high price relegates of
it atolibrary
the status
become the first to canoe down the George
of Labrador
River and
reference, and its legal-technical approach limits its interest to northern Quebec.
legal specialists. Nevertheless it is perhaps the finest single volIn a comprehensive and pivotal essay, ”Symbols and Myths:
ume on the legal aspects
of mineral exploitation in the Antarctic.Images of Canoe and North,” Shelagh Grant sensitively exposes
the changing cultural attitudes to the North in Canadian history
and how the canoe has been instrumental in both the developMichael Pretes
ment and articulationof these myths. She discusses the “north as
TheArctic Instituteof North America
homeland,” the transcendant myth
of aboriginal peoples in which
The University of Calgary
the
canoe
or
kayak,
as
a
necessary
mode
of transport andmeans
2500 University DriveN . W.
of living on the land, became a source of pride and cultural
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
expression. She discusses the ofmyth
the North as a resource-rich
T2N 1N4
hinterland and at the same time a hostile wilderness providing a
challenge for freedom and adventure. The voyageurs most vividly symbolized these inherently contradictory myths. The idea
of the North as an economic treasure-house is still with us,
bolstered by nationalistic fervour and belief in economic growth
CANEXUS: THE CANOE IN CANADIAN CULTURE. Editedusing
by technologies that have left the canoe behind. Wilderness
myths have evolved a long way from the voyageurs, but all a
JAMES RAFFAN and BERT HORWOOD, with illustrations byBILL
the canoe has been a potent tool for those looking to nature and
MASON.Toronto: Betelgeuse Books, 1988. 212 p., bib., index.
the land for inspiration and meaning, not least of all in the
Softbound. Price not indicated.
contemporary wilderness preservation ethos.
It is precisely this wilderness preservation ethos, and its inherCanexus is a book that explores many
of the ways in which theent contradictions with the dominant conception
of wilderness
canoe has, and still does, help us develop connections our
with and land as a resource base for economic use, that runs as a
world, with ourselves,
and with each other. A neologism, bornconnecting
as
theme through the other nine essays. Bruce Hodgins
1987
the title for a conference
at Queen’s University in November
articulately expresses the ironicof the
role canoe as both a symbol
on the role
of the canoe in Canadian culture, this
an evocative,
is
of the wilderness
as challengeand adventure for Euro-Canadians
though somewhat repetitious, compilation
of 14 essays by Cana- from the fur trade to current wilderness recreationand at the
dians who obviously love the canoe and the experiences in the
same time
as ”harbinger of destruction”
of that wilderness in that
out-of-doors it has opened
up for them.
the itinerant
canoeist bringsthe economic activity that has pushed
Obviously such a collection of essays cannot exhaustively
back the frontiers. He admonishes contemporary recreational
cover such a broad topic,
and this is
no exception. In fact, ”...every canoeists,as members of the urban, growth-oriented society, to
essay in one way or another mines the mythical elements
in the
explore this irony in their lives
and not merely view wilderness
Canadian canoeing experience” (p.2), rather than concentratingrecreation as either an escape from urbanity or the adventurous
on canoes as artifacts or elements in the material culture. Neverphysical conquestof a river.
theless, five of the essays do focusmoreobjectivelyon
the
Bert Horwood eloquently expresses and documents his belief
historical developmentof the canoe as a means
dtransport and
that modern youth is alienated from nature and that the canoe
E.Y. Arima quickly summarizes the diversitytrip can be a potent means of exposing young people to ”the
canoeing as a sport.
of canoes found in the native culturesof the Northwest Coast, sacredness of relationships,” be they interpersonal or with natupointing outhow they have not been incorporated into contemral processes, and to their inherent responsibilities in a social
porary Canadian culture (in contrast to the birch-bark
and canoe)
setting. James Raffan pursues this theme further, recounting
suggesting that suchan integration might occur by modifying personal canoe-tripping experiences to illustrate the potential for
92
/ REVIEWS
of environmentalethics, especially
exploration bothof the self and of interpersonal relationships. enter the broader discussion
George Luste brings together ideas
from many writers on the in thefield of outdoor recreation.
importance of solitudeand wildness in his exposition
of how the
Donald G. Reid
wilderness canoe experience can catalyze a kinship with the land.
Department of Zoology
Bob Henderson presents
us with very absorbing, personal reflecUniversity of British Columbia
tions on the way canoeing changed his world view by exposing
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
him to the value of simplicity
and the feeling of a senseof place
V6T 2A9
in the wild.
Roderick MacDonald takes a more
unusual, but still very personal, approach in describing his conception of the most appropriate decision-making process
on a canoe trip (one relatively free
of proscribed behaviours yet dominated by convention
and deference to authority through experience)anas
allegory for more
sensitive legal decision making in Canada (in particular, a wariETHNOLOGIEETANTHROPOGEOGRAPHIEARCTIQUES:
ness of written law
as the best way to channel behaviour).
PREMIER DIALOGUE FRANCO-SOVIfiTIQUE.Prepared by
Based admittedly on a small sample of interviews all with
CARDIN and ARLElTE FTUYSE, under the direction
of
women, William James explores how the canoeing experience ELISABETH
is
JEAN M A L A W E . Paris: fiditionsdu Centre National de la Reinfluenced by, and may in turn influence, gender roles in our
cherche Scientifique, 1986.215 p., 10 tables, 8 figs., bib. In
culture. His essay is criticalof traditional maleness (physically
French. Price not indicated.
and psychologically assertiveand dominant) and warms to the
realization that canoeing can,and apparently does, encourage
feminine values (receptive, nurturing and cooperative). HowCette publication correspond aux Actes
du Premier colloque
ever, I feel it remains a moot point whether gender roles are
bilateral franco-sovietique tenu B Leningrad du 26 au 29 avril
influenced by canoeingor canoeing, by its very nature, is most 1982 et qui portait sur les peuplesdu Grand Nord. Ce recueil
attractive to those with particular sensitivity to gender roles
comprend dix communications presentees par les participants
sovietiques et cinq communications presentees par des cher(especially the feminine).
In "Motives for Mr. Canoehead,"
Philip Chester argues that the
cheurs franqais. Parce qu'il regroupe donnks
des
sur une multicanoe isan underutilized mythand urges writers to use it more
tude de groupes ethniques,Ketes du Nord de l'I6nissei (p. 631,
as a vehicle for expression. Hehis
bases
argument on the unduly Telenguites de l'Altai'montagneux (p.731, NanaYtses, Oultches
et
bold assumption that the canoe is
of the
partCanadian collective Nivkhes de l'Amour infkrieur (p.91) et bien d'autres occupants
de regions dont mi3mes les toponymes risquent
de decourager le
unconscious and has a fundamental meaning to most Canadians.
I do not believe we have such a cohesive collective unconscious
lecteur non initie, il aurait et6 indispensable d'ajouter quelques
in this nation
of such recently disparate ethnicity. The extent tofigures afin
de faciliter la compr6hension
des differents contextes
which we may develop connections across our cultural interfaces
ghgraphiques et culturels arctiques, cetimmensedomaine
- should they involve aboriginal peoples, the early European annonce dans le titre de l'ouvrage. C'est probablement 1s le
-is, unfortunately, not explicitlyprincipal point faible
core or more recent immigrants
de cette publication qui autrement
prbente
addressed in this volume.
un tour d'horizon intkessant mais assez rapidede la situation
belief that the canoe trip is aactuelle, des traditions deetl'histoire des peuples nordiques,
Yet implicitly it is, Horwood's
in
de
qu6bbecois.
catalyst for developing cooperative and sensitive
group dynala Siberie?I la Scandinavie en passant par l'Arctique
mics among young people, and especially in C.E.S. Franks's ex- Cette publication repondB un besoin "d'intercommunication
plorationof our need to rediscover a of
sense
place that is nature- scientifique" pressant (cf. p. 15-16).En effet, d'apres la table des
de ce recueil, on constate
que les chercheurs sovibtiques
for
centred -a "landscapeof the imagination." Franks is arguing matieres
a rediscoveryof the aboriginal mythof land as home and for a sont presque essentiellement rest& cantonnesB l'intkrieur des
rebellion against the numbing world
of technology,mass culture limites actuellesde l'URSS et que les chercheurs &angers sont
and ignorance bred by isolation from the land. He believes theintervenus ailleurs seulement. Seules les Alhoutiennes consticanoe can play a central role in the assertion
of a different world tuent un domaine de chevauchement, 6tudi6 B la fois par une
un sovietique. Le resultatde ce cloisonnement est une
view. However desirable this may
be, I'm sure there remains a franqaise et
yawning gap between thoseof us (generally paddlers) who agreeou plut6t deuxmosaYques assez contrast&. La premiere comprend dix etudes descriptivesr6alisks par des ethnologues
soor opposed.
and those who remain indifferent
out in their vietiques. La secondmosaiqueregroupecinqcontributions
Editors Raffanand Horwood realize this and point
introduction that they wanted this
book tobe not only for pad- presentks par les chercheurs franqais.
Dans la preface, Malaurie prbsente
un bref historique du diadlers, but more importantly for non-paddlers
or would-be paddlers. Can their celebration
of the canoe reach
the non-paddlers? logue franco-sovietique concernant les peuples
du Nord depuis
une trentaine d'annees. I1 souligne les responsabilites des scieYes, it will speak strongly to some who by chance find and
it
nces sociales devant les problemes des minorites arctiques ainsi
already have some sensitivity to the out-of-doors. Unfortunately
que lesproblemesd'intercommunicationscientifiqueposes
these w
l
i be relatively few, despite the book's frequent elodes langues autres que
quence, the charming charcoal sketches by the late Bill Mason, semble-t-il surtout par le statut precaire
l'anglais.
and generally sound editing and referencing.
quatre premiers textes des Sovietiques sont generaux et
It is a low-key publication, without colour photos, catchyLescover
or production; it does not attract attentionin the bewildering traitent de la situation actuelle etdes transformations qui ont
sur les
gloss of the contemporary bookshop.But more important, the affect6 les "petits peuples" arctiques. Les autres portent
traditions etl'histoire de groupes ethniquesmieux definis, sans
and
writing so
is often about experiences that must be undertaken
exigks par cette demarche:
felt tobe understood. So, it will stand best as an inspiration fortoutefois utiliser toutes les ressources
analyse de donnksarchhlogiques (sauf peut-Ctre pp. 78-79 et
paddlers who have begun to find similar meanings in their
173-74), analyses de cartes et des espaces etc.
experiences, and for those (especially teachers) who hope to
Le textede Gurvic traite
de l'evolution actuelle des populations
initiate non-paddlers to the beauty
of the canoe. Certain essays,
occupant l'extri3me Nord de l'Union sovietique face aux nousuch as those by Franks, Hodgins and Horwood, should also