By Steve Williams

The village of Klukwan launched its first traditional cottonwood canoe in more than 50 years Saturday.

The building and launching of the 19-foot canoe, patterned after one built in the l940s by Klukwan carver Dan Katzeek, marks another step in the village’s cultural revival, said elder Ruth Kasko.

The launch into the Chilkat River took place amid traditional song and was attended by more than two dozen villagers. Some of the 14 young men who worked on the canoe with lead carver Wayne Price tested it in the water for the first time.

"We had maybe 30 people out there. Smitty (Katzeek) was the captain, Wayne was in the bow, and they came in a couple times to replace the one in the middle, so a lot of the guys got the feeling of riding the canoe down the river," Kasko said.

After the voyage, which ended downriver at the site of a traditional-style smokehouse built in 2001, the crew loaded the canoe into the back of a pickup for a parade through town and display at ANS Hall.

"Some of the young fellows who carved it held it up in the truck. They drove slow and we walked behind it through town. We had a good day," Kasko said.

Artist Wayne Price led the summer-long project, which began with taking measurements off the canoe Smitty’s father carved in l947.

"We were let into the clan house where the old canoe is stored to take a look at it. We couldn’t photograph it, so we took measurements and talked boat talk. This kind of information was always passed down orally," Price said.

"We made a cardboard template of the bow, and used that and the measurements and talked a lot about it. With what Smitty could remember and what I knew about wood, we were able to piece it together," Price said.

The tree the carvers used, taken from the Chilkat River flats near Wells Bridge, provided a high-quality hull, Price said. It was the seventh canoe Price has carved, but the first using Klukwan’s traditional cottonwood.

"Cottonwood is a lot different than cedar. It opened up an incredible 18 inches, and almost doubled the width of the (cedar) dugout. It’s very supple and high quality wood."

Apprentices worked on the canoe throughout the summer. Jeff Klanott, Daniel Klanott, Joe King, Scott Hotch, Christopher Hotch, Andrew Hotch, Henry Stevens, Andre Stevens, Tom Stevens, Tony Stevens, Leonard Willard and Pete Katzeek were an enthusiastic crew, Price said.

"They were real interested in doing the boat. It was quite a summer. I really enjoyed working with those young men. When we were done, Henry said, "When do we start on the next one?"

Advice from elder Tom Katzeek was especially helpful on steaming day, Price said. "What they could remember about the steaming was valuable. It was a successful steaming. We witnessed a lot of stories, and this summer was another chapter."