In the heart of the city, a colossal, 40-foot, cedar log rests on the lakefront, partially etched by the hands of Saaduuts Peele, Seattle’s local master-canoe carver.
Peele, 74, has begun his ninth canoe outside of the Center for Wooden Boats in South Lake Union, Seattle. He handpicked the tree in May on the Prince of Wales Island, in Southeast Alaska.
“I kept running in the yard and this one kept on saying, ‘pick me,’” Peele said. “And I said ‘OK.’ “My heart was going, so I put my name on it.”
Peele has gifted canoes to various tribes and institutions like the Center for Wooden Boats that aim to share knowledge of Native canoe-carving tradition. Over a decade ago, however, Peele promised his granddaughter her own canoe after learning of her skipper and canoe-journey ambitions. This will be the family’s first canoe.
“My chanáa (grandfather), he’s made lots of canoes in his life and he’s given them all away,” Erika Mayer said. “I asked him when I was little, ‘Can I have a canoe?, Can you make me a canoe?’”
Peele is fulfilling that promise, saying he’s confident that his granddaughter will honor and pass down knowledge of the culture. Peele belongs to the Haida Tribe and the acquisition of the log was sponsored by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
“I’m not going to live forever and I think this will continue the life of what we've been teaching my granddaughter,” Peele said. “She’s going to keep sharing this knowledge. She’ll be right in the canoe.”
Amplifying family ties to the canoe, Peele is taking a step back from carving this time, instead, guiding his grandson, Brandon Mayer, through the entire process.
“It’s a big event, the passing of the baton,” Peele said. “I have to reassure him as a grandfather that he can do it.”
In late July, a crane lifted the 40-foot conifer, placing it home in South Lake Union for the next seven months. Family and friends gathered, performing a blessing of the log and thanking the tree for it’s life. The event not only celebrated the tree’s life, but marked the possibility of Peele’s final canoe.
Peele expressed the toll the process takes, but his priority is on passing down canoe-carving knowledge.
“It takes a lot,” he said. “It may be my last one. I hope not.”
The sharing of knowledge extends beyond family.
Naturally, the behemoth trunk draws attention at the marina. With plenty of foot traffic along the water, Peele welcomes community members to stop by, learn about the process and ask questions about the history of the indigenous craft.
“We’re here to share our knowledge, bring back balance and honor the tree people,” Peele said.
Peele and his grandson expect to finish the canoe in February, where there will be a steaming ceremony open to community members.
