Handcrafted traditional canoes made by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe are returning this week to Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and other area tribes once relied on canoes for transportation but in today’s world, the skill and knowledge needed to build and navigate these canoes has all but disappeared. That changed last summer when the Coeur d’Alene Tribe received a massive old-growth cedar log from the Upper Columbia United Tribes. Over the past nine months, tribal members and the community pitched in to shape the 28,000-pound log into a shovelnose canoe, one type of canoe historically used by the Tribe.

“Making this shovelnose canoe has sparked a sort of cultural awakening within our Tribe. We’ve seen hundreds of tribal members who have taken an interest in the canoe, stopped by to lend a hand, and they’ve learned more about our history and our people in the process. Our Tribe is stronger today because of the interest and investment that has been made in preserving our culture,” said Chairman Chief Allan.

The canoe will begin its maiden voyage today across Lake Coeur d’Alene. The Coeur d’Alenes will bless their new canoe at 10 a.m. at Benewah Lake, at the southern end of Lake Coeur d’Alene, before taking off on an historic journey, retracing the steps of their ancestors.

The canoe will travel north on Lake Coeur d’Alene and arrive Wednesday at the north end of the lake. The Tribe will celebrate the canoe’s arrival with a landing ceremony at City Beach. The public is invited to attend the fesitivites that will begin at 2 p.m. as the canoe makes its approach. Dancing, drumming and singing will lead up to welcoming remarks at 4 p.m. by Chairman Allan and Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer.

The canoe is scheduled to land on the beach around 5 p.m.

Boaters who are out on Lake Coeur d’Alene today and Wednesday are asked to be mindful of the canoes and minimize their wake if they pass the canoe.

After leaving Lake Coeur d’Alene, the canoe will attempt to follow a historical route, making adjustments for dams that have been built along the Spokane and Columbia Rivers.

The Upper Columbia United Tribes also donated logs to the Kalispel, Spokane, Kootenai, and Colville Tribes, which have been working on their own canoes. Each tribe will paddle from its respective reservation. On June 17, the tribes’ journeys will end when all the Upper Columbia United Tribes meet in Kettle Falls, Washington, where tribes from around the region once gathered to harvest salmon and to trade.