RE: [Paddlewise] Indian Country

From: Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz>
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:45:12 +1300
Craig said on 11 November 2009

> These guys really knew how to paddle !!!
and 
> permit needed to use the nice sandy beach only costs $5

One can't help being envious of their freedoms. I'll suppress the rant about
the usefulness or the need for such a $5 charge...

Good to hear that you keep alive a tradition stretching back a number of
years.

I grew up about a mile from the Ottawa River and near an old store that
began as a trading post. It was still a small, family-run store and, in the
corner of it, our local post office was a series of open-fronted
'pigeon-holes' - the shop-keeper wore two hats. It was a small village. 

Growing up playing round with canoes - and with the Indian Reserve one mile
across the river - we were aware of the links to the past; but only
peripherally. I'm not aware of any local history that celebrates such links
- there is some stuff in the wonderful Canoe museum in Peterborough (go
there if you can) - but that's many miles & hours away and is generic (on
the fur trade) and not specific to the Ottawa.

It seems that the somewhat nearer Canadian Museum of Civilisation (in the
city of Ottawa) has just (Sept 2009) opened a one year exhibition
celebrating the story of the fur trade (1779-1821). This museum has
impressed me in the past - so it might be worth a detour if you are in
Eastern Canada any time soon.

Otherwise - look to your local links with canoes and indigenous craft. I was
intrigued to hear Paul Caffyn talk about the inevitability of finding
historic remains during his paddle along the (now uninhabited) Greenland
coast. As he said, if it was a good landing place for a kayak in 2008 - it
was equally good for any kayaker of any era.

Best Regards
Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand
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Received on Tue Nov 10 2009 - 18:45:59 PST

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