Rippling Water 16, 2001

The double-curve designs that decorate this canoe are a reflection of a standard Wabanaki motif that appears in many forms on canoes, on etched birchbark boxes, and in beadwork. The second photograph in this series is a good illustration of the bark deck flap which covers the ends of the inwales, and projects below the outwales to provide a field of decoration. This flap is called wulegessis in Maliseet, which means breechcloth or diaper. This 16-foot canoe is in the collection of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine, thanks to a generous donation by its original owner, Diana Wister. Inside beam 28”, depth 12”