Lake Tahoe Paddle Festival to Kick Off World Canoe Project

Landing to the shores of Lake Tahoe this summer will be a cultural watershed of skilled Native American and indigenous carvers from around the world who are set out to build a 70-foot boat that will be taken across the globe.

The World Tribe Canoe Project, a long-term journey of intricate and ornate craftsmanship will get its fresh water legs beginning June 20, the first day of summer and then extending to the weekend of June 22-23, during the Lake Tahoe Paddle Festival. The festival inaugurates the World Tribe Canoe Project, which will bring wood carvers from around the world to Tahoe as part of an international team to create one of the first of its kind solar, wind and biodiesel hybrid powered water craft.

Lake Tahoe was selected to be the home site of the canoe project by the nonprofit, the Cultural Conservancy, a San Francisco-based Native American and indigenous peoples organization dedicated to protecting indigenous lands and cultures and the promotion of inter-cultural exchange throughout the U.S. and world.

Grants and partnerships will fund the international carving project, which will be sanctioned and directed by the Cultural Conservancy under the direction of Maori Hawaiian Master Canoe-Maker Wikuki Kingi and co-managed by South Shore resident John Dayberry. The 70-foot trimaran will be carved by craftmaster’s from around the World. When completed it will be taken around the world as part of an education strategy to teach about the timely knowledge of indigenous peoples and the dire need to protect the world's water supply.

"It's one of the most ambitious efforts and cultural milestones brought to Lake Tahoe by native and Indigenous people throughout the world," said Dayberry. "It is ancient art to state-of-the-art."

The project will bring skilled international wood carvers to points around Lake Tahoe, including Meeks Bay to build the vessel that, once finished, will maneuver on rivers and streams around the world as a kind of "floating university" through the Cultural Conservancy, said Wikuki Kingi, Maori Chief, Aotearoa.

"There will be a lot of creative ingenuity coming here from Hawaii, New Zealand and places from around the world," said Darrel Cruz, Culture and Language Director for the Washoe Tribe.

"They will be working alongside our Washoe tribal members using native wood to develop this impressive canoe. This news and the promise behind it is unprecedented for Lake Tahoe."

By using the Lake Tahoe Paddle Festival as the spring board, Lake Tahoe will be thrust to the spotlight, with publications such as National Geographic and the New York Times expressing interest in covering the project.

This year's Lake Tahoe Paddle Festival at El Dorado Beach runs June 23-24. It was planned around Solstice, which the Conservancy thought was perfect to get the project off the ground, said Melissa Nelson, president and executive director of the Conservancy.

"We are truly honored to be invited to Lake Tahoe by the Washoe Nation to help launch our Canoe Revitalization Project and the World Tribe Canoe" she said. "This is a special opportunity for people of all nations and backgrounds to come together through our love and care for sacred waters and the real and symbolic watercraft we use to navigate them."

Last year the festival was held at Mayala Watah at Meeks Bay and was designed around history, education and art. It featured hand made kayaks, canoes, catamarans and longboards. Boat makers and wood carvers from New Zealand, Tonga, Colombia, Hawaii, California and Nevada are expected at this year's event.

This year famed wood carver Wikuki Kingi and Maori/Tongan cultural educator Tania Haerekiterā Wolfgramm join the event. They have spent their lives dedicated to preserving their Māori/Tongan/Polynesian cultures through art and wood sculpting. They will be at the Festival bringing with them a multimedia presentation designed to teach ancient art to our tech-savvy generation. Raffles, free boat demos and plenty of learning opportunities for children and their parents will be a part of the festival with the South Lake Tahoe Boys & Girls Club serving as partners. The festival will run all day, on June 23-24 at El Dorado Beach.
For more information go to:
www.laketahoepaddlefestival.com and www.nativeland.org/canoe_project.html