On Saturday evening the movie “Voices across the water’‘ will be shown at the Chilkat Center in Haines. The story follows two traditional boat builders, Yukoner Halin de Repentigny, and TLingit master carver Wayne price, as they carry on their respective tradition of craftsmanship.
Price, film director Fritz Mueller and writer Teresa Earle will attend the showing, and there will be a Q&A session afterward. The film is titled after a traditional watercraft festival held in the summer of 2017 on the riverfront in Whitehorse, where Price spent several weeks carving a dugout.
“We started from a log, and the log is really heavy, fifteen thousand pounds, and when we are all done there is a thirty foot dugout canoe. The walls are an inch thick and the bottom is an inch and a half. It’s an ocean going dugout, that is pretty much how the ancestors did their traveling and journeys.”
Born in Kake, Price carved his first traditional Tlingit canoe in 1982, and has carved fifteen in his career. It is a point of pride that many of these boats are not in museums and can be paddled on the ocean. The boat featured in the movie is currently in Carcross. At thirty feet, it takes a crew of nine to paddle, with Price as captain, steering with a regular paddle. He defines his role succinctly.
“Keep my crew alive and don’t hit the earth.”
The boat can also be sailed.
“It’s a square spritsail is what it is called, it’s a real simple sail to put up, and you can harness the wind, and it makes everybody’s day go a lot better.”
Price takes great care in carving his boats. He feels the weight of responsibility in crafting the best vessel he can.
“You got to do A1 top notch work, because lives depend on my work, so you are always pushed to do your ultimate best.”
The movie Voices on the Water will show on Saturday, November 26, at 7pm at the Chilkat Center. A reception beforehand begins at 6pm, with a Q&A after the movie.
