There is something about being around a person who is passionate, who is deeply immersed in what they love. It’s exhilarating and inspiring and you can’t help but feel excited too. That’s what it’s like to spend a morning paddling with Jason Eke. I wanted to learn a bit more about Canoe: Icon of the North, a documentary examining the role of the canoe in Canadian culture, both past and present. Jason is the mastermind behind it all.
Jason is the opposite of the kid who takes things apart to learn how they work. Instead, he just builds them from scratch. “For me, and the canoe, it’s been to learn how to safely and efficiently use the canoe, then how to build them and understand how subtle and sometimes drastic changes in the shape of the craft can change the way it performs.” I am in awe of the one we’re sitting in, more a work of art than a mode of transportation – a cedar-strip prospector canoe, made of western red cedar and yellow cedar from Manitoulin Island. Strips of caramel and butter, sleek and sturdy all at once. I can’t help but run my fingers along the sides.
With over 30 years of paddling experience, and a decade of building these gems, Jason wanted to go even further, to examine where the canoe fits into Canadian heritage. “Canoes are an integral part of Canadian culture. From aboriginal and early settlement trading routes to Olympic races, or a dad out fishing with his kids, it’s a part of what it means to be Canadian.” Canoe: Icon of the North tells this story.
Authors, historians, artists and Olympic athletes, like John Jennings, Kevin Callan, Becky Mason, Hugh Stewart, Mark Oldershaw and Adam van Koeverden are part of the cast that will come together and share their story of how canoeing enhances in their lives.
Jason, a firm believer that people should follow their passion and build on their skills felt that recent grads would possess the enthusiasm and drive needed to see his project come to light. He’s assembled a brilliant team, all of them bringing their own fondness for canoeing to the project. “This film will not only give you a history of the canoe, but it will bring you into the lives of people who love it and have a true passion for it,” says Corey Saunders, a member of the crew. After many hours together on a lake or around a campfire, the group has become more a family than a film crew.
As we make our way across the lake, a snapping turtle dives into the water next to the boat and we instinctively stop paddling. We’d been chatterboxes since launching the canoe and almost missed the best part – simply taking in our surroundings. Fresh air, nature thriving all around us, soft morning sunlight, friendship and a Jetboil of tea. I think Jason is on to something here.
Visit the website (www.canoemovie.com) and follow the crew on Facebook (www.facebook.com/canoemovie) to find out who they’re interviewing next.
— Find more of Michelle Holmes’ writing at wanderingoff.ca.
