BIRCH BARK CANOES by Mahigan

Latest Updates: Marcel is currently working on a canoe College Boréal, 21 Boulevard Lasalle, Sudbury. Keep an eye on the Canoe Gallery for updates on his progress!

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Birch Bark Canoes by Mahigan
Marcel Labelle is proud of his Metis heritage. His mother is Iroquois and French and his father is Algonquin and French. Marcel grew up in Northern Ontario and spent most of his childhood on the trap line. This is where he learned how to live with and from the forest. Today he builds traditional Birch Bark Canoes and demonstrates his craft at many venues. He also instructs a course in the Indigenous Studies field at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. He is supported by the Metis Nation of Ontario through their Training Initiatives Program. He is also the recipient of an 2008 OAC(Ontario Arts Council) Aboriginal Arts Projects grant towards Birch Bark Canoe Building. He received the highest individual amount for an OAC grant recipient Aboriginal Arts Project, 2009.
The Art of Storytelling

February 25, 26 and 27th, 2010 Marcel was asked to speak at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in New York City.
  1. Smithsonian Museum Story
  2. Mahigan shares his knowledge at the Smithsonian (article)

School Demonstrations
Invite Marcel into your school to speak to your students about his Metis way of life.
Special Events
Come out and meet Marcel at one of the many events that he attends each year.
Event Galleries
View pictures and information for Marcel's past appearances

Contact:

Marcel Labelle
1-519-848-3804
e-mail: mahi_gan@hotmail.com