Traditional Canoe Building Demonstration

About the Demonstration:

Join Luke Russell, proud Gringai Worimai man as he demonstrates the practice of  Kuueeyung, the traditional bark canoe in an all day event.

Luke will build a traditional and functional bark canoe from recently sourced and natural materials.

Drop in throughout the day to watch the demonstration as Luke kindly shares his cultural knowledge.

Free event, drop in

Launch of the Canoe:

The Canoe will be launched in Newcaslte Harbour on Thursday 27 December and is open to the public.
 

About Luke Russell:

I am Luke Russell. A very proud Gringai/Worimai man. I am unbelievably privileged to have been given the opportunity to learn and pass on the ingenious knowledge of my old people. One of those practices is the Kuueeyung, The traditional bark canoe. Starting from scratch, with only 3 paragraphs written 100 years ago, I have worked tirelessly to re-construct this amazing tool that was utilised by my and all coastal people. It has been a pleasure to get to a point where I can show both the simplicity and the complexity of my old people's knowledge. My family and I are dedicated to re-awakening the true language, stories, artefacts and practices of our people and in turn, that of this language group.
 
I look forward to sharing what I have learnt.