American Native canoe maker dedicated to preserving his culture and our planet

Valliere attaching a piece of canvas to the end of the traditional Ojibwe canoe he is constructing inside an academic building at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Photos: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Wayne Valliere picks up a long, thin spruce root – lovingly soaked, stretched and whittled into ribbon-like smoothness.

Normally, he would be using the root to sew a traditional Ojibwe canoe, but, for the moment, he is making a point: The root is actually quite fragile. With a few tugs, he snaps it into pieces.