High hopes for new tipi
Structure aims to be world's tallest, includes ancient 750-year-old wood
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, September 15, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
It took all of five days for an empty pad of concrete at Fort Simpson's arbour to turn into what may be the tallest wooden tipi in the world.
Peter Arnold, left, stands beside Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Jerry Antoine and Bryan Reid Sr. as the Timber Kings work crew nears completion on Fort Simpson's new tipi. - April Hudson/NNSL photo
|
Estimates put the structure between 15 and 17 metres in height, built with yellow cedar logs, one of which came from a tree that was more than 750 years old.
The structure replaces a tipi that was torn down last year. Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Jerry Antoine said the community wanted to rebuild it.
"There was a lot of conversation about it, and one of the key elements was rebuilding the community," he said.
"This is something that really is a part of our community, and we had the privilege of hosting the event."
Working on the advice of band members and elders who reminded the council of the arbour's status as an historical gathering place, Antoine said the band decided to move forward with the construction. The key people behind the project, he added, were Kele Antoine and William Michaud, who both sit on the band council.
They brought in Timber Kings, a company based out of Williams Lake, B.C., to construct the structure. The company has been in business for 43 years and is filming a fourth season of its reality TV show for HGTV. It airs in 150 countries, according to owner Bryan Reid Sr., and this season will include the Fort Simpson project.
Reid was part of a four-man crew who worked on the tipi. His crewmates included Peter Arnold, Alan Stusrud and Renato Klarer. They worked 12-hour days to get the tipi done.
Reid said the yellow cedar is resistant to rot and insects and should last hundreds of years. The ancient logs are "going to good use," he said.
"They're going to live forever."
The tipi marks a first for Timber Kings, which is well-versed in building log cabins but has never tackled a tipi before.
On Sept. 14, when asked about the timeline for the project, Reid said the project had gone smoothly so far.
"We've never done one of these before, so we're not a minute too soon or a minute too late," he said.
"And the community has been more than supportive - it's like the drive-in theatre. It's all over the territory, and that's very gratifying for us."
Knowing logistics would be a challenge, the team brought a trailer full of equipment, including special fasteners and tools that
they weren't sure they would be able to get locally.
"We try to keep (the structure) looking as perfect as humanly possible," Reid said.
Reid said he's been camping out in a motor home on-site while his crewmates bunked down at the Mackenzie Rest Inn.
"I thought, you know, it's such a good view in the motorhome," he said. "The mornings here have been spectacular, and the evenings. (The camera crew) is getting a lot of footage."
Antoine said over the week construction was taking place he felt a positive energy in the community.
"There have been a lot of young people coming over," he said. That included classes from the elementary and high school, which were also present during a Sept. 15 fire-feeding ceremony and drum dance at the arbour where community members celebrated the construction.
"It's really positive for the community and is generating a lot of conversation and ideas," Antoine said.
The structure fell into place just days before the 29th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to Fort Simpson. Antoine said the tipi is one of a number of projects the community will be working to rebuild.
During the Sept. 15 ceremony, Wrigley elder Angus Ekenale sang a special song to honour the ancient spirit of the 750-year-old tree.
After the ceremony, the hundreds of people and youth who gathered at the arbour filed past one-by-one to shake the hands of the men responsible for the construction, as well as the drummers.
According to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, project organizers hope to establish the wooden tipi as the world's tallest upon its completion.
