Featured story: "The Kayak's Cultural Journey"
Master luthier Mike Morgan turned his lifetime knowledge of woodworking to making traditional kayaks and other small "skin boats" by hand, replicating and building on age-old Indigenous designs.
Dear Friends,
After a lifetime spent designing and repairing musical instruments, Mike Morgan redirected his woodworking skills to making kayaks and other "skin boats" by hand. And, it seems, plenty of Morgan’s fellow boatbuilders are putting time into preserving the skin boat’s traditional form. Because some of these boats build upon age-old designs used by Indigenous peoples for millennia, this trend begs an uncomfortable question: Who owns the kayak’s story? An newcomer who is white and, while enthusiastic, has no ethnic ties to the tradition? Or Indigenous peoples who may or may not have maintained much interest in sustaining their traditions?
I hope you will enjoy this week’s feature story, "The Kayak's Cultural Journey," written by Simon Morris.
In other news, we are working on some exciting new offerings for our forthcoming reader-supported publication here on Substack. This won’t change most of our regular weekly stories, which we have always kept free of ads, and offered at no charge. We’re simply adding another layer of rich, unique content that we hope our readers will be inspired to support. More on all of this very soon.
Our Spring issue will continue through the end of May. Each Friday until then, as is our custom, we will release a feature story, short article, mini-documentary, photo essay, or podcast that relates to our mission — to “create a world built to last.” Along with stories that speak to each issue’s theme, we always have works on other topics, so please, stay tuned.
In the meantime, I hope you'll always find something intriguing to read, watch, or listen to within our pages. We welcome your thoughts via email, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Thank you for reading and sharing our stories, for donating to our cause when you can, and for being such a loyal part of the Craftsmanship community.
Be well,
Todd Oppenheimer
Editor & Publisher, Craftsmanship Quarterly
Spring 2023: The Future of Craftsmanship
Look at almost anything you own of real quality, and you immediately see its maker's commitment to beauty, functionality, and longevity. Those values, which in our mind define works of craftsmanship, are being aggressively tested these days, as more and more material goods exhibit shoddy workmanship, and are not made to last. The trash this creates not only damages our environment, it also erodes the principles of excellence that advance us, both individually and collectively. In this issue, we introduce you to some brave souls and organizations that are fighting to preserve, and expand, the intelligence in our hands.