Above: Kyle Slabb braiding bark into rope. Very few still possess this knowledge – thanks to veteran paddler Mark Matthews I met Bundjalung canoemaker Kyle Slabb, who does. As it happens, there was a suitable bark canoe tree in my backyard but the year was too dry to make a viable gundal. There is talk now all along the Sea Eagle songline of canoe making, of connecting through the canoe over the saltwater again. A story of connection – between the Saltwater people, between generations, between black and white, between land, sea and sky.

Source: The Guardian May 05, 2018 22:28 UTC