The 13 foot-long bark canoe is made from a Red Gum tree and was carefully crafted by the South East's Aboriginal community.

It all began in 2010 in a paddock in Kalangadoo, when students from Millicent High School joined members of the local Aboriginal community to fashion the first traditional style canoe made in the region in over 100 years.

Major "Moogy" Sumner and his nephew, Cyril Trevorrow, were shown by elders from the Ngarrindgeri community the traditional process of peeling the bark from the tree.

Landcare coordinator for the Aboriginal community's South East Natural Resource Management Board, David New, says the 'Yuki' has been a big source of pride for the community.

"Everybody was fascinated by it, really proud, every time we see the canoe there is just a huge level of excitement," he said.

The process involved an outline of the canoe being drawn onto the tree before being peeled off over six hours.


It was then put in a shed over a fire and dried for three months.

It comes with a paddle which doubles as a spear.

Originally used for hunting, gathering and transport, this replica has been touring regional centres around the state as part of an exhibition for Country Arts SA to promote culture.

So far, it has floated on the Torrens River, Lake McIntyre, the Valley Lake, in Gawler and even Sydney Harbour.


The 'Yuki' is on display at the Main Corner in Mount Gambier accompanied by the screening of a DVD which documents its journey.

The DVD was made by Aboriginal youth from Millicent High School who were trained in multimedia for the project.
Source


Moogy's Yuki (Moogy's Canoe) - trailer from Change Media on Vimeo.