A 30-member team of the K’nawa Association of Guadeloupe visited Dominica on April 10, 2015. The purpose of their visit to Dominica was to begin work on the construction of a second traditional Kalinago dug out canoe or kanawa. Members of the association were assisted by an eight member team of Kalinago naval carpenters who constructed the first kanawa between 2012 and 2013.
On Saturday April 11, 2015, the group travelled to the heights of Syndicate to fell a gommier tree which will be used to construct the vessel. Kalinago naval carpenters will begin the process of preparing the tree for transportation to Portsmouth where construction work will be complete. This kanawa will be 48 feet long and construction is expected to be finished by mid July 2015.
In 2013, French filmmaker Daniel Nlandu Nganga produced a film on the construction of the first kanawa by the Kalinago entitled K’nawa une odysee caribbeenne (K’nawa – a Caribbean odyssey).
French television company Guadeloupe Premiere is expected to produce reports on the progress of the construction of the kanawa in Dominica, for broadcast in Guadeloupe.
For more information on Dominica, contact Discover Dominica Authority at 767 448 2045. Or, visit Dominica’s official website: www.DiscoverDominica.com, follow Dominica on Twitter and Facebook and take a look at our videos on YouTube.
Keep your culture you are awesome!
Great Stuff! Hope we can continue this advanture
Go DA go Kaligano