Canoe steaming carries on Tlingit and Haida tradition

To transform a hollowed-out log into a dugout canoe requires more than expert carving — it requires steam, and lots of it.
Earlier this week the skies over Eagle Beach in Sitka were filled with smoke and steam, as a carving team worked to transform a cedar dugout into an elegant, seaworthy canoe.
David Katzeek sings and drums alongside the nearly 30- foot long canoe and it’s five-man carving crew. The men stomp their feet to the beat.
Katzeek is a Tlingit leader originally from Kluk