Building a Birchbark Canoe By David Gidmark. Gidmark is one of the few outsiders to have learned the ancient craft of birchbark canoe making from the Algonquins and he not only shares this skill but invites readers to appreciate the cultural significance of an elegant and practical craft that might otherwise be lost to history. This is one of the most significant studies of the Algonquin birchbark canoes and their construciton published to date. Meticulously detailed descriptions of the step-by-step construction methods of traditional builders provide a penetrating insight into regional variations of the basic Algonquin repertoire. PB. 127 pgs.