Herb Rice, a well respected Coast Salish carver speaks on the importance of the cedar tree to his people. The video touches on the various uses of cedar, but also on the relationship with the tree. It is one that often does not exist in high school wood shops. As my final project looks at Indigenous and European values in shop class, this video sheds some light on the different views of materials, consumables and our relationship with them. I have always thought that high school wood shops offer great opportunities to discuss conservation and respect for wood products. Coast Salish approaches to woodworking have these themes embedded in their practice.
