Canoes are one of the amazing indigenous inventions and are found in many different cultures. Garry Todd describes bark canoes as the most amazing watercraft ever developed. Western bark canoes were a round-sided, tumblehome design, wide on the bottom with curved sides, while eastern canoe builders used a bent frame made with heated wood. Pilot Don Todd began flying twin engine aircraft in Inuvik, then spent time flying on other continents. Indigenous ancestors were great navigators, a skill also needed by pilots. Don gives some education tips for aspiring pilots. Kai shows us how to make a spindle whorl, invented by indigenous ancestors to spin wool, fur, and soft inner cedar bark into yarn for blankets and clothing. Next we see a traditional birchbark canoe being constructed. Chickasaw Nation astronaut, John Herrington, describes the canoeing traditions of the Polynesian people. 3000 years ago, they migrated in ocean-going sailing canoes from East Asia to Tonga and Samoa, then they went on westward to Tahiti, Hawai’i, Rapa Nui and Aotearoa (New Zealand). They needed scientific knowledge to navigate using the stars, the sun, winds and currents.

pt. 1. Canoes/Technology: Coyote Science -- pt. 2. Birchbark Canoes: Elder Stories -- pt. 3. Pilot Don Todd -- pt. 4. Weaving Tech: Kai's Hacks -- pt. 5. Polynesian Canoeing Traditions: Indigenous Science with John Herrington.