Have you Hugged
a Tree Lately? This is the one!
The Heritage Tree
by Mike
Madigan
Hello Newfoundlanders around the world! Have you hugged a tree lately?
This is the one! Have you heard of the Heritage Tree totem pole? The
totem pole started its life as a 363 year old cedar tree, felled by
Newfoundlanders living in British Columbia. The tree was then cut into
a log weighting 9 tons and measuring 65 feet long by five feet wide,
and brought right across Canada to Newfoundland where it now stands,
fully carved, on Newfoundland soil.
Trevor Bennett, a real walking historian, had a dream ... he had the
idea of carving the history of Newfoundland and Labrador on a tree for
generations to come. He realized his dream thanks to the help from and
the great skill of artisans du bois Bernard Benoit, Scott Butt,
Colin Mahoney, Norman Young and Craig Strang, all Newfoundlanders.
The totem pole, the only one of its kind in the province, houses 56
exquisitely detailed carvings that depict over 1000 years of the history
of Newfoundland and Labrador. From Leif Erikkson in 1000A.D., to the
Maritime Archaic Indians from ancient times; from Sir Wilfred Grenfell
to Hibernia, it's all there. The totem pole stands straight and tall
just off the Trans Canada Highway, at exit 8, about 6 kilometres east
of Corner Brook, at Steady Brook and Marble Mountain.
The project is now in Phase Two, which involves getting the grounds
ready and the interpretation panels in place.We need lots of ideas,
suggestions and a donation would help too! If every Newfoundlander sent
a loonie, we'd have enough for two more trees. That would be fantastic
as our committee was given 190 suggestions for things to put on the
tree and we only had room for 56. Sure, we have whales and puffins and
moose but we don't have a pine marten! Shocking! But we only had so
much room.
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But the first Heritage Tree is up, standing proud, fully carved and
magnificent. The rest of the project will happen over time, but we need
your help. Let the world know! Help spread the news of your Heritage
Tree to Newfoundlanders and to others. Yes, your Heritage Tree.
Experts say that this cedar pole can last outdoors and stand strong
and solid for approximately 250 years! Your grandchildren and great
grandchildren and theirs to follow can appreciate our wonderful history
and culture for a long time to come.
The Sharecroppers
have a nice song out about the Tree. The words
were written by Trevor Bennett and Charlene Benoit, the 14 year old
daughter of Bernard Benoit, an amazing artist and wood carver, responsible
for about 48% of the artwork and carving on the Tree. The song was sung
at the officialng ceremonies for the Tree and well received. It's
a nice song and very meaningful, especially as it's written by one so
young (Charlene) and one much older (Trevor) who was the inspiration
for the Tree.
So drop into the web site or better still, drop into the real site/sight
and stay a while. The park is free: the picnic tables, the pond (bring
your canoe), the playground, the barbeque pits, the hiking on Marble
Mountain, the view of Steady Brook falls. Yes, it's all free, at no
cost to you but your time to stop, relax, appreciate, explore, learn,
admire the artwork, and just to be. Give us a call when you get there.
For more information, check out the Heritage Tree website,
or contact us at:
The Heritage Tree
P.O. Box 202
Steady Brook, NF
A2H 2N2
Canada
(709) 634-3474 or (709) 686-5427
You can also contact Mike Madigan at mike_madigan
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