CEDAR… from tree to landing entrance

Morningstar’s Journal
12 September 1998

I peeled my first log today. The little instruction I received was from Cesar’s wife Lee as she handed me their long-handled ‘spud’ and left with these parting words, “Push it under the bark and pry up. You’ll see. It will become obvious to you.” Easy for her to say. But I had wanted to peel these cedar logs myself. Now let’s see how obvious peeling a log can be. Should I start at the top or bottom? Work from right to left or the other way around? I forced the chisel-like blade under three layers - outer and inner bark and the cambium - pried up and pushed forward, separating them from the sapwood beneath. Sometimes I could peel away long continuous strips - other times, it was a struggle, especially around the knots. My hands became sticky with sap and smelled of cedar resin - a good smell. And there was a sense of satisfaction in watching the smooth creamy white sapwood appear from under the rough bark.

As I worked, I thought about what I had read in a book called CEDAR by Hilary Stewart; how important the cedar tree was in the lives of the First Nations’ People. They used every part of the tree: roots for baskets, bark for clothing, timber for post-and-beam houses and ocean-going canoes, withes for rope, lashings and sewing. They were so dependent upon the cedar that it was considered the “tree of life” and they addressed the supernatural spirit of the cedar as “Long Life Maker” and “Healing Woman.”

My thoughts are also reflective. What is my connection with all of this? I remember the day I chose this tree; the day I spoke to it when it stood tall in the forest, and the day I watched it fall to the ground. This is not something I went to the lumberyard to buy. I am personally involved with this tree and it is with a sense of responsibility and respect that I work with it now, learning to peel bark in the hot afternoon sun.
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Several days later Cesar planed and notched the peeled cedar poles. Then with only blocks of wood, rope, a come-a-long, and muscle, Bob, Cesar, and Bob Wilson put up the first cedar section to form the entrance to Morningstar’s Landing. (My Bob wears the green shirt.)

... P. L. Morningstar