An engineering professor at the University of Saskatchewan

An engineering professor at the University of Saskatchewan is using concepts from kayaks, tipis and the longhouse in his courses this year. “It’s long overdue, I think, that we bring in some excellent examples of First Nations history into engineering,” he told the CBC. Sean Maw said there’s a lot from First Nations design that engineers could learn from. “The design of watercraft across Canada by Canada’s Indigenous peoples is a wonderful example of design. You look at the canoes in Ontario and Quebec, the kayaks in northern Canada, the dugouts on the west coast and even the bull boats on the prairies, they’re all excellent examples of engineering design.” He said the designs change dramatically depending on water conditions and what the boats were used for and what resources were available.