Snowshoe Making with Edwin Bishop
Date: Dec 3
2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm
Where: Theatre
Coffee & Culture
Please note: Due to unforeseen circumstances there will be a change in the format of this event. Mr. Bishop will be joining us virtually, via a video stream in our theatre. He will still be giving a presentation on snowshoe making and there will also be a live interview, followed by a Q & A period that will be facilitated by Dale Jarvis with Heritage NL
Join Edwin Bishop, snowshoe maker, boat builder, painter, author and retired teacher from Heart’s Delight-Islington, as he discusses the practice of snowshoe making. What started as a skill needed to repair his own snowshoes has become a pastime he really enjoys.
Presented in partnership with Heritage NL, folklorist Dale Jarvis, will interview Edwin about the process of making traditional wooden snowshoes, steaming and bending the wood by hand and tying intricate knots. Come out to learn more about this skill, and to see examples of snowshoes from around the province.
Capacity is limited, get your ticket early to secure your spot. You can reserve your ticket online, at the front desk or by calling visitor services at 757-8000.
ASL/English Interpreting Services are available through NLAD by request only to ASLservices@therooms.ca or 709-757-8090. We will do our best to accommodate requests made within two weeks of the scheduled event.
Events & Programs
Join us for an afternoon with Joe Goudie.
The land trappers of Labrador—primarily Innu, Inuit, and settler hunters—lived off the land by trapping animals like fox, marten, and beaver for food and fur.
Using snowshoes, sleds, and later snowmobiles, they followed long traplines through the wilderness, staying in small cabins or tents during the winter months.
Trapping was central to both survival and the fur trade, with furs traded at posts like those run by the Hudson’s Bay Company. The practice blended Indigenous knowledge with settler traditions and shaped life in Labrador for generations. Though less common today, it remains an important part of the region’s heritage.
Tickets: $12 plus HST. Free for Rooms members. Get your tickets online or by calling (709) 757-8090.
About the speaker:
Joe Goudie was born to James and Elizabeth Goudie at Mud Lake, Labrador, in 1939. The family moved to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in 1943, where he graduated high school in 1958.
Joe began working in 1959 as Town Clerk, eventually serving as Town Manager until 1962. He then became manager of an automotive parts supply store until he moved on to become a radio announcer/operator with radio station CFGB Goose Bay until 1973. He then worked in community development with the Company of Young Canadians.
In 1975, Joe was elected as MHA for Naskaupi District in Central Labrador. During that time, he became the first Indigenous Minister to serve on Executive Council until 1985. He then worked in tourism development in Labrador and finished his career as Native Liaison Officer with 5 Wing Goose Bay in 1996.
Joe went on to retrain, learning how to build cedar and canvas canoes. He is now in the final stages of constructing an 18-foot canoe for two of his friends (the final canoe). Among many other accomplishments, Joe was a hunter and trapper and served as Honorary Coronal for 5 Wing Goose Bay.
He holds the Monarch’s Medal for over 50 years of volunteer work, which was presented to him by the Governor General of Canada. His involvement with the community culminated in his admittance to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.