The Institute for Community Leadership recently celebrated the completion of an ocean going canoe as a part of its cultural celebration.

On Sept. 24 more than 150 people gathered at the O’Dell Education Center in Kent to finish painting the 32-foot canoe. The event, which was also attended by representatives from the city of Kent, included a barbeque and organically grown food.

“(It was) very successful,” said Brice Phillips, community organizer at the Institute. “A lot of people got to participate in painting (the canoe).”

The canoe was built from a 1,000-year-old windfall cedar tree. It was first worked on in Taholah where Kent and Covington students would travel on weekends to help with its construction under the guidance of Quinault master carver Guy Capoeman. Other organizations such as the Muckelshoot Tribe and Cub Scout Troop 407 helped with the project as well.

Nyla Rosen, who works for the Institute, explained the canoe’s primary purpose is education, both culturally and artistically. They intend to take the canoe to schools to display.

“We’ll be taking it out on some lakes,” Phillips said. “(We want) to show it to a lot of people.”

The event was also a tribute to Randy Capoeman, Guy Capoeman’s uncle, who was also on the Institute’s Board of Directors. The canoe is named “R.S. Capoeman” in his honor.

Randy Capoeman, who died from cancer several years ago, was directly responsible for the reintroduction of woodcrafts in the Quinault Tribe. The totem pole he carved for Institute, which is still there today, was the first one made in the tribe in 50 years.

Phillips attributes a variety of factors to the lack of woodworking, most of which was poverty.

“(There was) a lot of depression,” he said. “They (totem poles) were pretty close to being lost.”

Phillips described Randy Capoeman as “Very friendly, very talkative, always had a story to tell. Very patient kind of person, very good parent to his kids. (He) had a great sense of humor.”

His strong spiritual and religious beliefs, Phillips added, was a part of what inspired him to carve.

“He could see the value in giving people a sense of pride,” he said. “That was a big part of his message. Do good things with your time. Be productive.”

Before he died, Capoeman also made philosophical statements to the students.

“You are what you get up in the morning thinking about,” Phillips said, quoting Capoeman.