BIRCHY BAY -
Until he was 22 years old, David Mercer had never even seen a pair of snowshoes let alone used them, and he had certainly not conceived of making them.
When he moved to Badger from St. John's as a new teacher in 1973, he soon realized that "living in central Newfoundland in winter means if you want to enjoy the outdoors you better have a pair snowshoes."
Then he began to think, "I could make these. It took me two years of trial and error but I did it, and I kept the first pair I ever made."
Since then Mr. Mercer, who now calls Birchy Bay home, has made many pairs of different styles and he has taught others how to make them as both curricular and extra-curricular activities. In 2004 he began building replicas of Beothuk snowshoes. The Beothuk snowshoes were the result of an extensive research process and they have been certified as a "Craft of Character" by the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.
When Mr. Mercer had wanted to find a way to approach snowshoe building from a traditional Newfoundland perspective, he began to investigate if the Beothuk had a particular type of snowshoe. He started at the Newfoundland Museum. They sent him to Memorial University's history department, who in turn directed him to Dr. Ingeborg Marshall, a preeminent authority when it comes to the Beothuk. Dr. Marshall is the author of A History and Ethnography of the Beothuk. She received the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador for her work on Beothuk culture, and she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from MUN.
When Mr. Mercer approached Dr. Marshall with his question, he learned that she had some papers from her previous research that hadn't been addressed through any of her published work. Mr. Mercer explained that during her research in England Dr. Marshall had come across papers published in 1876 by anthropologist T.G.B. Lloyd. At that time, Mr. Lloyd had drawn a diagram of a Beothuk snowshoe based on an interview he had with John Peyton Jr. on Exploits Island in the early 1870s.
Dr. Marshall sent Mr. Mercer a copy of the diagram and he set about to make it. Dr. Marshall mentored him throughout the project. He built a sample and brought it in to show her and discuss the details. He travelled back and forth to St. John's frequently during the research process. As part of his investigation and experimentation "she insisted I do a research paper."
Although he thought he'd finished with that kind of research and writing after retiring, Mr. Mercer soon found himself deeply involved.
"Once I got at it I really enjoyed it," he said.
The process
Through this process he was able to become an authority in his own right on the construction processes and features of Beothuk snowshoes.
The snowshoe frame is made with birch. Mr. Mercer carefully selects straight trees, and using metal wedges he splits the birch along the grain into long narrow pieces. The birch pieces are boiled in an open cooker to soften the wood for bending. The webbing for the snowshoes is made of caribou skin. The skin must be scraped, dried, and have the hair removed. The skin is cut into thin strips that are soaked in water and then knotted and woven into the frame of the snowshoe. The snowshoe is finished with a surface of red ochre that Mr. Mercer retrieved from the edge of a brook flowing into Red Indian Lake. Each pair of snowshoes takes him approximately 30 hours to build.
He has made a total of six pairs of the Beothuk snowshoes to date. Two pairs were given to his sons, one pair is owned by The Rooms, and one pair is located at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd's Cove. One pair is also in a private collection in St. John's and Mr. Mercer currently owns the last finished pair. He does have about 10 frames bent in anticipation of possibly making more of these snowshoes in the future.
Wearing the Beothuk snowshoes is not an activity for the timid. At 5 ? feet long and 16? inches across, they are impressive. Having tried them out himself, Mr. Mercer claims they are "a cadillac snowshoe".
"I was surprised at how well they work, the bearing power is awesome," he said. "I estimate they could support up to 300 lbs in soft snow conditions with no problem."
After the completion of his research process and the creation of the snowshoe, Mr. Mercer's work was authenticated by Dr. Marshall. In a letter to the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, Dr. Marshall wrote, "Altogether, I believe that the Beothuk snowshoes that Mr. Mercer has constructed are as authentic as can be achieved - given the incomplete records - and that by producing an actual replica of this unique type Mr. Mercer has significantly contributed to our understanding of this aspect of Beothuk culture."
During the years Mr. Mercer was a teacher he taught physical education, social studies, science and woodworking. In 1981 he began teaching the new curriculum course called Cultural Heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador.
"I piloted that course along with another teacher at the high school in Springdale; at that school all level one students did the course, it was a requirement. And every student who went through the program made a pair of snowshoes," he said.
Now the Department of Education is changing that program and developing a new curriculum. Mr. Mercer says it is "designed more towards a history of Newfoundland's culture, currently in its pilot stage."
At their request, Mr. Mercer has provided the Department with a copy of his research paper and photographs, and he has signed a release for them to use his materials.
"As a retired teacher I'm quite happy for it to go into the text book, and I think a copy of my paper should go into every school library in Newfoundland," said Mr. Mercer.
As Newfoundland and Labrador students continue to learn about their province's history,
Mr. Mercer's work will have its place as a valuable component in the understanding and appreciation of Beothuk culture.
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