Resting on his paddle, a Halkomelem Salish man drifts in his little snukhwihl, an all-purpose canoe of the Juan de Fuca and Georgia Straits region. A graceful vessel characterized by a gentler sheer and deep, angular cutwater, it ranged from about two fathoms, or armspreads (about twelve feet), to about five fathoms, or thirty feet in length. This is a small one, very light and handy, drifting lazily on a quiet, fall morning. The paddler is in no hurry, enjoying the gentle movement of the canoe. Soon the sun will burn away the lingering fog, and he will be on his way.