Jesse, If I remember right, Birch was one of the woods preferred for paddles, because it was light, and fairly tough, to handle rocks, and such. Other woods were used also, depending what was available in the area. Different tribes used different styles of blades, and paddle size. Nice job. If you leave the top of the handle thick, and rounded it will give you a more comfortable grip. My opinion anyway. But again, very nice. I like the Sand Hill Crane.
Wayne