The dye is black.

S'abadeb-Seattle Art Museum The paddle has the name of Princess Angeline, Chief Seattle's daughter, painted on its surface, with the date 1882. In her lifetime, Native canoes were gathered on the Seattle waterfront and used for fishing and visiting and as transport to jobs in the hops and berry fields, canneries, and logging camps. Puget Sound paddles are typically made of maple and are shaped so that they are widest near the center of the blade. Women's paddles, like this one, are smaller and have a rounded diamond shape to the blade, whereas men's paddles have a narrowing tip with an angled point.