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A
report by Sarah Harman
8th grade Social Studies, March 2007.
Before There Were Roads
A paddle is quietly dipped into the water and gently pulled back,
sending little ripples across the surface of the lake. The rhythmic
motion has a calming affect on seemingly everything. The reflection
of the moon is momentarily disrupted as it slowly flows through it.
Whether it be a symbol of peace or war, past or present, good
memories or hardships; the tradition of canoes has played a big part
of North American history.
Canoes have been a symbol of peace, tranquility, and North
American history for hundreds of years. Throughout everyone’s life
they will most likely be faced with the need, or even the urge to
cross a body of water. Because of the invention of bridges,
motorboats, and planes the need for hand-powered boats is no longer
as large as it once was. But Native Americans did not have these
luxuries. Different types of canoes evolved across the land, varying
in shape design and materials depending on the region. Some people
still build boats the traditional way using whole logs for dugouts or
animal hide for skin boats. Others, like my dad, build canoes using
more modern methods. No matter what the style or age, canoes are
important to American heritage.
Canoes are often a symbol of North America because of the large
role it played it it’s history. “No single object did more to mix
European and early North American cultures than the canoe.”
(Poling). Canoes evolved all over the continent ranging from skin
boats in the Alaskan artic, dugouts in the northwest and Caribbean,
and birch bark in the mid west. The most notable is the birch bark
canoe because of the big role it played in the fur trade and North
American exploration. 30-foot freighter could carry eight men and
three metric tons of supplies including furs, food and dried meat,
and traps. Native Americans were very important to trappers during
the fur trade because they knew how to build and repair canoes, where
to set traps at what time of year and most importantly, how to
survive in the north woods. Canoes, for many, were better means of
transportation. Because of all the bodies of water in the area it was
easier to have them work for you than having to work around them.
Also they were repairable, if a horse breaks out in the woods it
can’t be fixed. Trappers appreciated the quiet nature of canoes as
well because it made it easier to sneak up on animals they were
stalking. Sometimes canoes were use in warfare. Most of the time
water battles were not planed because of the fragile nature of the
boats. However when Benedict Arnold attacked Quebec in 1775 he did so
with his men in 40 birch bark canoes. Although he was easily beaten
back, it was one of the first big attacks where canoes were used in
North American history. Canoes were a small but important piece of
the puzzle that makes North American history.
Through the years technology has changed everything, even the
construction of canoes. Before the introduction of brass and copper
fastenings native Americans had to use materials such as sap, roots
and wooden pegs in the construction of their boats. Birch bark canoes
could damage easily so when they were not being used their owners
would weigh them down with rocks and sink them in rivers or lakes.
Because of the lack of air the boat would be perfectly persevered and
safe from rot and wear and tear of wind and falling objects. With all
the white men coming to America they brought with them metal and many
other materials that made canoe building much easier, but many stuck
with the old ways that the natives taught them because the supplies
were more readily avaible. In the early 1890’s, though, the
Maliseet Indians began to switch to canvas covering and copper
fastenings as opposed to birch bark and sap. Most people today use
canvas, filler, and paint to cover their canoes because it is easier
to get and is much more durable. With metal fastenings being more
avaible today it makes it easy to mass-produce canoes and some
businesses have made literally thousands of canoes. The oldest and
most know, that still makes wood canvas canoes, is Old Town Canoe
Company. Although they make plastic boats now, forms for wood canvas
Old Towns are still out there and easy to find information on. In
general the building process has not changed much, the introduction
of new and better materials has only made building a canoe easier.
Although canoes do not play as big of a role in everyone’s life
as they once did they are still quite popular. In the summer Olympics
there are two different canoe racing events. One is flat water racing
for time. The fastest team across a lake is the winner. Another type
of canoe racing is white water. There is a series of gates along a
river or man-made course that the racers must pass through with out
touching them with any part of their boat or body. Different people
enjoy a calmer recreation though. Many enjoy just going out for a
day, or maybe a long weekend, just to paddle a lake or a calm river.
Others may use them for rescues during floods or other disasters
because they are convenient and easy to maneuver. Canoes may no
longer be important to everyday life but are still used by many for
recreation.
My dad, Eric Harman, is continuing the tradition of wooden canoes
through his business, Harman Canoe. He built his first canoe, a Mic
Mac cedar strip, in the spring of 1974. His interests in canoes were
sparked by the ones they had at the summer camp he attended as a kid.
My Dad’s favorite project so far is a 17-foot Forester wood canvas
canoe of his own design. “It’s the light weight and shape of this
one more than others” (Harman Eric R. Interview). Weight is very
important because canoes need to be able to be carried with some ease
for long trips and potages. Other than building canoes my dad also
restores and repairs old boats. His favorite restoration job was on a
rowboat built in about 1950. It was in terrible shape when he got it,
coated with several layers of paint, rotted deck, and a few broken
ribs. It took gallons of paint remover and hours of scraping just to
get the paint off. After that it took several long hours of sanding,
polishing hardware, and varnishing inside and out to complete the
job. When he returned it to it’s owner he could barely believe that
the boat that was being handed to him was the same one as the on that
he had left at my dad’s shop several months earlier. My dad’s
trade may be small and unusual but he gets lots of business and the
reaction of people toward the quality of the craftsmanship makes it
all worthwhile.
From the early North American natives to people like my dad today,
canoes have been apart of people’s lives. Although often overlooked
in America’s history, they played an important role, bringing jobs,
enjoyment, and art to many.
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This report was also published in the Sept-Oct 2007 issue of Shavings
(a bi-monthly newsletter by The Center for Wooden Boats).
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