Canoes: A Natural History in North America

Neuzil, Mark; Sims, Norman

Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims

2016

This is the story of the canoe, that singular American artifact so little changed over time. Featured here are canoes old and new, from birch bark to dugout to carbon fiber; the people who made them; and the adventures they shared. With features of technology, industry, art, and survival, the canoe carries us deep into the natural and cultural history of North America.

Follow author Mark Neuzil on Twitter: @mrneuzil

A black-and-white photograph of two figures. A line is cut down the center of the downed log and they are peeling the bark from the tree.

Splitting the Bark

From Chapter 2: Birch-Bark Canoes

Splitting the bark from a down tree took a light touch and patience.

A black-and-white photograph of a figure holding a roll of birch bark on their back.

Rolling the Bark

From Chapter 2: Birch-Bark Canoes

Native builders would roll the stripped birch bark into a backpack of sorts, secure it with roots, and carry it back to the canoe-making camp. This individual with the pack is identified as Cheemaun of an Ojibwe tribe in Wisconsin.

Canoes: A Natural History in North America

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Splitting the Bark

Rolling the Bark