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Canoes: A Natural History in North America

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

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ISBN(s)
  • 9780816681174 (hardcover)
Subject
  • Literature
  • Native American Studies
  • Regional Studies
  • Cultural Studies
  • History
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Section

  • Foreword1
  • Introduction8
  • Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes27
  • Sidebar: Napolean Sanford5
  • Chapter 2: Birch-Bark Canoes43
  • Sidebar: Elm-Bark Canoes2
  • Sidebar: The Oldest Birch-Bark Canoe2
  • Chapter 3: The Fur Trade31
  • Sidebar: The Algonquin Fur Trade3
  • Sidebar: Frances Anne Hopkins1
  • Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes54
  • Sidebar: Jule Fox Marshall6
  • Chapter 5: Wood-and-Canvas Canoes56
  • Sidebar: Tom Seavey4
  • Sidebar: Canoe Sails2
  • Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes30
  • Sidebar: Canoe Patents5
  • Sidebar: Canoes in Wartime2
  • Sidebar: Square-Stern Canoes3
  • Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement32
  • Sidebar: Paddles2
  • Sidebar: Canoe Packs2
  • Chapter 8: Canoe Tripping25

Keyword

  • birch bark60
  • construction35
  • Maine32
  • New York30
  • dugout30
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  • Adney, Edwin Tappan11
  • Sims, Norman10
  • Hopkins, Frances Anne5
  • Rader, Charles5
  • Stoddard, Seneca Ray5
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    • photograph202
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    • painting33
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    • catalog cover5
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    • book cover1
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    • engraving1
    • lithograph after painting1
    • newspaper article1
    • patent illustration1
    • stereograph1
    • wood cut engraving1

  • video3

    • film3

  • audio1

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This woodcut illustration of a Taino dugout canoe first appeared in Girolamo Benzoni’s La Historia del Mondo Nuovo in 1562. It is titled Modo di nauigare nel Mare di Tramontana, or “navigating into the north wind.” Since the canoe and paddle shapes are not accurate, this illustration probably came from Columbus’s written description rather than from personal contact.

Modo di nauigare nel Mare di Tramontana

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

Woodcut illustration of a Taino dugout canoe, Girolamo Benzoni’s La Historia del Mondo Nuovo, 1562.

This drawing by John White dates between 1585 and 1593, and was probably intended to display a bounteous scene to encourage English colonists. Inscribed “The manner of their fishing.” The Algonquin of North Carolina used dugout canoes to harvest fish from February to May. The word “cannow” is written on the hull of the boat.

The Manner of Their Fishing

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

Drawing by John White (~1585–1593), inscribed The manner of their fishing and A Cannow.

An etching of two men working with steam to hollow a dugout. Men in the background fell trees with fires.

The Manner of Makinge Their Boates

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

The Manner of Makinge Their Boates, Theodor de Bry, 1590.

A Florida dugout canoe and typical Timucua houses are shown in a 1591 engraving by Theodor de Bry after Jacques Le Moyne.

Florida Dugout Canoe and Typical Timucua Houses

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

Florida dugout canoe and typical Timucua houses, 1591, engraving by Theodor de Bry after Jacques Le Moyne.

In one of the earliest views of New York, this woodcut by Kryn Frederycks, titled T’ Fort Nieuw Amsterdam op de Manhatans, depicts native dugouts amidst European sailing vessels, ca. 1626.

T’Fort Nieuw Amsterdam op de Manhatans

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

Kryn Frederycks woodcut titled T’ Fort Nieuw Amsterdam op de Manhatans, ca. 1626.

An illustrated map.

Map of New France

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

Samuel de Champlain, Map of New France, 1632.

An illustrated color map of the Great Lakes region.

Partie occidentale du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

Jean Baptiste Nolin and Vincenzo Coronelli, Partie occidentale du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France, (Paris: J. B. Nolin, 1688).

A drawing depicting several elm-bark canoes and an oar.

Elm-Bark Canoes of New France

From Sidebar: Elm-Bark Canoes

The Baron of Lahontan (Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce) drew this description of the Iroquois' elm-bark canoes for a three-volume memoir of his time in New France, which ended in 1693.

A color portrait of Louis, XIV wearing fur.

Portrait of Louis, XIV

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

After Hyacinthe Rigaud, Portrait of Louis, XIV, after 1701.

A map depicting much of America.

Le Cours du Missisipi

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

Nicholas de Fer, Le Cours du Missisipi, 1718.

A map of the British possessions in North America.

A New and Exact Map of the Dominions of the King

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

John Bowles, Thomas Bowles and Herman Moll, A New and Exact Map of the Dominions of the King, 1731.

A black and white illustration of a Furrier. Four people gather around a counter and a bundle of fur, as a man beats a pelt with a rod in the corner.

Furrier

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

Denis Diderot's depiction of a Parisien furrier from his L’Encyclopie, 1751–1757

John Webber, Tereoboo, King of Owyhee, bringing presents to Capt. Cook, c. 1773-1784. This watercolor depicts the distinctive “crab-claw” sail of the Owyhee (now Hawai’i) island double hull canoes. Artist John Webber traveled with Captain James Cook’s third voyage to the Pacific in 1776-1780.

Tereoboo, King of Owyhee, bringing presents to Capt. Cook

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

John Webber, Tereoboo, King of Owyhee, bringing presents to Capt. Cook.

An engraving of a sea otter on a beach.

Sea Otter Engraving, 1780

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

Sea otter engraving, 1780.

An illustration of pearl divers and canoes in the water.

Pearl Diving

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

French explorers witnessed the pearl diving industry in the Caribbean, where the newcomers got a glimpse of the native dugouts used in the activity.

A map of Alexander Mackenzie’s routes from Montreal to Fort Chipewyan and then onward to the Arctic Ocean in 1789 and to the Pacific Ocean in 1793. Published by Mackenzie in 1801.

Alexander Mackenzie's Routes

From Chapter 8: Canoe Tripping

A map of Alexander Mackenzie’s routes from Montreal to Fort Chipewyan and then onward to the Arctic Ocean in 1789 and to the Pacific Ocean in 1793. Published by Mackenzie in 1801.

This 1822 watercolor from the Manitoba Museum’s Hudson’s Bay Company Collection, illustrates a canot du maître carrying two officers.

Canot du maître

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

This 1822 watercolor from the Manitoba Museum’s Hudson’s Bay Company Collection, illustrates a canot du maître carrying two officers.

An oil painting of two fur traders and an animal in a canoe.

Fur Traders Descending the Missouri

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

George Caleb Bingham, Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, 1845. Oil on canvas, 73.7 × 92.7 cm.

An oil painting of Cartier and crew on canoes in the water; larger ships are in the background.

Jacques Cartier Discovering the St. Lawrence River

From Chapter 2: Birch-Bark Canoes

Jean Antoine Theodore Gudin, Jacques Cartier Discovering the St. Lawrence River, 1847. Oil on canvas, 142 x 266 cm.

A painting of a canoe being portaged up a rocky hill.

The Mountain Portage

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

Paul Kane, The Mountain Portage, 1849–56. Oil on canvas, 64 × 51 cm.

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