Ma. 'fc//r ' J/ Jo/?/j /?/^^r CarJOf - tr'e /h/Ao/n 



Beam eKfrf/7?r J-f ^ /n//eye ^univcf/ef <^7/ 



Malecite Canoe of the Type Described in This Chapter. This 2S4-fathotn St. John 

 River canoe represents the last Malecite birch-bark model, and usually was fastened with 

 tacks and nails, rather than with root lashings and pegs as described here. 



The use of a bark cover over the gunwale ends has 

 already been mentioned. In some eastern canoes, 

 this was placed under the cap and outwale pieces and 

 extended below the latter in a shallow flap on which 

 the owner's mark or other decoration might appear; 

 the flap was in fact a kind of name board. Such flaps 

 do not appear on the partly decked bark canoes of 

 the Northwest. 



This general description of the structure of the bark 

 canoes is sufficient to permit the explanation of the 

 actual construction of a bark canoe to be more readily 

 understood, and it also serves to illustrate the close con- 

 nection between the method of construction and the 

 formation of the lines, or model, of bark canoes. From 

 the description, too, it can be seen that while the 

 shape of a bark canoe was partially planned during 

 the construction the control of every part of the 

 model could not be maintained with the same degree 

 of precision as in the building of an Eskimo skin boat 

 or an Indian dugout. 



Construction 



One aspect of canoe construction, the Indian meth- 

 od of making measurements, was briefly mentioned 

 (p. 8) under a discussion of the origin of the measure- 

 ment known in French Canada as the brasse. This 

 was the distance from finger-tip to finger-tip of the 

 arms out-stretched; in the fur trade in English times 

 it was known as the fathom and it appears to have 

 been about 64 inches, or less than the nautical 

 fathom of 6 feet. Other measurements used were the 

 greatest width of the ball of the thumb, which is very 

 close to an English inch, and the width of the four 

 fingers, each finger-breadth being close to three- 

 fourths of an English inch. The length of the forearm, 

 usually from the knuckles of the clenched hand to 

 the elbow, was also employed by some Indians, as a 

 convenient measurement. 



Measurements in these units might be memorized 

 and used in building, but many Indians used measur- 



