Straight and Crooked Canoes, Eastern Cree. 



the sheathing against the endmost rib, in others it was 

 stepped, as in the Micmac canoes, on a frog which 

 rested against the endmost rib. 



In more recent times the sheathing was laid in one 

 of two ways, according to the preference of the builder, 

 but the existence of the two styles suggests that each 

 was once a tribal-group method. One method of 

 shaping the bottom sheathing was to employ a center, 

 or keelson, piece in two lengths, the butts being over- 

 lapped amidships, parallel-sided except toward the 

 stems, where it was tapered to fit the V-sections 

 rather closely. The next strake outboard was short 

 and was in the form of a shallow triangle with its 

 base along the middle portion of the first strakes and 

 about one-third the length of the bottom. Its apex 

 was under the middle thwart. The next strake out- 

 board was in two lengths lapped amidships, parallel 

 sided along the arms of the triangular strake, and 

 snied off at the ends to fit along the sides of the first 

 strake. Another strake outboard of this was similar 

 in form and position, but longer. Thus seven strake 

 widths would complete the bottom sheathing. The 



side sheathing was narrow and slightly tapered; each 

 strake in two lengths overlapped slightly amidships. 

 The ends of the topside sheathing ran well into the 

 ends, in most canoes, where they apparently served 

 as stiffening. The second method of sheathing 

 employed parallel-sided strakes throughout, laid side 

 by side on the bottom, with the ends snied off to fit 

 the form of the bark bottom. The existence of a model 

 canoe made about 1850 (see p. 91) supports the 

 theory that the first method was originally the Mon- 

 tagnais tribal construction and that the more primitive 

 second method was probably Cree or Nascapee. 



The ribs were preformed and fitted to the canoe 

 after drying out. They were bent to the desired shape 

 in pairs and tied with a thong across the ends to hold 

 their shape while drying. Some builders inserted a 

 strut inside the bent ribs, parallel to the thong, pro- 

 tecting the surface of the inner rib by a pad of bark 

 placed under each end of the strut. The pair of ribs 

 might also be wrapped with a bark cord to help hold 

 them together. To aid in handling, one pair of ribs 

 might be nested inside another. As in eastern canoes 



105 



