hoffman] CANOE MAKING 293 



in a straight course by following each stroke with a slight outward turn, 

 thus compensating for the divergence of the bow from a true course. 



When a second oarsman is present, he occupies the bow and uses his 

 paddle at the opposite side to that of the oarsman at the stern. Fre- 

 quently these canoes are laden with people from stern to bow until the 

 gunwale touches the water's edge; yet the occupants appear entirely 

 unconscious of any danger, on account of the skill with which the oars- 

 men manipulate their paddles and control every movement of the canoe. 



The birchbark canoe is by far the most graceful piece of mechanism 

 produced by the Menomini. But few are now either made or owned by 

 these people, since their more advanced mode of life does not demand 

 extensive travel by such means. 



It is believed that the birchbark canoe is the invention of the Indian. 

 The earliest reports concerning the discoveries of the French mention 

 this vessel, and Indians arrived by canoe at French settlements from 

 parts which no explorers had then penetrated. 



The general form of the canoe differs to some extent among the 

 various northern tribes. The type of canoe made by the Menomini 

 resembles that of the Ojibwa of Wisconsin, who are their nearest 

 northern neighbors, and with whom they have for many years main- 

 tained friendly relations, and to some extent intermarried. For their 

 manufacture large birch trees that appear to furnish the best bark are 

 selected, and the pieces are cut as large as possible. These sections 

 are sewed together with threads made of the long, thin roots of a 

 species of spruce, a material both durable and well adapted, notwith- 

 standing constant wetting. 



The framework of the bark canoe is made of white cedar, which is 

 durable, light, and elastic. The ribs are thinned with a drawing knife 

 (plate xxxvi), and when the required number have been made, they are 

 curved according to the part of the canoe which they are intended to 

 brace — the middle, of course, being much more distended laterally, 

 while the ends gradually narrow to a point. 



The tops of the ribs are held in place by being tied to a crosspiece, 

 the rib and crosspiece thus resembling a bow and its string. Then 

 the entire series of ribs is fastened by tying to the longitudinal strips 

 corresponding to the gunwale, thus setting up the skeleton, as it were. 

 These strips also are cut to the required thickness by means of a 

 dvuw-knife. 



When the framework has reached this stage, the bark, which in the 

 meantime has been stitched together, is laid on the ground, the frame- 

 work placed upon it, and then the bark is turned up over the sides, 

 when short posts are driven into the ground, all around the canoe, to 

 hold the outside strips, to reinforce the edge or gunwale, and to prevent 

 the breaking of the bark at that edge. The appearance of the work at 

 this stage is presented in plate xxxvn. All the necessary stitching is 

 then done to hold in place the tightly secured bark. The bow and the 



