History of Canoeing
There is no single origin or model of the canoe. The design characteristics of different canoes corresponded to their intended use (2). This boat was a common form of water transportation of many aboriginal groups in North America. The canoe developed over the course of thousands of years by the native peoples in North America, although aboriginal people all over the world used different forms of canoes and kayaks (1).
Canoe originated from the word ‘kenu’ meaning dugout (1). American Indians originally used tree trunks, which they hollowed out and used as means of transportation through hundreds of miles of rivers and lakes. American Indians, particularly those in what is now Canada, created the better-known version of the canoe. These have a frame of wooden ribs covered with lightweight bark of primarily birch trees, but also with elm and cedar (1). The benefits of birch bark are that it is particularly lightweight, smooth, waterproof, and resilient. Resilience was of utmost important because of the rough terrain, both in the water, in the case of rapids, and on land, in the case of portaging.
American Indians used canoes as a means of life. It was used for transportation, hunting, fishing, and in times of war. When European explorers discovered the continent of America, they discovered the native people in their “primitive” boats (3). It was the fur trade, which boomed in the 1650’s, however, that bridged the use of canoes between the American Indians and European settlers. The fur trade brought exploration and commerce to Saskatchewan, a province in Canada (1). In these northern areas, water transportation was the primary form of travel and communication (2). Settlers were initially reluctant to adapt the canoe, but frustration with their own alternatives, and the efficiency of the canoe finally swayed them to learn how to paddle rivers, lakes, and rapids (2). The French fur traders began relying on the native peoples as advisors and guides, for both canoeing practices, and in navigating the complicated and extensive water systems (2). The demand for canoes during the time was so great that the French set up the first known canoe factory at Trois Rivieres, Quebec around 1750. In this way, canoes blended the ‘old’ and ‘new’ worlds and enabled colonial settlement in unknown wilderness areas (2).
Almost as quickly as the settlers adapted canoes, overland transportation overtook canoes as the primary means of transport. Combined with the decline of the fur trade in the 1850’s, the canoe was no longer necessary for accessing northern areas, with the exception of hard to reach wilderness areas (2). Since, the canoe has continued to exist as means of recreation and sport.
Picture drawn by Francis Lee Laques obtained from "Canoe Country" by Florence Page Jaques (c.1938)
I found that the most readily accessible information on the history of canoeing is found on websites. This topic alone could be an entire book, and indeed has been the subject of many. But for comprehensive overviews of the history of canoes and their uses, the Internet proves to be the best option. I’ve provided below the websites that I consulted, to provide the opportunity for further reading.
