Straight Up Kayaks

how were native indians canoes made?

i have an project about native americans! It is the mi'kmaq tribe It is the mi'kmaq tribe

Public Comments

1. That would depend upon the tribe and region. A "Dug Out" canoe was generally a felled tree that was then shortened to whatever length they wanted and then had burning embers placed upon it so as to hollow it out. A "Birch Bark" was just that, the birch bark of a tree with stays put in it with the bow and stern sewn closed.
2. They used hollowed out trees. Trees were felled, then cut to length, and a fire used to burn some of the wood out. The fire was put out, the burned wood removed, repeat until hollowed out. The outside would be shaped, you are done.
3. The wide-bottomed Mi'kmaq canoe was raised at both ends and the sides curved upwards in the middle. This shape allowed the Mi'kmaq to canoe far out to sea as well as in shallow streams and even in rapids. Canoes were 3m to 8m long, made of birchbark over a light wooden frame. A small canoe could take a load of several hundred pounds but was light enough for one person to carry.