Canoes of the Pacific Northwest Coast
An examination of Haida canoes from 1890.
From: Unknown To: 1890 C.E.
Location: Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada; Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, United States of America; Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From The Coast Indians of Southern Alaska and Northern British Columbia by Albert P. Niblack, 1890.
Canoes
The canoe is to the northwest coast what the camel is to the desert. It is to the Indian of this region what the horse is to the Arab. It is the apple of his eye and the object of his solicitous attention and affection.
It reaches its highest development in the world amongst the Haida of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Classified according to shapes, sizes, and uses, there may be said to be four kinds on the northwest coast: (1) hunting, (2) family and transporting, (3) voyaging, and (4) war. The voyaging and war canoes, although kept for different purposes are practically the same in size and shape, the differences, if any, being slight.
Hunting and fishing canoes
These are somewhat similar throughout the whole coast and are well illustrated in the models shown in Plate XXXIII. The upper view in the illustration is by far the most common type of hunting canoes, but the lower one is that seen about Dixon Entrance. They are light portable dugouts carrying from one to three people.
Family or transportation canoes
These are from 25 to 35 feet long and 4 to 6 feet beam, carrying whole families of from four to fifteen with camping outfit, trading supplies, baggage, provisions, etc., amounting often to 2 tons weight or more. Farther south, around Puget Sound and Vancouver Island, this kind of canoe has a straight stern post, as shown in Plate XXXIV, Fig. 171. Amongst the Haida and other northern tribes the stern projects backwards and slightly upwards, forming a long spur running down to a straight edge near the water line (Fig. 172, same plate). The bow also curves upward and has a regular and gracefully shaped cut-water.
Voyaging canoes
These are from 35 to 65 feet long and 6 to 8 feet beam, with flaring gunwale and long projecting spurs on both bow and stern. These latter are generally scarfed on to the main body of the canoes, and with the flare of the bows help to make them more sea-worthy.
Poole (1863) describes the canoe of Chief Kene, of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia (in which he made a voyage from the latter’s village to Victoria, British Columbia), as having three masts, three sails, and a mainstay-sail, and carrying thirty-seven people, with two tons of baggage, freight, etc. When it is reflected that these large canoes, often with 5 tons capacity, are hewn from a single log, our marvel at the skill displayed in their construction is decidedly increased.
Today the custom of painting the bow and stern in elaborate totemic patterns is rapidly dying out, but formerly it was practiced throughout the whole coast. The totem was also sometimes indicated by a carving, either wrought on the spur or secured to it on the top or sides. Vancouver (1793) found this custom as far south as the Kwakiutl. of Gardner Channel, British Columbia. Of a canoe which he saw there he says “its head and stern curiously decorated with carved work and rude and uncouth figures in painting.”
War canoes
These, in primitive times, are said to have formed a distinct class in themselves, having been elaborately painted and decorated, but latterly the voyaging canoes have practically taken their places, there having been no real difference in point of construction or size between the war and transporting craft. It is doubtful if any real distinction could ever have been drawn.
Canoes in general
There is a marked difference in the canoes of the northern and southern Indians. It is not so much in the mere outward appearance as in the shape of the cross-section and in the lines. The northern canoe is superior in all the points by which we judge their qualities. At the head of the respective types are those of the Haida in the north, and of the Makah, of Cape Flattery, Washington Territory, in the south. The former have projecting prows, high, spur-shaped sterns, flaring gunwales, and a gracefully rounding or curving cross-section, although without any distinct keel. The latter have the blunt, straight stern, a gracefully curving bow, but a flat bottom, with little curve in the cross section. This type is heavier, roomier, stronger, less cranky, and more durable than the Haida type, but the latter is swifter, handier, and more buoyant.
The Haida have in some of their larger canoes somewhat copied the Makah type for the greater strength secured. An admirable illustration of this adaptation is seen in the enormous Haida canoe in the U. S. National Museum (No. 26785), which is very much like Fig. 171, Plate XXXIV, in appearance. Its dimensions are as follows: Length, 59 feet; beam, 8 feet; height of stem, 7 feet 3 inches; height of stern, 5 feet 3 inches; height amidships, 3 feet 7 inches. However much the larger canoes may differ in shape and character, the light, portable hunting canoes (Fig. 169, Plate XXXIII) are much the same throughout the coast.
Before the sea-otter became extinct they were hunted well out at sea, the Haida being particularly venturesome and successful, and hence rich, and respected accordingly. One of their chief sources of revenue today is in the building and sale of canoes, which they tow to Port Simpson or up into Alaska and sell or trade to their neighbors. The tendency of the day is in the direction of smaller sizes for the canoes than formerly.
This is but the natural result of peaceful times, when it is not necessary to travel in such large parties for mutual protection. However, the Yakutat and Sitka canoes were never as large as those of the Haida, as from earliest times the latter have possessed the largest canoes on the coast. The post of honor in a canoe is at the steering paddle aft. Usually this position is occupied by a woman or an elderly man, the steering being accomplished by a few adroit side strokes interjected into the regular process of paddling. In the family canoe there are few idlers, even the young children wielding paddles and “working their passage.”
Canoe Outfit
This consists of masts, sails, paddles, bailers, and mats. Ballast of stone is sometimes, though rarely, carried. The masts and sails have been added since the advent of the whites, the rig being sprit-sail, and the number of masts varying from one to three. Masts and sprits are of light cedar wood, and sails, originally of mats, are now invariably of white cotton sheeting. These canoes will not sail on the wind, but with a flowing sheet the speed made is astonishing.
The northern type of paddle is that shown in Fig. 165 a, b, and c, Plate XXXII; the southern, that in Fig. 166. As may be expected, the northern paddle is ornamented with the design of the owner’s totem. Fig. 167 is a New Zealand paddle, introduced by way of showing the similarity of this in connection with the many other objects common to these two remote regions. A bailer is imperfectly shown in Plate XXXII. It is simply a scoop of wood with a short straight handle. Mats are sometimes carried in the canoes to cover them when hauled up and to throw over the cargo or household or camping effects in transit. The Indian is exceedingly careful of his canoe and all that pertains to it. In landing, a gravel beach is selected, where possible, and the canoe hauled well up beyond high tide. When it is to remain any time exposed to the weather, it is protected from warping and cracking from the sun’s heat by a cover of mats or boughs of trees.
Plate XXXIII: Models of General Types of Hunting and Fishing Canoes Northwest Coast. Image by Albert P. Niblack.
Fig. 169. Hunting and Fishing Canoe. This is the upper figure in the plate, and is an excellent model of a hunting and fishing canoe found throughout the coast. The paddles are of the Southern Coast Indian pattern. Cat. No. 640, U.S.N.M. Haida Indians, Fort Simpson, British Columbia, Collected by George Gibbs.
Fig. 170. Small Family or Summer Canoe. For fishing, hunting, etc. Haida and TIingit type. This style of totemic ornamentation is now only put on the models of canoes, but it was formerly the custom to so ornament all of them. The general type of northern paddle and baler is shown in outline. The paddles of both the northern and southern type are better shown in Plate XXXII, Cat. No. 21595, 17. S. N. M. TIingit Indians, Sitka, Alaska. Collected by Dr. J. B. White. U.S.Army.
Plate XXXIV: Family or Transportation Canoes of the Northwest Coast. Image by Albert P. Niblack.
Fig. 171, Canoe. The upper figure in the plate illustrates the general type of South Coast Indian canoe, with its swan-like barbed prow and straight, blunt, high stern. The difference between this style and that found amongst the North Coast Indians is fully discussed in the text.
Fig. 172. Canoe (lower figure). General type of the North Coast Indian canoe with its projecting prow and stern, round counter, and fine lines.
Canoe making.
The primitive tools used in canoe construction are so simple as to excite our surprise. The principal and almost only one used is the adze of some pattern or other shown in Plate XXII, Figs. 92, 93, and 94. The logs for the purpose are usually gotten out in the summer season and rough hewn to somewhat the shape of the canoe in odd hours about the summer camp—the finishing work being left until winter. The trees are generally selected near some watercourse and felled in such a direction as to admit of launching them into tide water.
The log is trimmed where felled to rough dimensions, launched, and towed to summer camp, where the preliminary work is done. Often by combined labor numerous logs are gotten out in this way at one time, made into a raft, and by means of sweeps and sails and by dint of working the tides brought to the village or to the neighborhood of the camps. Good trees for canoe purposes are sufficiently rare to make their selection difficult and expensive in both time and labor.
The best wood for all purposes is the yellow cedar (Chamaecyparis Nutkaensis), found on the Queen Charlotte Islands and in spots around the southern Alaska boundary. The smaller canoes are made from the Sitka spruce (Picea Sitchensis), and the very largest from the giant cedar (Thuja gigantea).
The whole process of canoe construction may be briefly described as follows:
The tree is felled with an ax (formerly stone ones were used).
The trimming and rough hewing is done by wedges and sledges.
The rest of the work is done by patient cutting with an adze.
The canoe being roughly worked out is widened in beam by steaming it with water and hot stones placed in the bottom of the canoe, stretchers or thwarts of gradually increasing sizes being forced in as the wood expands. The long spur ends in large canoes are neatly scarfed onto the body with a dovetailed joint and finished down as part of the whole.
The smoothing work on the outside is often-done with a chisel, but usually the interior of the canoe shows the chipping marks of the adze.
The smoothing work on the exterior to lessen the friction of the water is furthered by the use of sandpaper, sandstone, or shark’s skin.
The conventional colors used now in painting are black outside and white inside, with a red strip on the inside of the gunwale running quite around the canoe and upon the bow and stern spurs. The process of painting is described in the next chapter. The lines of these canoes are remarkably fine and good; and when of considerable size and intelligently handled they are remarkably good sea-boats.
Trips are often made in them to Victoria, British Columbia; and the Kaigani visit the outlying islands of the Prince of Wales Archipelago in the early summer in search of birds’ eggs about 25 miles out to sea.
Albert P. Niblack. The Coast Indians of Southern Alaska and Northern British Columbia. US National Museum. 1890.
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