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The Weymontaching Birchbark Canoe

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National Museum of ManAnthropoiogicai Papers, No. 20Published by theNational Museums of Canada

Board of Trustees:Mr. George Ignatieff. ChairmanMr. Andr Bachard, Vice-ChairmanMr. Andr FortierMr. Jean des GagniersMr. George W. P. HeffalfingerMr. Michael C. D. HobbsProf. Kiyoshi lzumiMrs. Marie-Paule LaBrqueDr. William G. SchneiderMr. Lon SimardMr. George SzekeresMrs. Marie TellierDr. Sally WeaverDr. J. Tuzo WilsonMr. Bernard Ostw~ecretary-~eneraiNational Museums of CanadaDr. William E. Taylor, Jr., DirectorNational Museum of Man

Muse national de l'Hommetudes anthropologiques, no20Publi par lesMuses nationaux du Canada

Conseil d'administration:M. George Ignatieff. PrsidentM. Andr Bachard. Vice-prsidentM. Andr FortierM. Jean des GagniersM. George W. P. HeffeifingerM. Michaei C. D. HobbsProf. Kiyoshi lzumiMnle Marie-Paule LaBrequeM. William G. SchneiderM. Lon SimardM. George SzekeresMme Marie TellierMIO~Sally WeaverM. J. Tuzo WilsonM. Bernard OstrySecrtaire gnralMuses nationaux du CanadaM. William E. Taylor, fils, DirecteurMuse national de l'Homme

Staff editor: Rigmore Adamson

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OCrown copyrights reservedAvailable by mailfrom theNational Museums of CanadaMarketing ServicesOttawa. OntarioKIA OMBCatalogue No. NM 95-6/20National Museum of ManNational Museums of CanadaOttawa, Canada1974PO987654321Y7987654Printed in Canada

Disponible en franals

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Contents

List of Plates, 6List of Figures. 8Bioarsvhical Note. 9Avant-propos, 10Preface, 11Pari 1 Introduction, 13The Weymontaching Indians: Geographical and EthnologicalBackground, 13The Shape of the Ttes de Boule Canoe and Its Pattern ofDistribution, 13The One-Man Hunting Canoe, 15Pari 2 Materiais and Tools, 17Materials, 17Tools, 19Use of Natural Elements, 21Pari 3 Building the Canoe, 22Assembling the Frame, 22Weighting the Frame and the Bark on the Building Bed, 22Shaping the Sides, 22Positioning the Gunwales, and Trimming and Lashing the Bark, 24Piecing-in the Bark Extensions, 26Measuring, Shaping and Drying the Ribs,28Finishing the Tips and Strengthening the Frame, 29Caulking the lnside, 33Inserting the Sheathing and the Ribs, 33Caulking the Outside and the Tips, 34Part 4 The Builder, 35AppendlxA Brief Glossary of Weymontaching Cree Dialect Terms forMaterials, Tools, and Parts of the Canoe, 37Literature Cited, 38

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List of Plates

FrontispieceAlbert Birote, the builder, 121Model of a Manouane canoe, 142Manouane decorated canoes, 163-34 Building the Canoe3Rolls of bark, 404Pulling out the roots, 405Splitting the cedar into thin strips, 416Using the crooked knife, 417Assembling the gunwale and thwarts to make the buildingframe, 428Unroiling the bark beside the building bed, 429Centring the building frame on the bark,4310Adding split planking to protect the bark, 4311Weighting the building frame,4412Splitting the bark from edge to frame, 4413Plank set crosswise to raise the ends of the canoe, 4514Folding the bark around the Stones, 4515Placing the first stakes and the lengthwise laths in position, 4616Tying the stakes in upright position, 4617Interna1 supports and bracing laths in position, 4718The complete set-up for raising and shaping the sides, 47

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~1st f Plates

19Marie Nekwito prepares to lash the joints, 4820The building frame raised to gunwale height, 4821Trimming away the surplus bark,4922Beginning to lash the bark to the gunwales, 4923Lashings, 5024Marking and numbering the ribs, 5025Bending the ribs in pairs, 5126Bracing the canoe with temporary thwaris, and inserting thefirst rib, 5127The ribs drying in their canoe "mould", 5228lnstalling the gunwale caps, 5229Caulking the inside of the canoe, 5330Lashings of the extension and bark reinforcing gusset, 5331lnstalling the sheathing and ribs, 5432Tapping the ribs into place with a mallet, 5433The tip of the finished canoe, 5534The finished canoe, 55

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List of Figures

1The crooked knife, 182Mallet and drift, 203Ends of the gunwales lashed together, 2345Plan of the canoe built at Weymontaching, summer 1966, 4,256Bark-to-gunwale lashings,267Lashings of extension and stempiece, 278Shape of rib ends, 289The laminated stempiece, 2910GiboorUn, or headboard, 3011Finished tip of the canoe, 3112Lashings of the thwarts, 3213Cross-section of the gunwale at the central thwart, 33