. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. Ma. 'fc//r ' J/ Jo/?/j /?/^^r CarJOf - tr'e /h/Ao/n Beam eKfrf/7?r J-f ^ /n//eye ^univcf/ef <^7/. Malecite Canoe of the Type Described in This Chapter. This 2S4-fathotn St. John River canoe represents the last Malecite birch-bark model, and usually was fastened with tacks and nails, rather than with root lashings and pegs as described here. The use of a bark cover over the gunwale ends has already been mentioned. In some eastern canoes, this was placed under the cap and outwale pieces and extended below the latter in a shallow flap on whi
. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. Ma. 'fc//r ' J/ Jo/?/j /?/^^r CarJOf - tr'e /h/Ao/n Beam eKfrf/7?r J-f ^ /n//eye ^univcf/ef <^7/. Malecite Canoe of the Type Described in This Chapter. This 2S4-fathotn St. John River canoe represents the last Malecite birch-bark model, and usually was fastened with tacks and nails, rather than with root lashings and pegs as described here. The use of a bark cover over the gunwale ends has already been mentioned. In some eastern canoes, this was placed under the cap and outwale pieces and extended below the latter in a shallow flap on which the owner's mark or other decoration might appear; the flap was in fact a kind of name board. Such flaps do not appear on the partly decked bark canoes of the Northwest. This general description of the structure of the bark canoes is sufficient to permit the explanation of the actual construction of a bark canoe to be more readily understood, and it also serves to illustrate the close con- nection between the method of construction and the formation of the lines, or model, of bark canoes. From the description, too, it can be seen that while the shape of a bark canoe was partially planned during the construction the control of every part of the model could not be maintained with the same degree of precision as in the building of an Eskimo skin boat or an Indian dugout. Construction One aspect of canoe construction, the Indian meth- od of making measurements, was briefly mentioned (p. 8) under a discussion of the origin of the measure- ment known in French Canada as the brasse. This was the distance from finger-tip to finger-tip of the arms out-stretched; in the fur trade in English times it was known as the fathom and it appears to have been about 64 inches, or less than the nautical fathom of 6 feet. Other measurements used were the greatest width of the ball of the thumb, which is very close to an English inch, and the width of the four fingers, each finger-breadth being cl
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Keywords: ., bookauthorun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectscience
