Identifier: typesofcanoesonp00wate (find matches)
Title: Types of canoes on Puget Sound
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Waterman, T. T. (Thomas Talbot), b. 1885 Coffin, Geraldine
Subjects: Indians of North America Indians of North America Canoes and canoeing
Publisher: New York : Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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Text Appearing Before Image:
or by Nootka from the west coast of Van-
couver island; occasionally by people of
other tribes. These canoes were not used
by the Puget Sound people, and were
looked on with some curiosity. Their out-
line is shown in fig. 1 (after Boas).

POINTS OF INTEREST IN THE VARIOUS
TYPES
A—The " War Canoe " (ao'txs)

The Songish about Victoria, B. C, have
this model, which they call a'tqEs.¹¹ Its most
characteristic features, both there and here,
are a prominent and lofty bow and stern.
These consist, on Puget sound, of separate
sections hewn out of cedar and fitted care-
fully into their places on the hull. They are
fastened there by pegs of cedar (st'Δ'stΔd,
the word now applied to nails) and lashings
of twisted cedar withes (st'Δ'stΔd, and the
joint is watertight without being " pitched "
(see Swan, 1868, for the method of fitting).
Artistically, the shape of the prow strongly
suggests an animl'Fs head, and gives the
canoe (which is exquisite in design) an air
of alertness, as though it were moving of its

INDIAN NOTES
Text Appearing After Image:

TWO SUQUAMISH " WAR CANOES " LASHED TOGETHER AND CARRYING A PLATFORM OF POLES
This device was used in transporting house-planks and for moving large quantities of effects from one site
to another. (Photographed at Suquamish, Washington, 1913)

WAR CANOE | 15

own accord. From the practical standpoint
these elevated additions to the hull are de-
signed to throw aside the seas. The naked
hull without these bow and stern pieces
would soon fill in rough water. The pieces
seem so slender and inadequate that an
observer would doubt their effectiveness for
such a practical end. The answer is that
in the course of generations they have been
reduced to the most slender proportions
which will give the necessary protection,
and they are wonderfully effective in aid-
ing the actual navigation of the canoe.
Many Indians and whites who have followed
the sea tell us that this type of canoe ships
less water in a storm than any craft in the
world. If we are looking for a catchword,
we may call this the " ocean-
going canoe. "
A number of other terms have been ap-
plied to this class of vessel. A popular
term in the Northwest is the word " Chin-
ook. " We find, for example, the " Chinook "
wind, the " Chinook " jargon, and " Chin-
ook " salmon. " Chinook " is also applied
by Indians and whites to the type of hull
just described in that sense

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