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Canoes: A Natural History in North America

Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims

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This is the story of the canoe, that singular American artifact so little changed over time. Featured here are canoes old and new, from birch bark to dugout to carbon fiber; the people who made them; and the adventures they shared. With features of technology, industry, art, and survival, the canoe carries us deep into the natural and cultural history of North America.

Follow author Mark Neuzil on Twitter: @mrneuzil

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Published: 2016

Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

ISBN(s)

9780816681174 (hardcover)

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Filtering by: Keyword Caribbean

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The Putun were a group of Chontal Maya from the Gulf Coast of what are today the Mexican states of Tabasco and Campeche. They were the star navigators of the Mayans. Called the “Phoenicians of Mesoamerica,” to them goes the credit for the maritime trading empire along the Caribbean west coast. This fresco featuring dugout canoes is from the interior of the Temple of the Warriors at Chichén Itzá.

Fresco Featuring Dugout at Chichén Itzá

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

Fresco featuring Putun dugout canoes, interior walls of the Temple of the Warriors, Chichen Itza.

Map of Caribbean.

Map of Caribbean

From Chapter 1: Dugout Canoes

Map of Caribbean.

A color photograph of Napolean Sanford.

Napolean Sanford

From Sidebar: Napolean Sanford

Napolean Sanford

A color photograph of Napolean Sanford sitting with an unfinished dugout canoe.

Napolean Sanford with a Work in Progress

From Sidebar: Napolean Sanford

Napolean Sanford with a work in progress next to the Carib Council House in Salybia, Dominica.

A color photograph of a large gommier tree; a figure stands at the base of the tree to demonstrate the size of the tree.

Gommier Tree

From Sidebar: Napolean Sanford

Gommier trees grow to enormous size in the rain forests of Dominica.

A black-and-white photograph of a beach in Martinique. Several dugout canoes sit on the shore. Palm trees and several structures in the background.

Dugout Canoes in Martinique

From Sidebar: Napolean Sanford

Dugout fishing canoes on the beach in Martinique.

A color photograph of the fishing canoe Storm Petrel tied next to water.

Storm Petrel

From Sidebar: Napolean Sanford

Napolean Sanford's Storm Petrel.

An illustration of pearl divers and canoes in the water.

Pearl Diving

From Chapter 3: The Fur Trade

French explorers witnessed the pearl diving industry in the Caribbean, where the newcomers got a glimpse of the native dugouts used in the activity.