Methods of Travel
OJIBWE
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Birch bark canoes
Birch bark canoes
In the spring, after the maple sugar harvest, the Ojibwe would pack their belongings into birch bark canoes and head for their summer villages. The Ojibwe were very skilled at making birch bark canoes and used it as their means of travel during the spring, summer, and fall months. Living in northern Minnesota, where lakes and rivers weave through the land, the waterways were the main means of travel for the Ojibwe.
Their canoes had frames of cedar poles, which they covered with sheets of birch bark. The canoes were sealed with pitch, a type of natural glue that made them watertight. The canoes were lightweight and easy to portage across land. Though they were easily damaged on sharp rocks, the birch bark canoes could be repaired using materials found in nature.
Family used a birchbark canoe to transport goods on a Minnesota lake.
Ojibwe use a birchbark canoe to travel across a Minnesota lake.
Ojibwe are in the early stages of making a handcrafted birchbark canoe.
TOBOGGANS
TOBOGGANS
In winter, the Ojibwe used toboggans to move goods and people from place to place. Toboggans were made of wood, hides, and rawhide. Some people had dogs to pull these sleds.
Sources
Sources
Kalman, B. (2003). Life in a Plains Camp. St. Catherines: Crabtree Pub.
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