Chippewa Birch Bark Canoe Publication

[HarryA]

If you are interested in:
"The Building of a Chippewa Indian Birch-Bark Canoe"
by Robert E. Ritzenthaler
point your browser here: http://www.bobbear.org/bbcanoe/index.htm

 

[Dave Osborn]

Thanks Harry! Now living in Bob Pine's "backyard" I really enjoyed this!
Dave

 

[Dan Miller]

WCHA member Joe Staley had reproduced this (and nicely done) - I bought a copy at Canoecopia for six bucks... He's listed in the Wisconsin Builders Directory under Clearwater Canoeworks in case anyone wants to see if he's got any left...

 

[HarryA]

Chippewa Birch Bark Canoe

Thanks Dan; it is certainly worth 6$.

There is a publication by Jay Parsons:
"The chippewa birch-bark canoe: A modern construction method"
He did this work while at Mankato State University. He did a very
good job and it contains very useful information. I recently got
a copy on loan from the University and photographed it but I can not
locate Jay Parsons to discuss hosting it or not. Anyone know him?

 

[tostig]

I read over page 96 over and over again. I knew that birch bark canoes were portaged using tumplines but never understood the method in which it was done - until today.

Must have been another skill to get the tumpline at just the right lenght - too short and all the weight is on the head, too long and all the weight is on the shoulders.

 

[Rob Stevens]

RE tump line length
Of course, these need to be adjusted for each carrier as they differ in head size, neck length, etc.
Adjustments can be made by sliding the tump knot inward or outward, though if the knot slides, it may move while portaging. Another option sometime used id to wrap the tump around the thwart. Again, this can rotate and loosen, but when wrapped provides more surface area & friction on the thwart.
Many modern day tumplines are nylon webbing, sometime with quick adjust ladder-type fittings.