Mission Mishoon – The Dugout Canoe of the Pequots
Prior to European contact, dugout canoes (“mushoon” in Pequot language and “mishoon” in Wampanoag language) were the principle means of traveling the extensive waterways of southern New England. However, it is uncommon to find the canoes in archaeological excavations. Because either the wood decayed easily, or the canoes were preserved in the bottom of the pond, only to be found centuries later during periods of drought or when a particular pond or lake was drained.
In 1955, a 14 feet long, 2 feet wide canoe dating back to more than 300 years ago was found in 20 feet of water by four High School Summer campers in Rust Pond in Wolfeboro, NH.
Details
Title: Summer Campers to Search Pond for Indian Relics
Date Published: 1955-07-21
Publisher: Nashua Telegraph
In 1977, a half-hewn canoe dating back to the early colonial era was found in the bottom of the exposed Morgan Mill Pond in Laurel Hill, NC, by archaeologist Dr. David McLean.
Details
Title: Old Indian Dugout Canoe Found
Date Published: 1977-03-19
Publisher: Statesville Record and Landmark
In 1980, a 12 feet long, 3 feet wide canoe dating between 1750 and 1800 was found in a stream in Virginia during a drought by locals.
Details
Title: Drought Uncovers Important Artifact
Date Published: 1980-09-23
Publisher: The News (Frederick, MD)
In 1997, a 17 feet long, 2 feet wide canoe dating back to around 1670 was found floating in Curtis Pond in Waymart, PA, by a local who went fishing.
“People have called up saying thing like, ‘I found a canoe like that in my pond and it’s stored in my barn.’ There could be many canoes out there…as many as one per pond,” said Dan Perry.
Details
Title: 300-Year-Old Indian Canoe is Discovered
Date Published: 1997-05-19
Publisher: Altoona Mirror
This 17th century canoe was discovered submerged at the bottom of West Hill Pond in Winsted, CT, in the late 1980s. Although it is Native made, it shows evidence of metal tool marks, which indicated the canoe was made after European contact.
This canoe is currently displayed at the Pequot Museum.
Dugout Canoe
1671/1955
Wooden dug-out canoe. Made of chestnut. Received in two pieces. From West Hill Pond, Winsted, Connecticut. The calibrated C-14 age range, using two sigma statistics (95% probability) was AD 1671 to AD 1955.
Details
Title: Dugout Canoe
Date Created: 1671/1955
Physical Dimensions: 17 x 20 x 216 in (43.18 x 50.8 x 548.64 cm)
Medium: Chestnut
In order to keep canoes from drying out over the winter, Native people filled them with stones and sank them to the bottom of ponds before the water froze.
This stone was found along with the canoe shown in previous image.
Rock Recovered with the Dugout Canoe
Rock recovered with the chestnut dug out canoe. It was found inside the canoe submerged in West Hill Pond, Winsted, Connecticut.
Details
Title: Rock Recovered with the Dugout Canoe
Physical Dimensions: 10.25 x 4.5 x 24.5 in (26.04 x 11.43 x 62.23 cm)
Medium: Stone
Prior to contact with Europeans, the Pequots inhabited an area of present-day coastal Connecticut along the estuaries of the Thames, Mystic, and Pawcatuck rivers. The Pequots frequently crossed Long Island Sound to reach nearby islands and regularly navigated local rivers.
Although the popular image of the northeastern Native canoe is one of birch bark, large white birch trees were not commonly found in southern New England.
Historical records note that the Pequots instead used dugout canoes, made from the hollowed-out trunks of pines, chestnuts, or other sizeable trees.
Most canoes were between 10 and 14 feet long and could hold 3 or 4 people. These small canoes were often used for fishing in shallow waters.
Larger ocean-going canoes could reach over 40 feet in length and carry anywhere from 15 to 20 people and their possessions.
Pequot villages always had a number of small canoes on hand to use for fishing, trade, and scouting trips. Depending on their purpose, canoe travelers might cover 20 miles or more in a single day.
Paddles were about 5 feet long and were usually carved from maple or ash, often with a characteristic ridge running the length of the blade. The overall shape and design of Native canoe paddles was fairly consistent throughout the Northeast.
Seafood was a staple in Pequot meals throughout the year. The Pequots used a range of fishing techniques, many of which had been known for thousands of years, such as hooks and lines, nets, spears, bows and arrows, and wires, or fish traps.
Once the fish were brought home, they were cleaned and then boiled, roasted, smoked, or dried. Shellfish, dug in shallow water or collected off the beach, were cooked immediately or pried open, strung, and dried.
The Pequot Village is a realistic coastal and woodland environment that present Pequot life during the 16th century.
Details
Title: Gallery View in the Pequot Village
Creator: Yulun Huang
Lobster and some fish could be easily killed with a sharp fish spear, called a leister.
The center point of leister speared the fish, while the outside prongs held it tight and kept it from escaping.
Northeastern type of fish spear. The long handle appears to have been made from an evergreen sapling. The spearhead consists of two wooden prongs (for holding the speared fish), were once painted red. The center prong, consisting of an iron point, is bent at the distal end and inserted into the shaft. The prongs are held into the spear shaft with simple wire and nails and then wrapped with iron wire. The prong and point have been bound together with commercial cordage in a crossing pattern.
Details
Title: Leister
Location Created: Northeast Woodlands, North America
Physical Dimensions: 102 in
Medium: Wood, cordage, iron wire, iron spike, wire nails, paint
