which brings us back to the hero's shoulders

The well and proper Captain Laurence: Once again I am at a Crossroad in my Life. Where I am lacking a Purpose and a Place in respectable Society. Whatever shall I do?

Closest match: Hottonia palustris genome assembly, chromosome: 9 Common name: Water Violet

(Left) This is a traditional Somali ship known as a beden. Traditionally, the planks are sewn together with coconut fiber instead of hammered with nails. Did you know ancient Somalia had a maritime empire?

(Right) Galway hooker, from Galway Ireland. The original cloth sails were treated with a solution made from treebark to protect them from rot, which just so happened to turn the sails their iconic rusty red color, and modern synthetic sailcloth is dyed to imitate this.

(Left) Viking boats (amongst others) were built with the planks overlapping (clinker) instead of being flush (carvel) this provides flexibility for the boat to bend instead of break in rough seas but still maintains strength.

(Right) a Māori waka taua (decorated war canoe). This particular one is Ngā Toki, and it previously held the world record for longest canoe at 123 feet long and 6 1/2 wide).

Four more that I know less about:

(Left) Haida dugout canoe.

(Right) Vietnamese Ghe Nang.

(Left) An Unangax baidarka.

So the first thing to understand about PNW dugout canoes is that they're deceptively simple in design. There's a long, bad history of people looking at dugout canoes and going "oh, how primitive", when the opposite is true. They're very difficult to make well, and even more stylistically simple forms require a good amount of knowledge and skill in construction and use.

Image 1: An unfinished canoe in Haida Gwaii

PNW canoes like those of the Haida, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, Coast Salish, and Makah nations (amongst many others) are almost entirely made from a single trunk of red cedar, which, depending on techniques, could even be used to make two canoes. Before commercial logging destroyed old growth forests, these canoes could reach over 60 feet in length (18 meters) — to put in perspective, this is two thirds the length of Captain Cook's ship HMS Endeavour.

Each PNW culture has its own way of making canoes, and styles vary from region to region. The fascinating thing about PNW canoes is that they are essentially tailored to the environment where they're constructed. Nuu-chah-nulth canoes, designed for the west coast of Vancouver Island, have a high prow (front) and a low stern (back) which allows them to be launched directly into the strong ocean surf that is a trademark of the region. (Canoe crews would then have to either turn around or paddle backwards when beaching the canoe.)

Image 2: A West Coast Nuu-chah-nulth style canoe with its signature prow and stern

Broadly speaking, once a red cedar tree was cut, the initial shaping of the canoe would take place right there — if any defect was found in the material, the canoe would be abandoned, as dugout canoes require high quality wood. This is one of the reasons why in some parts of the PNW, you can find half-finished canoes in the forest. Once the initial shaping was complete after months of work, the canoe would be hauled down to the beach for finishing. One of the major techniques in finishing a canoe is steaming, which allows the wood to soften and expand with the addition of spacers, resulting in a light, strong watercraft that is wider than the tree it was carved from.

The technological capabilities of PNW canoes are unmatched for the region. Nations along the coast engaged in long distance trade, as well as warfare, and different styles of canoes were made for these different purposes. Makah canoes were capable of travelling over 40 kilometres offshore during whale hunts, and I have been told a story of Haida travellers many centuries ago who returned after many years away from a place where the locals ate strange white maggot-like food in bowls (possibly rice). It's also worth remembering that canoes perform better in the conditions of the PNW than European-style ships. A key difference between canoes and rigged ships is that canoes can hug the shoreline and are less vulnerable to being blown onto rocks by strong wind. While there are some significant trade-offs, this manoeuvrability makes them much better suited than the ships that Europeans arrived to the PNW in. It is also possible that they used woven bark sails in their canoes, though the existence of sails in pre-Contact North America is difficult to prove.

Unfortunately, with the colonisation of the PNW, traditional canoebuilding was threatened by colonial powers and banned under Canada's Indian Act. The only form of canoebuilding allowed in Canada was the racing canoe, and as a result, all technological development was channelled into the racing canoe, which remains a vibrant part of modern First Nations cultures in BC.

Image 3: The Loo Taas (Wave Eater), built in 1986 by master Haida artist Bill Reid — the first Haida canoe built in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, in over 100 years

Some good resources:

https://qmackie.com/2010/01/25/canoe-steaming/

https://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/exhibits/virtual-exhibits/canoes--lifeways--waterways.html

https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/projects/02tribal/canoe_tech/canoe_tech.html

saxali, @archaeos yaka wawa:

saltsəqw anqati-ikta-dakta chaku-kəmtəks-tilixam nayka, pi nayka tiki wawa kʰapa kənim kʰapa shawash-tilixam ɬaska uk wawa chinuk-wawa!

iləp ikta uk ɬush msayka kəmtəks kʰapa kənim kʰapa chinuk-wawa-tilixam: munk-kənim kakupus kakwa wik-q'el, bət wik dret! qʰənchi-lili bastən-tilixam ɬaska nanich kʰapa kənim, pi ɬaska mashachi-wawa, "o, dret kakwa-shawash!" (pi ɬas kəmtəks "o, dret kakwa-tenas!") wik dret! shawash-tilixam ɬaska mamuk dret ɬush kənim, pi dret kəmtəks-mamuk ɬaska. ɬaska hayu chaku-kəmtəks pus munk-kənim pi munk-isik uk -- kʰənəx kənim uk kakupus kakwa wik-q'el.

[pʰikcha ixt: sitkum kʰəpit kənim ukuk kʰapa haida gwaii]

chinuk-wawa-tilixam kakwa haida-tilixam, nuu-chah-nulth-tilixam, kwa-kawka'wakw-tilixam, saltsəqw-salish-tilixam, pi mahkah-tilixam (pi hayu wəxt) ɬaska munk kənim kʰapa ixt kənim-stik. ixt-ixt, ixt kənim-stik ukuk chaku mawkst kənim kʰapa xluyma qʰata-kakwa. anqati, pi chxi hayu-ulman-stik ukuk chaku-kakshət kʰapa tiki-dala tilixam ɬaska uk munk-iskam-iskam stik, ixt-ixt kənim ukuk manaqi taxam-taɬlam huf (18 meters) yuɬqat -- dret kakwa mawkst munk-sitkum-kʰupa-ɬun kʰapa ship kʰapa kʰaptən Cook, uk nim HMS Endeavour.

kʰanawi tʰawn ɬaska kəmtəks xluyma qʰata-kakwa kʰapa munk-kənim. xluyma iliʔi ukuk tʼuʔan xluyma qʰata nim kʰapa kənim. chaku-tulu-təmtəm nayka kʰapa kənim kʰapa chinuk-wawa-tilixam qʰiwa kʰanawi tʰawn ɬaska munk kənim kakwa kʼipʰwət-man munk iktʰas: kʰanawi kənim ukuk kʰəpit-ɬush pus uk tsəqw. nuu-chah-nulth-tilixam ɬaska miɬayt kʰapa tʼɬip-san kʰapa hayash tənəs-iliʔi. ɬaska pulali-iliʔi ukuk tʼuʔan skukum saxali-tsəqw kʰapa saltsəqw uk makuk-tʼsəm kʰapa nuu-chah-nulth-iliʔi. ɬaska munk kənim kʰapa saxali iləp pi kikwəli ʔaptsit (kʰimtʼa). munk-kakwa ɬush pus munk-ɬatwa kʰupa-iləp pulali-iliʔi kʰapa skukum saxali-tsəqw. (pi alta pus-qʰənchi kənim-tilixam ɬaska chaku-k'ilapay, ɬas chaku kʼilapay-iwa əbə ɬas munk-isik kʰimtʼa-iləp.)

[pʰikcha mawkst: kənim ukuk kʰapa nuu-chah-nulth-tilixam kʰapa tʼɬip-san saltsəqw-iliʔi-uput. saxali iləp pi kikwəli ʔaptsit ukuk, uk t'səm-nim kʰapa nuu-chah-nulth-tilixam.]

wik-saya kwansəm, munk-kənim-tilixam ɬaska ɬq'up kikwəli kənim-stik pi alta ɬaska munk-kənim qʰa uk miɬayt. ɬaska tiki dret ɬush stik pus kənim. pus-qʰənchi ɬaska chaku-kəmtəks ɬas stik wik-ɬush, ɬas mash kʰapá ukuk. kakwa ixt-ixt msayka tʼɬap sitkum kʰəpit kənim kʰapa hayu-stik kʰapa chinuk-wawa-iliʔi. hayu mun ɬaska munk-kənim qʰa uk miɬayt. pi alta ɬaska lulu kʰapa pulali-iliʔi pus munk-kʰəpit ukuk. ɬaska munk ixpuy-liplip kənim. munk-kakwa hayash qʰata-kakwa pus munk-kʰəpit kənim. munk-kakwa munk-tʼɬimin stik kʰapa kənim, pi alta ɬaska munk kənim manaqi-hayash kʰapa inatay stik. so kənim chaku wik-tʰil pi skukum. ukuk chaku dret ɬaq'aɬ pi kənim-stik uk tʼɬap ukuk.

kənim kʰapa chinuk-wawa-tilixam ukuk skukum pus hayu qʰata nim mamunk -- dret skukum pi kʰanawi iwa pot kʰapa chinuk-wawa-iliʔi. tilixam kʰapa saltsəqw-iliʔi-uput ɬaska ɬatwa-saya pus huyhuy. wəxt ɬaska pʰayt kʰapa hayash-saləks. kakwa ɬaska munk xluyma qʰata nim kənim. makah-tilixam ɬaska ɬatwa lakit-taɬlam kilometers kʰapa katsaq saltsəqw pus ɬatwa-nanich ikuli. nayka kəmtəks yaʔim: anqati hayu takʼumunaq kʰul, haida-tilixam ɬaska ɬatwa-saya pus hayu kʰul. ɬaska chaku-kʼilapay pi alta wawa ɬas nanich iliʔi qʰa tilixam ɬaska məkʰmək xluyma tkʼup məkʰmək uk nanich kakwa tənas-inəpʰu kʰapa pʰuli iɬwəli (alaxti lays ukuk). ɬush msayka kəmtəks uk kənim kʰapa chinuk-wawa-tilixam ukuk ɬush pus ɬaska tsəqw -- dret ɬush pi bastən ship. ixt-ixt bastən ship ukuk chaku-kakshət kʰapa ston qʰiwa win ukuk hayu-pʼuxən. bət wik-kakwa kənim ukuk -- əbə wik ayaq-ayaq! pi alta kakwa kənim ukuk ɬush pus ɬatwa wik-saya iliʔi. wik kənim ukuk ɬush pus kʰanawi qʰata; munk-kənim-tilixam ɬaska huyhuy kəmtəks-ɬatwa-kʰanawi-iwa pus xluyma hayash qʰata. bət kənim ukuk dret ɬush pus tsəqw kʰapa chinuk-wawa-tilixam -- pi dret ɬush pi ship uk bastən tilixam ɬaska chaku yakwa. wəxt tʼɬunas anqati, pi chxi bastən tilixam ɬaska chaku yakwa, shawash-tilixam ɬaska munk ship-sil kʰapa lakʰlwa-kʼaw skin-stik -- bət qʼəl anqati-ikta-dakta ɬaska munk-nanich dret ukuk.

sik-təmtəm-kakwa, wik-shawash-tilixam ɬaska munk-hilu shawash skukum pus munk-tayi-wawa, pi alta wik-shawash-tayi-tilixum munk munk-kənim wik-saya hilu. pʰasayuks-tayi-tilixam munk tayi-wawa uk shawash-tilixum ɬaska aɬqi kʰəpit munk-kənim, kʰapa "shawash tayi-wawa" kʰapa pʰasayuks-iliʔi (Indian Act of Canada). alta ɬush ɬaska munk kʰəpit-ixt qʰata nim kənim: uk ayaq pi tulu hihi. kakwa pus-qʰənchi munk-kənim-tilixam ɬaska tiki-munk chxi qʰata-kakwa pus manaqi ɬush kənim, kwansəm pus kʰəltəs ayaq-tulu-hihi kənim. alta ayaq-tulu-hihi kənim ukuk dret tʼukti pi hayash kʰapa shawash munk pi miɬayt kʰapa British Columbia.

[pʰikcha ɬun: kənim nim "loo taas" ("nayka məkʰmək saxali-tsəqw") ukuk. kəmtəks-mamuk munk-kənim-tilixam Bill Reid yaka munk ukuk kʰapa 1986. ukuk iləp haida kənim chaku kʰapa skidegate kʰapa haida gwaii pus manaqi takʼumunaq kʰul.]

tənəs-hayu ɬush pipa:

https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/projects/02tribal/canoe_tech/canoe_tech.html

No one owes artists anything.

She’s such a former gifted kid! She is so convinced that she’s learned from her mistakes while visibly Not Having Learned At All!

It’s not even “This sign can’t stop me because I can’t read.” It’s “This sign is here to stop other people. I already know I should stop, which means I am smart enough to do it anyway and not face the conses of my quences.”

read in 2025: the incandescent by emily tesh