Travel and Transportation
Prior to Europeans' arrival, the chief
means of travel on land was by foot. Dogs or humans pulled sleighs,
toboggans or a travois to transport game and camp supplies.
Paul Kane's painting titled 'Winter Travelling' 1852 depicts Métis
sleighs or carioles. The dogs wore decorative pom-poms, which would help
locate the canines in deep snow. The dogs' decorative back covers were
called tuppies. Toboggan comes from the Algonquian word odabaggan.
Native toboggans were made of strips of hickory, ash, or maple, with the
front ends curved back. The Inuit made toboggans from whalebone.Plains
Natives used a travois to drag game and/or supplies. A travois consisted
of two shafts, which were trailing poles. Attached to the poles was a
platform or netting which held the load. A dog commonly dragged the
travois. Although sleighs and toboggans are still used today, the
arrival of horses transformed travel and transportation. Spaniards introduced
horses to the Americas and through inter-tribal raiding and trading,
horses made their way northward to Canada. The Blackfoot were riding
horses by the 1730s, the Plains Cree and the Assiniboine had them by the
1770s and the Ojibwa acquired them by the 1790s.Aboriginal incorporation
of European technology and horse culture into their own culture and
technology proved how adaptive they were. Horses allowed quicker land
travel over wider territories. Hunting and particularly warfare took on
a different dimension on the backs of horses.
Canoes allowed Natives to traverse waterways over extensive areas.
The demands of the European fur trade led to the adaptation of canoes so
they could carry heavier loads. In addition to the standard birch bark
canoe, there was the canot maitre or master canoe and the canot du nord
or north canoe. A large canoe, with provisions, trade goods, bags, and
eight men could weigh over four tons, making a portage an event for
superhumans. Paddlers, especially if a Company man was onboard, made 40
strokes per minute. European fur traders and explorers recounted
numerous stories about the incredible strength and stamina of Métis
boatmen.
The York Boat is another example of technology adapting to supply and
demand. Modelled after the Orkney Isalnd fishing boat, the plank
construction of this boat allowed large items, from cattle to wheeled
carriages to be transported. It had a flat bottom for navigation in
shallow waters. Its sharply slanted bow and stern helped reduce damage
to the boat if it ran into a gravel bar. A large York boat was about 14
metres (42 feet) from bow to stern. The largest boat could carry over
six tons. Towing the boat in shallow waters, where neither paddling nor
sailing would suffice, was usually executed by the crew or by draft
animals. A portage with a York boat required that a trail was first cut
through the bush and then dragged overland on rollers made of poplar
trunks. Rowers sat on the sides of the boat opposite of where their oars
entered the water. Tremendous manpower was needed so they stood up at
every stroke. Steering was accomplished by the steersman using a long
pole. If the boat was under sail, the steersman had the help of a rudder
to navigate through waterways. Steamboats eventually replaced the York
boat
The Red River Cart, drawn by horse or oxen, was one of the cleverest
adaptations made by the Métis. In addition to carrying provisions,
goods, people, and game— the cart could be converted into a raft.
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