The Making of a Mishoon - Wampanoag Canoe

[Pseudonym]

A video about traditional canoes from my neck of the woods, where the boats were more often used for in-shore salt water travel and fishing. It would have taken serious guts to make an open-water crossing to Nantucket (twenty-seven miles offshore) in one of these boats.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

It was interesting how he described felling the tree with fire and demonstrated hollowing out the interior with fire, all instead of chopping with an axe or adze. I thought he would explain how primitive natives did the entire job without an axe. But he didn't explain at all how the tree would have been split, and he clearly had used saws to cut the log and is seen using an axe for trimming. He did say the boats were sailed from the islands to the mainland.

 

[snapper]

While not directly involved, I was able to be around some Abenaki friends as they made their version of a mishoon at at festival a few years ago in MA. The first weekend in August the Potumtuck Festival is held in Turner's Falls along the Connecticut River. They made their canoe using fire but did have post-contact metal tools for chopping out the interior after the burning was done. It was a long, dirty, hot and tedious process but it was amazing what they had created in the end.

For what it's worth, I didn't watch the video yet but I do know there is a video out there showing a group of Wampanoag men paddling a traditional mashoon from Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket a few years ago. Well worth watching if you can find it.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.

snapper

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I do know there is a video out there showing a group of Wampanoag men paddling a traditional mashoon from Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket a few years ago.

In this video (contrary to the Youtube description), the narrator says it's a paddle from the "tip of Falmouth" on Cap Cod to Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard island.

 

[snapper]

Obviously, my brain fog holds on a bit stronger than I'd like but Glenn posted the correct video for what I was referring to. At 1:30 in the video, the bow paddler is a gentleman by the name of Jim Peters. I've had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. He is a wealth of knowledge regarding Wampanoag history & culture and is a leader in the Wampanoag community.

Also, I'm currently reading a book entitled "Abram's Eyes" by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's about the settling of Nantucket and in that book there are various references to local Native groups paddling between the Vineyard and Nantucket before, and after, European contact for launching raids and extending trade between the groups. Interesting stuff...

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Pseudonym]

The gentlemen making the canoe in the first video reappears in the second video, as a younger man in the party paddling to the Vineyard.

@snapper, I've met Nat a few times. He lives on Nantucket and both he and his wife are lovely people. I'll have to check out Abram's Eyes.

 

[snapper]

@Pseudonym - I was fortunate enough to meet him this past March. My daughter lives in Bristol and he was speaking at the Herreshoff museum as part of the library's annual "Bookfest." He is my favorite author so when my daughter said he'd be speaking, I horned my way in. His topic was why we should read Moby Dick, the title of one of his books, and afterword he took questions. He was also gracious enough to stick around to speak with folks so my wife, daughter and I corralled a few minutes of his time. I came away even more impressed than I had been previously. All and all, it was a memorable night.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Alan Gage]

His topic was why we should read Moby Dick, the title of one of his books,

I read it once in my early 20's. I tried to read it again last year (45) thinking maybe I'd appreciate it more.

Nope. Not gonna happen. No one can convince me that's a good book.

Alan

 

[Gamma1214]

Ditto. Couldn't read it in High School, can't get past Chapter 3 or 4 now. (maybe as a sleep aid...)

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I gave an oral book report on Moby Dick in high school even though my father, a relentless and omnivorous reader, warned me: "You should wait until you are a bit older to read this book, like 95."

I can recall my book report almost verbatim: "Moby Dick is a very famous novel. I don't know why. Maybe because it's old and one of the first. After 200 pages of non-action, including long-winded and boring philosophizing about Queequeg's tattoos, I gave up."

The class laughed and gave me some applause. The teacher didn't give me a good mark.

 

[snapper]

Actually, he made a pretty persuasive argument. I ended up hunting down his book "Why Read Moby Dick" and found it was a good synopsis of the book and how it still relates to things that are going on today. I still doubt I'll ever read the true novel but I did appreciate reading Philbrick's take on it.

Until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Alan Gage]

Actually, he made a pretty persuasive argument. I ended up hunting down his book "Why Read Moby Dick" and found it was a good synopsis of the book and how it still relates to things that are going on today. I still doubt I'll ever read the true novel but I did appreciate reading Philbrick's take on it.

There is certainly a good message and story in the book but, at least to me, there is just too much other junk in the way. I found his, and others, arguments in favor of the book when I gave up on it again last year. A synopsis of the book makes it sound great. Actually reading it, at least to me, is another matter.

And I'm not someone that needs constant action in a book either. I love the classics and mostly read 19th and early 20th century literature.

Alan

 

[Woodwy]

this was so good to watch, thank U.