Dugout Canoe
Original Vessel for the Navesink River
The original vessel for the Navesink river probably was the dugout
canoe. American indians on the Navesink River did not use birch bark
canoes, but rather used dugout canoes.
In our area the dugout canoes were probably made from Tuliptree logs,
which are by far our largest native tree species, and which is eminently
suited for dugout canoe building (another name for the tulip tree is
canoe wood). Before steel tools the Lenapi made their canoes mostly by
controlled burning, although later canoes used a combination of burning
and carving with steel tools.
As part of our relica vessel program NMHA has started
constructing a dugout canoe
in partnership with the Red Bank Primary School.
Check out the status of our
dugout canoe project.
For further information contact
Rik van Hemmen.
