Dugout - A canoe type boat made from a hollowed out log, used in early days throughout America.  A form known as the pirogue was common along the Atlantic slope south of the St. lawrence River, while dugouts were made by Indians of the north central section of the united States, notably the Chippewa.

The dugout of the Tlingit Indians withits high decorative prow, could carry from thirty to fifty men.  dugouts made from the giant cedar trees of the California forests were often nearly one hundred feet long.

Dugouts were made by carefully burning the wood and chipping the charred part out with stone adzes and bone chisels.  When the sides were thinned down to the proper thickness, the dugout was filled with water which was heated by dropping hot stones into it.  When the wood became soft the sides were bulged out by placing long sticks or thwarts inside the hollowed out log.  A high bow or stern was made from sections of logs properly shaped and fitted to the hull of the dugout with cedar ropes and pegs.
 

 

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