In the pencil sketch entitled Indian Encampment, Sault Ste. Marie below, a single paddle is lashed with some saplings to form the tripod structure.
Indian Encampment, Sault Ste. Marie (Southeastern Ojibway)
August 1845
A sketch entitled Eleven Studies of Indian Life, includes a set of three paddles (lower left) illustrating another tripod image.
Eleven Studies of Indian Life, Southeastern Ojibway
Paul Kane (1810-1871)
Pencil on paper
14 cm x 21.5 cm
August 1845
Paddle Tripod Closeup
It seems these sketches were used in a full colour painting entitled, Indian Encampment at Georgian Bay around 1850. The paddle tripod is clearly visible on the left side of the image.
Indian Encampment at Georgian Bay
Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1995-215-1
ca. 1850
It seems the First Nations used their paddles in a very utilitarian manner, often for more than the obvious role. I wouldn't be carrying 3 paddles on a solo canoe trip, but it is nonetheless an interesting bit of bushcraft history.
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2 comments:
Is it possible they put the paddles in that position to dry the wood out?
I guess it would be possible, but each of the tripods illustrated by Kane has a cooking pot suspended over a low burning fire so the assumption is that the primary function was for cooking. Kane was pretty meticulous about documenting the details around him. Ray Mears has brief footage of a paddle tripod on one of his canoe / bushcraft films. Link is here with the image around the 3:30 mark.
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