However, no evidence of a sail or a Caribbean canoe that could have made use of a sail has been found. Some archaeologists doubt that oceanic transportation would have been possible without the use of sails as winds and currents would have carried the canoes off course. There is still much dispute regarding the use of sails in Caribbean canoes. Reports by historical chroniclers claim to have witnessed a canoe "containing 40 to 50 Caribs when it came out to trade with a visiting English ship". Ranging from fishing canoes, holding one or a few individuals, to larger ones able to carry as many as a few dozen people that could have been used to reach the Caribbean Islands from the mainland. It is likely that these canoes were built in a variety of sizes. These include woods of the mahogany family (Meliaceae) such as the Cuban mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), that can reach heights of 30–35 m, the ceiba family (Malvacae) such as Ceiba pentandra, than can grow up to 60–70 m tall and the cedar family such as the Red Cedar ( Cedrela odorata) that can grow up to 60 m in height. There are several families of trees that could have been used to construct Caribbean canoes.
Only very few Pre-Columbian Caribbean canoes have been uncovered. Around 3500 BC ancient Amerindian groups colonised the first Caribbean Islands using single-hulled canoes. Ĭanoes have also played a vital role in the colonisation of the Pre-Columbian Caribbean as they represented the only possibility of reaching the Caribbean Islands from mainland South America. The canoe is currently in Damaturu, the state capital. It is the oldest boat to be discovered in Africa, and the third oldest known worldwide. One of the oldest canoes in the world is the Dufuna canoe in Nigeria. Excavations in Denmark reveal the use of dugouts and paddles during the Ertebølle period, (c. Ĭonstructed between 82 BC, and found in the Netherlands, the Pesse canoe may be the oldest known canoe. Many peoples made dugout canoes, by carving out a single piece of wood either a whole trunk, or a slab of trunk from particularly large trees. Most modern canoes are made of molded plastic or composites such as fiberglass or those incorporating kevlar, or graphite. Historically, canoes were dugouts or made of bark on a wood frame, but construction materials evolved to canvas on a wood frame, then to aluminum. The intended use of the canoe dictates its hull shape, length, and construction material. Canoeing has been part of the Olympics since 1936. Where the canoe played a key role in history, such as the Northern United States, Canada, and New Zealand, it remains an important theme in popular culture.Ĭanoes are now widely used for competition and pleasure, such as racing, whitewater, touring and camping, freestyle and general recreation. Until the mid-19th century, the canoe was an important means of transport for exploration and trade, and in some places is still used as such, sometimes with the addition of an outboard motor. In British English, the term "canoe" can also refer to a kayak, while canoes are called Canadian, or open, canoes to distinguish them from kayaks.Ĭanoes were developed by cultures all over the world, including some designed for use with sails or outriggers. A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.