Canoe building Activity

The Yorta Yorta People built canoes much like the image to the right to travel and hunt. 

 

The canoes were crafted from a single piece of bark taken from the river red gum tree (Eucalyptus Camaldulensis). To create them, a person would climb the tree and cut out a lozenge-shaped section of bark using either a stone axe or sharpened sticks. When the bark was positioned high on the tree, the builder would sometimes carve hand- and toe-holds to assist with climbing. Flat, flexible sticks were inserted around the cut area, pushed in gradually. Before the bark was fully detached, a line was wrapped around it to catch it as it fell, since the wood of the river red gum is too dense for dugout canoes and even the bark is tricky to handle. Once on the ground, small sticks were placed under the edges of the bark for support, and small fires were lit on top to evaporate much of the sap. This process caused the centre to sag, enhancing the curvature of the hull and raising the sides. A few sticks were laid across the hull to prevent excessive inward curling, and sometimes these were left in place as thwarts after construction. The end of the bark that was lower on the tree served as the stern, which was thicker than the bow and often couldn't be bent upward adequately. In such instances, the stern was sealed with a transom made from a mixture of clay and grass or other plant material.