1er July 2021, in Lac-des-Seize-Îles, in the Laurentians, residents of the municipality witness a scene that is surprising to say the least. That day, among the motorboats, a canoe carved from a tree trunk using stone tools made its first public outing. This boat is the first of its kind to sail in Quebec in centuries!
Backtracking. A year earlier, a 19th century canoee century is discovered under the waters of Lake Papineau, in Outaouais. Jean-Louis Courteau, director of the Laurentian Water Interpretation Center (CIEL), is a member of the team working to document it. This object fascinates him, and he contacts me to ask me a host of questions. At the time, I have few answers to offer him.
Every year, thousand-year-old canoes are found at the bottom of North American lakes, but little is known about them. Some date from prehistoric times. No boats from this period have been found in Quebec, but they probably existed there. “What if we made one?” » says Jean-Louis Courteau.
On the one hand, the canoes of prehistory and those of the 19the century were similar, although made with different tools. On the other hand, we now had a model at hand. Finally, we had information on manufacturing methods in a prehistoric context, gleaned elsewhere. Thus was born the experimental archeology project called the Pirogue Project.
But what is experimental archaeology? It is a research method which consists of reproducing an artifact to understand its method of manufacture and its use. The idea seems simple, but the process turns out to be complex. The manufactured object must have the same characteristics and functionalities as the original for valid conclusions to be drawn.
Thanks to the Pirogue Project, we were able to test the use of different tools from the archaeological record to build a little-known type of boat, then experiment with its navigation techniques. Above all, the experience allowed us to become familiar with the use of fire as a tool. In fact, it is with embers that we dig the white pine trunk which forms the boat. This use of fire, fundamental during prehistory, helped us to make a canoe with more ease, speed and precision than we would have imagined.
Experimental archeology is a concrete science. She easily puts herself at the service of teaching history and transmitting knowledge. The Pirogue Project will also have allowed us to meet the public to help them discover unsuspected aspects of the past in an original way. Ultimately, the Pirogue Project is a journey through time!