Aboriginal dugout canoes were a significant advancement in canoe technology.

Dugout canoes A dugout canoe or simply dugout is a boat made from a hollowed tree. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. ''Monoxylon'' (''μονόξυλον'') (pl: ''monoxyla'') is Greek – ''mono-'' (single) + '' ξύλον xylon'' (t ...

may have been stronger, faster, and more efficient than previous types of bark canoes. The

Australian Aboriginal people Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

s' use of these canoes brought about many changes to both their hunting practices and society.

History

Aboriginal people began using dugout canoes from around 1640 in coastal regions of northern Australia. They were brought by Buginese fishers of sea cucumbers, known as trepangers, from Makassar in South Sulawesi. In Arnhem Land, dugout canoes used by the local Yolngu people are called ''lipalipa'' or ''lippa-lippa''.

Construction

Aboriginal canoes were constructed much more easily than previous types of vessels, such as bark canoes. This ease of construction played a significant role in the dugout canoes’ widespread use. While earlier vessels required a great deal of labor and time-consuming sewing to make, dugout canoes were constructed easily and in a shorter period of time.Mitchell 2005 First, one would have to cut down a tree and shape the exterior into an even form. The sides of the canoe were shaped in one of two ways. They were either carved straight up and down or in a "u" shape, curving in towards the center of the boat. Next, one would have to dig out the inner wood of the log to make space for the oarsmen to sit and paddle.Thomas 1905, In some early dugout canoes, Aboriginal people would not make the bottoms of the canoes smooth, but would instead carve "ribbing" into the vessel. Ribbing (literally sections of wood that looked like ribs) was used to stabilize bark canoes, and though not necessary to dugout canoes, was a carryover in the transition from one canoe type to the other. Both the chopping down of the tree and the digging out of the log were easily done with an iron-

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

.Bellwood and Hiscock 2005 The wood used in the construction of dugout canoes was essential to its strength and durability. A wide variety of trees were used depending upon the location of a particular people, but in most cases the Aboriginal people used a type of native

sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

, possibly

Litsea reticulata ''Litsea reticulata'' is a common Australian tree, growing from near Milton, New South Wales to the Bunya Mountains, Queensland. Common names include bollygum, bolly wood and brown beech. The habitat of the bollygum is rainforest of most types, ...

Cryptocarya glaucescens ''Cryptocarya glaucescens'', commonly known as jackwood, is a rainforest tree of the laurel family growing in eastern Australia. Taxonomy ''Cryptocarya glaucescens'' was one of the many species first described by Scottish botanist Robert Brown ...

(Silver sycamore), White sycamore (

Polyscias elegans ''Polyscias elegans'', known as the celery wood, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs in a variety of different rainforest types, from fertile basaltic soils, to sand dunes and less fertile sedimentary soils. The range of natu ...

Cryptocarya obovata ''Cryptocarya obovata'' is a species of laurel growing on basaltic and fertile alluvial soils in eastern Australian rainforests. It is found from Wyong (33° S) in New South Wales to Gympie (27° S) in the state of Queensland. Extinct in the Ill ...

Ceratopetalum succirubrum ''Ceratopetalum succirubrum'' is a species of plant in the family Cunoniaceae. It is found in Australia, West Papua (Indonesia), and Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss. First collected by botanists at Gadgarra on the Atherton T ...

(Satin sycamore),

Cardwellia sublimia ''Cardwellia'' is a genus of a sole described species of large trees in the plant family Proteaceae. The species ''Cardwellia sublimis'' (northern silky oak) is endemic to the rainforests of the wet tropics region of northeastern Queensland, A ...

Cryptocarya hypospodia ''Cryptocarya'' is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the Neotropical, Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian realms. Overview The genus inc ...

(Bastard Sycamore),

Ceratopetalum virchowii ''Ceratopetalum'' is a genus of nine species of shrub and tree in the family Cunoniaceae. They are found along the eastern coast of Australia and extend north to New Guinea. Two Australian species are among the best known, one being '' C. apetal ...

(Pink Sycamore) or

Ceratopetalum corymbosum ''Ceratopetalum'' is a genus of nine species of shrub and tree in the family Cunoniaceae. They are found along the eastern coast of Australia and extend north to New Guinea. Two Australian species are among the best known, one being '' C. apetal ...

(Mountain sycamore).http://www.woodsolutions.com.au/Wood-Species/satin-sycamore Satin sycamore, also known as Ceratopetalum succirubrum Sycamores are strong and extremely durable, making them suitable for use in the construction of dugout canoes.

Uses

Both sea turtles and

dugongs The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...

were essential components of the Aboriginal diet. The transformation from bark canoes to dugout canoes greatly increased the ability of the tribal hunters to catch and kill both of these types of sea creatures due primarily to a more formidable structure. Dugout canoes included a stronger and better platform for harpooning that greatly increased the stability of an upright hunter by providing essential footing. In order to capture

and sea turtles, the hunters needed to maintain the utmost degree of stealth. Perfect balance was required and the new dugout canoes gave the hunters this necessary edge.Thompson 1905 Additionally, the shift towards using dugout canoes maximized the overall possibilities of seafarers. Not only did increased sturdiness, speed and stability of Dugout canoes make hunting easier, but these characteristics also allowed for long-distance travel.Worsley 1955, Whereas bark canoes had been only used for inland use or travel extremely close to the shore, Dugout canoes offered a far greater range of travel which allowed for trade outside the area of the village. Dugout canoes were capable of traveling distances over 500 km. This new vessel gave the Aboriginal people the ability and opportunity to explore, trade and locate additional resources located outside the central location.

Impacts

The widespread use of dugout canoes had many impacts on Aboriginal life. The most significant were results of the Aboriginal peoples' ability to hunt larger prey. With the strength to transport larger prey over longer distances, dugout enabled the peoples to vastly expand their hunting grounds. This larger prey also enabled support of a larger group of people over a longer period of time. This increase in the ability to support population led to both population growth and expansion.

Torres Strait Islander boats

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often groupe ...

people, another

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

group of peoples (who are not Aboriginal), used a different type of boat – a

double outrigger A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recreat ...

, unique to their area and probably introduced from Papuan communities and later modified. It was about long, with two

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

masts and sails made of pandanus-mat. They could sail as far as and carry up to twelve people.

References

* * * * * {{indigenous Australians Australian Aboriginal culture Indigenous boats Australian Aboriginal bushcraft History of Indigenous Australians