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Colorfully dressed as voyagers, Leah & Tyler paddle their canoe |
Ryan, Christopher, & John sing "Allouette" as they paddle in rhythm |
Michigan History: Voyagers
Michigan is studied in the fourth grade. Students begin with the glaciers and continue through the Great Lakes, Native Americans, French and British influence and end with lumbering, mining and farming. One of the favorite units is the study of the French Voyageur. It is not surprising that the students enjoy "becoming Voyagers". Read Our Michigan Reports
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Colorfully dressed as voyagers, Leah & Tyler paddle their canoe |
Ryan, Christopher, & John sing "Allouette" as they paddle in rhythm |
After you have paddled for 6-8 hours your leader will call a rest or "pipe". You could smoke or fish for dinner or just rest your weary bones. When rest time is over, it's time to start your canoe.
Your canoe is now loaded and you're off on your adventure. As you paddle and sing you think about the things you will buy with your share of the furs. Sometimes you will race the other canoes in your party, or maybe you'll "shoot the rapids" just for fun. These men did not think about the danger but about the competition.
"Well, this is as far as we can go. Everyone out! We need to portage." The canoes are brought into shallow water (they are not beached because they are so fragile and could get punctured). While the leader and steersman hold the canoe in place you unload the goods on shore. You must then put your 90 pounds on your back, pick up the canoe and carry it overhead for about 1 mile around the St. Mary's River rapids setting it in Lake Superior. your destination is Grand Portage rendezvous in what is now Minnesota. There you will leave your furs with the trader and return to hour home base.
One of the favorite units is the study of the French Voyageur. He is a very colorful person of great courage and daring. Imagine spending months canoeing miles of waterways. They sometimes traveled for hours before taking a brief rest and continuing on in their quest for furs. The Voyageur wore a combination of European and Native American dress. Often his clothes were splashes of color from his red hat, or red sash, or red handkerchief to the beaded moccasins on his feet. He was accustomed to carrying a minimum of 90 pounds on his back as well as carry his canoe on a portage around dangerous rapids or tumbling waterfall. Let's pretend you are a voyageur and have been commissioned by the King to trade with the Native Americans for the furs Europeans are demanding. Of course you must have a license to barter. If not, you would be a "woods runner" and may be caught and have all your hard work confiscated by the authorities. You and your friends have a North canoe and can carry 3,000pounds of goods and people. You are the steersman, that means you direct the back of the canoe with your paddle and determine the course it will take. The leader sits in the front of the canoe and sets the pace. Many times he will sing a song to get his men in rhythm. Allouette was one of the favorite songs to sing. The faster the leader sang the faster the men paddled. As the leader and the steersman hold the canoe the others load it up with trading goods such as beads, metal knives, guns, cooking pots, and blankets. These goods will be traded for beaver pelts as well as fox, wolf, ermine, minx and others.
