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Culturally Modified Red Pine, Birch-Bark Canoes, and the Strategic Geography of the Fur Trade on Lake Saganaga, Minnesota, U.S.A.

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Abstract

Culturally modified red pine (Pinus resinosa) can be added to the long list of natural and artificial features that comprise the cultural landscape of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Minnesota, U.S.A. This study provides historical context for the first cultural-modification dates derived from the dendrochronological evaluation of primary-growth, fire-killed red pine in the Border Lakes region. The tree-ring-based data are interpreted in the context of archaeological records, fur-trade era travel accounts, and ethnographic information to shed new light on the economy of the Border Lakes Ojibwe from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. Multiple lines of evidence from Lake Saganaga suggest that these culturally modified red pine were intentionally wounded in order to extract pitch, which was used to make the gum critical for constructing and repairing birch-bark canoes. Culturally modified red pine are a tangible artifact class that may serve to reframe modern perspectives on the critical role of the birch-bark canoe for transport in the historical Border Lakes landscape. These trees are living symbols of historical land-use patterns and are indicative of the strategic geography of the fur trade.

Extracto

Se puede añadir el pino rojo americano modificado culturalmente (Pinus resinosa) a la larga lista de elementos naturales y artificiales que forman el paisaje cultural del área salvaje de Boundary Waters Canoe en Minnesota (Estados Unidos). Este estudio ofrece el contexto histórico de las primeras fechas de modificación cultural a partir del análisis dendrocronológico del pino rojo americano, de crecimiento primario y extinguido por el fuego en la región de Border Lakes. Los datos basados en los anillos del árbol se interpretan en el contexto de archivos arqueológicos, relatos de viaje de la época del comercio de pieles o información etnográfica para arrojar nueva luz sobre la economía de Border Lakes Ojibwe entre finales del siglo XVIII y principios del XX. Múltiples pruebas del lago Saganaga sugieren que el pino rojo culturalmente modificado fue dañado de forma intencionada para extraer brea, que se utilizaba para fabricar pegamento, fundamental en la construcción y reparación de canoas de corteza de abedul. Los pinos rojos culturalmente modificados constituyen una clase de artefacto tangible que puede servir para redefinir las perspectivas modernas sobre el papel esencial de estas canoas en el transporte en los paisajes históricos de Border Lakes. Estos árboles son símbolos vivientes de los patrones históricos del uso del suelo e indicativos de la geografía estratégica del comercio de pieles.

Résumé

Les pins résineux (Pinus resinosa) culturellement modifiés peuvent être inscrits sur la longue liste des caractéristiques naturelles et artificielles qui composent le paysage culturel de la Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness du Minnesota aux É.-U. La présente étude dresse un contexte historique pour les premières dates de modification culturelle dérivées de l’évaluation dendrochronologique des pins résineux tués par le feu depuis la croissance primaire. Ces données dendrochronologiques sont interprétées dans le contexte de données archéologiques, de récits de voyage datant de la traite des fourrures et de renseignements ethnographiques pour réexaminer l’économie du peuple Ojibwé de Border Lakes des années 1700 au début du 20e siècle. Plusieurs preuves récoltées à Lake Saganaga suggèrent que les pins résineux culturellement modifiés furent volontairement entaillés pour en extraire de la résine utilisée pour fabriquer la gomme essentielle à la construction et la réparation des canots en écorce de bouleau. Les pins résineux culturellement modifiés appartiennent à une catégorie d’artefacts concrets pouvant permettre de restructurer les points de vue modernes sur le rôle essentiel des canots en écorce de bouleau dans le transport du paysage historique de Border Lakes. Ces arbres sont les symboles vivants des modèles d’utilisation historique des terres et indicatifs de la géographie stratégique de la traite des fourrures.

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Acknowledgments:

The field-research component was jointly funded by the National Science Foundation Geography and Spatial Sciences Program Grants No. 1359868 and 1359863, and by the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin––Platteville. John Ludwig, Tim Straub, and Brett Ewald were among several volunteers working with the Forest Service Passport in Time Program, who played a vital role in the archaeological fieldwork at the Petit Rocher de Saganaga site complex. Thank you to Elizabeth Schneider for verifying dendrochronological dates, as well as Doug Birk, Jeffrey Richner, and Sigrid Arnott for providing historical references. Thank you to Sean Dunham, Bill Latady, and David Mather for providing helpful and constructive feedback on an initial draft of this manuscript, as well as Michael Nassaney and two anonymous reviewers for providing thoughtful critiques of an additional draft. Additional thanks to Tom Kaffine, Stephen Veit, Timothy Cochrane, Bill Clayton, Seth DePasqual, and Elizabeth Tanner. Miigwetch to Rose Berens and the Bois Forte Band elders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cloquet Forestry Center, University of Minnesota, 175 University Road, Cloquet, MN, 55720, U.S.A.

    Lane B. Johnson

  2. Heritage Resources Office, Superior National Forest, United States Department of Agriculture, 8901 Grand Avenue Place, Duluth, MN, 55808, U.S.A.

    Lee R. Johnson

  3. Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 1 University Plaza, Platteville, WI, 53818, U.S.A.

    Evan R. Larson

  4. Department of Geography, Environment and Society, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, U.S.A.

    Kurt F. Kipfmueller

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Correspondence to Lane B. Johnson.

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Johnson, L.B., Johnson, L.R., Larson, E.R. et al. Culturally Modified Red Pine, Birch-Bark Canoes, and the Strategic Geography of the Fur Trade on Lake Saganaga, Minnesota, U.S.A.. Hist Arch 52, 281–300 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-018-0102-2

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