During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, particularly along the Great Lakes regions, movement of goods and people occurred in canoes: birch-bark canoes to be more precise. A glimpse into the world of Native Americans, early French, Dutch, and then British traders comes via a video placed by the Museum of Underwater Archeology. As historians, such videos are terrific reminders of the Historical Inquiry Process (questions well posed, sources well scrutinized, and interpretations well constructed).
As I watched this under nine minute video all sorts of “questions well posed” came to mind. Since I consider myself a cultural and economic historian (despite what Marx says, the two are much intertwined), my inquiries followed a path of resources, their allocations, and the meaning such resources infused themselves in the various cultures aforementioned.
For example: Where are birch trees most prolific? Did all Native Americans, where birch trees are abundant, use the bark of birch to make their canoes? Inuit from Lake Huron invented the kayak, but which came first, the kayak or the canoe – and which group borrowed such watertight technology from whom? Was there even contact between Huron and Great Lakes natives? Since the video demonstrates such intensive work, were canoes venerated? Given names? Or prayed for in rites or rituals? If so, how, and by whom? What did such ceremonies look like? How long did they last? Or were canoes even that important? What does the canoe say about the geography of the region – its system of waterways, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes? Does geography dictate the lightness of the birch-bark canoe? How valued were these canoes by European traders? What did Europeans offer and what did Native Americans accept in exchange for a canoe? People used the canoe to transport themselves and their goods, so were there two styles of canoes: one for people, one for goods? Or was there just one design? What transportation system placed the canoe in an obsolete category and when? How long did it take to displace the canoe? Or was the absence of these birch-bark canoes more the result of encroachments by Europeans and the decimation of Native American societies due to war and disease? Thus which came first, transportation revolutions or the demise of native societies? Or did the two occur hand in hand?
Each of these questions begin the Historical Inquiry Process (HIP). As you can see, however, these questions cover a wide range of topics, from rites and ceremonies to geography, cultural contacts and conflicts to trade, and more. You don’t follow up on each and every question, rather you chose which set or category of questions spark your interest. To fully answer all of those questions would take a lifetime, or at least a good chunk of it. For me, I’d like to know when the canoe began to fade from the North American scene and why. Thus, these questions – hopefully well posed – help sparked my future scrutiny path. In other words, my chosen set of questions now beg for answers. But, and this is a “big but” (no pun intended), what separates a good historian from one that is just so-so, is definitely in the scrutiny. Good historians do not satiate themselves when an answer to a well posed question pops up. A sort of self-audit first occurs: Is this answer valid? Who supplied the answer? Can the source be trusted? Why was the answer written so that I may find it? How old is the source? What biases may the source possess? And most important, are there other sources that supply the same answer, or are there competing claims?
Which leads to the last phase of the HIP: your interpretation. After you have analyzed the answers, it’s time for you to come up with your own interpretation of what’s in a canoe. You’ve probably been using a guiding thesis during the scrutiny phase of the HIP, but now is the time to create that killer thesis (see “Thesis Generation” on this blog) and write your first draft.
August 26, 2011 at 10:27 pm
The Historical Inquiry Process is the multi-step process in which one looks at or investigates a historical event or fact.
The first step is to derive a set of logical questions from the event or fact that is being investigated. For instance in the canoe video. What devices existed before the development of the canoe? What was/is the evolution of the canoe? What changes have been made, if any to the modern canoe? What major event triggered a need for a canoe? Who is considered the inventor of the canoe? Was birch used because it was the best choice or because of availability? What were the first paddles made from? What tools did the Indians have available to them? After the questions are posed we determine which question(s) to pursue.
The next step is to find an answer to that question, albeit research from someone who has already answered that question, or investigate the matter yourself. Once an answer is obtained, verify the answer/source is a relevant one. What makes this source valid? Is this person an expert in his field? What are his credentials? Is the answer backed up by fact? If the answer is found on the internet, what are their sources? Is there any evidence/facts backing this answer?
The final step of the Historical Inquiry Process is interpretation, putting the pieces of the puzzle together to formulate a clear and concise conclusion, hopefully backed by facts.
August 27, 2011 at 2:02 am
Very insightful Kuiper! I love these questions that you posed.
January 26, 2013 at 9:29 pm
This Explanation of HIP has certainly been soo helpful, now I have an even better understanding ! Thank You
August 27, 2011 at 5:56 am
There is, within the Historical Inquiry Process, or HIP, an immense capability for variation. Which is why, one could come to multiple conclusions in regards to a single question. The author states that a well posed question is paramount to the HIP. Without the inquiry as to why, how etc. the unasked question would not be asked, the thought potentially lost and pieces of history left masked . By posint the question one challenges his/her self to use credible resources, as opposed to a pop culture, gag such as the National Inquirer to answer the question. Which one must use their own judgement based on logic and prior knowledge to scrutinize and obtain truth from a mosaic of possible assumptions. To properly do so one should cross reference sources, again apply logic and to ‘weed out’ unneeded information. Which would bring out inquiring individual to the final step, quite possibly the most difficult task of interpreting, the final task has potential of being challenging because of the previous task of sifting through often convincing material.
After reading the blog entitled “What’s in a Canoe? Plenty, if you ask the right questions” I am inclined to ask where did the ingenuity to create such a water craft come from? How did that evolve? Where there previous attempts at making a sea worthy vessel? How long were the natives land bound before the first canoe came into existence? What were the developing technologies that were invented that made this feat possible?
August 27, 2011 at 5:57 am
There is, within the Historical Inquiry Process, or HIP, an immense capability for variation. Which is why, one could come to multiple conclusions in regards to a single question. The author states that a well posed question is paramount to the HIP. Without the inquiry as to why, how etc. the unasked question would not be asked, the thought potentially lost and pieces of history left masked . By posint the question one challenges his/her self to use credible resources, as opposed to a pop culture, gag such as the National Enquirer to answer the question. Which one must use their own judgement based on logic and prior knowledge to scrutinize and obtain truth from a mosaic of possible assumptions. To properly do so one should cross reference sources, again apply logic and to ‘weed out’ unneeded information. Which would bring out inquiring individual to the final step, quite possibly the most difficult task of interpreting, the final task has potential of being challenging because of the previous task of sifting through often convincing material.
After reading the blog entitled “What’s in a Canoe? Plenty, if you ask the right questions” I am inclined to ask where did the ingenuity to create such a water craft come from? How did that evolve? Where there previous attempts at making a sea worthy vessel? How long were the natives land bound before the first canoe came into existence? What were the developing technologies that were invented that made this feat possible?
August 27, 2011 at 10:06 am
HIP is a process of analyzing an event and breaking down the end result into questions to discover the evolution of the event and, hopefully, validate with facts.
In order to gain any insight to the historical event, you first need to put yourself into the event. From there, you can develop your set of questions. After watching the canoe making video, the most prominent question I have is what led them to the design? Did they see a dried leaf floating down the river and decide to make a larger scale version to travel/transport goods? What made them decide to use tree bark and what led them to first stripping the bark off of trees? What techniques used previously led them to using gum to seal the line holes and joints? How many attempts were made before a successful model was made and what modifications were made during the process?
After creating your line of questioning, the research begins for the answers. The most important step in finding the answers is establishing the credibility of the source. How much experience does this person have in the field? Are they someone who has studied the field for a number of years or are they just starting to get their opinions or point of view out to the rest of the historical world?
Odds are, you’ll find more than one source to derive your answers from, but which will have the facts behind them that you will agree with? This brings you to the final step in HIP, interpretation. Each historian can and probably will derive different interpretations based on the same facts. This provides us with more points of view and can even drive us in asking questions that had not been posed before.
August 28, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Stunning insights, sir!
August 27, 2011 at 1:05 pm
The HIP is an in-depth scrutinization of several or few questions on a specific topic in the search for a better understanding and/or a more precise interpretation, thereby giving another, yet more informed, history viewpoint of an event in time.
I would like to propose the question of wondering, what kind of things would have been “attached” to the conoe? I see fishing boats and whatnot all the time with nets and different items attached to themselves. It brings to reason that indians would have attached something to their conoe, if not just a bag or pouch to carry fish or other items.
August 28, 2011 at 2:33 pm
That’s a great question…attachments to the canoe… there were to kayaks
August 28, 2011 at 1:51 am
The Historical Inquiry Process (HIP) is a simple 3 step system in helping an individual understand historical events.
HIP is an investigative tool used when a question is asked that interests the individual. The first step is to find out what question is important to you in your quest for knowledge. Once you have decided the question you wish to seek an answer to, it is now time to investigate the historical facts. For each fact that you find you should use another source to back it up. After you have received the facts to answer your question you move onto the third and final step. The final step is to take the facts and do some analytical thinking and come to your own conclusion of what really happened. There is no right or wrong answer only how you perceive the facts.
The questions that I have in reference to this blog are: Who used the canoe? Were there canoe makers in the community or did one have to make their own? Where the canoes ever used to assist in a battle with another tribe?
August 28, 2011 at 3:55 am
The HIP is a process in which facts are given, or discovered, followed by questions about what has been discovered and the push to find answers, or truths, to those questions. even further, those answers are possibly used to ask new questions or unveil facts we missed at the beginning.
My questions are these: what else may the Native Americans have used canoes for? How much birch-bark was necessary to build one canoe? How many canoes were made in any given year? And last would the amount of birch-bark used to construct canoes been enough to dwindle the birch tree population so drastically?
August 28, 2011 at 4:54 am
The HIP is a set of questions (the who, what, where, why and when) from information that is provided through various sources. But more importantly, the questions fuel our desire to learn the truth, and to understand the past.
Now the only questions that i could come up with from the little paragraph at the beginning of the blog were these. When the Native Americans first designed the canoes, how many prototypes did they come up with before they were satified with the result being the canoe? Is Birch-bark the only wood that they used for this, or did they experiment with other types succesfully/unsuccesfully? Or was it that the Birch-Bark was the only readily available wood at their disposal? And after the succesfuly completion of there canoe, how far did they usually travel with these canoes? And how many people did it take to complete? Was it a right of passage to complete for just one person? Or where they just like cars of today, being that every family had one or more?
August 28, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I like the rite of passage question!
August 29, 2011 at 8:13 am
Sorry, I use the right of passage thing as well. Didnt mean to copy you.
August 28, 2011 at 8:49 am
Historical Inquiry Process- The process we use to find the truth about an event or gather enough fact to be able to build our own conclusion.
You are presented with the fact that something happened. What do you do? The same thing that a toddler would do. Ask the question. If it was a male, was he trying to impress a girl? Was it some sort of rite of passage? It is in human nature to question almost everything, even when we are told to just except it or just have faith.
The gathering portion of this process takes the longest and there a few things that have to be taken into consideration. For example; how reliable is the source of information? Are there any supporting documentation? Have others come up with some of the same ideas?
The last step is evaluating all your research and develop your own interpretation. Will it be spot on? Probably not. Close to the truth? Maybe. Will others have come to the same conclusion as you? Quite possibly. But, every so often a unique thought will pop up and change the way we view an historical event.
So remember, be like that four year old and eat your vegetables
August 28, 2011 at 1:18 pm
The Historical Inquiry Process (HIP) is the procedure one undergoes to answer a question (or set of questions) through effective research. This is wrapped up by conducting your own analysis on the facts that you have gathered.
My question:
Although needing a water transport was enough reason for the Native Americans to start building canoes, what was the initial inspiration for it? Did they borrow the ideas from a different civiliaation? Was there a predeccesor version of the birch-bark canoes?
August 28, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Please excuse the misspeling in my last post.
The Historical Inquiry Process (HIP) is the procedure one undergoes to answer a question (or set of questions) through effective research. This is wrapped up by conducting your own analysis on the facts that you have gathered.
My question:
Although needing a water transport was enough reason for the Native Americans to start building canoes, what was the initial inspiration for it? Did they borrow the ideas from a different civilization? Was there a predecessor version of the birch-bark canoes?
August 28, 2011 at 2:27 pm
I wondered the same thing! Which is why I mentioned the Inuit and their Kayaks…
August 28, 2011 at 3:09 pm
The Historical Inquiry Process or (HIP) is a process of which sources are taken to aquire answers from historical events. A way to aquire these answers is to ask questions, that would have a person think outside the box.
Some of these questions would be how long did it take to build a birch-bark canoe?,How often did it take to move goods?, Were the canoes often stolen or taken from other tribes on the way to trade?,Were they often captured by other tribes? If captured, would the people be executed?
Next, research through various resources such as books, and internet and make sure the information is accurate. Finally, make an interpretation in your own words of what you belive what was in a canoe?
August 28, 2011 at 6:07 pm
Good job dissecting this process.
August 28, 2011 at 3:54 pm
I believe the Historical Inquiry Process (HIP) is a series of steps taken, mostly mentally, to generate a series of well thought out questions. The questions formed are tools used to help uncover the answers that are sought after. By grouping these questions into separate categories helps to further narrow the field of view and to home in on the more specific answers that one is looking for.
Some questions that come to mind when I read this article are about the shape of the canoes and what the determining factor was in the end. Where any of the canoes designed specifically to be fast and cut through the water effortlessly? Did they ever have canoe races? Was there any balance between space for other tools and weapons and hydrodynamics? What were some of the “longer” journeys taken by canoe? What were some of the previous canoes built from before deciding birch bark was best suited? What were some of the things that made canoes distinctively different from another tribe members canoe?
August 28, 2011 at 6:05 pm
I love the observation that we can categorize our questions… Thanks. You got this down.
August 28, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Historical Inquiry Process is the human being trying to determine past events, why they happened and how they came to exist.
We can even date it back to early in the BIBLE. When Cain murdered his brother Abel, GOD placed a mark on his forehead to remind everyone else of what Cain did and the ramifications of disobeying Him. Their HIP would be to start asking questions such as: “Why do you have that mark on your head?” or “How is it that you allowed to let your anger become so great you took the life of another human?” HIP is something that we do every day without realizing it. Every time we ask our shipmate how they are doing we’re asking for their history for the day or perhaps even the week. Information Is something that we as humans will never achieve our maximum load of. And as seconds pass there is always more to learn.
Several questions occurred me as I was reading your response to the birch video. One of the first being, When did the Native Americans finally realize that water transport was a necessity for the region they were living in? More over how did they master the difficult science of buoyancy in their seemingly undeveloped time? What other resources did they use besides bark and animal skins for their canoes? What were the best tools they had to get these jobs done? Is the canoe transportation on land directly related to how they migrated from place to place to hunt?
In one of the responses to your blog similar questions came to mind as the other readers. With any waterborne vessel steering is needed to be effective. Without it the navigator of that vessel will be at the mercy of mother nature and therefore more vulnerable not only to the currents but to possible predators. Paddles were that solution. Over the years we have developed the paddle to give us the best momentum with the minimum force necessary. How did they design their paddles? Did the designs directly reflect their culture? For that matter did the designs of the canoe reflect their culture?
Several tribes were identified via their war paint on their horses and their faces. Did they paint their canoes as well? Did a waterborne attack ever cross their mind when it came to wars. Staying out of reach of land and hitting the enemy where they least expect it. Their own peaceful waters where they send their wives and children to receive the food from the canoe they just floated back on to feed the mouths of the families of their tribe.
More questions continue to occur to me to the point of exhaustion. As I try to intertwine the concept of HIP to canoes and the questions that occurred I can do little more than scratch my head and think of the natives of this land that was far ahead of their time and could not realize it.
August 28, 2011 at 6:04 pm
I do believe you got it. These are some great questions!
August 28, 2011 at 4:20 pm
The Historical Inquiry Process is an application of the scientific method to the study of History. In order to formulate questions in the first place, observations and study of the subject matter must be conducted. From a solid knowledge base, further questions may allow for the construction of a viable theory. A good theory stimulates debate while subjection to the peer review process encourages further refinement.
How did the design of birch-bark canoes transition from the more primitive dugout canoe? How did it relate to kayak construction? For transportation of bulk cargo, were rafts more likely to be used instead? What part did outriggers play, if any, in birch-bark canoe design?
August 28, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Oh wow! I love how I stole your comparison to the Scientific Method! Sorry! Maybe there really is no such thing as a new idea under the sun! I promise it was not intentional!! (Proof I did not read every post! haha)
August 28, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Oh Grisdale… this is America, the land that invented the stealing of ideas. It’s true!
August 28, 2011 at 5:13 pm
The way I personally interpret HIP stemmed from the beginning question that was posed on our first day of class – the ever-appropriate: “What is The Historical Inquiry Process?” From here I saught a few sources to find a more informed and fact driven basis for my analysis and answer, such as this blog, the answers given by my peers, the responses from my teacher and discussions I’ve had with people in the class while reading the chapter. While listening to the many interpretations I realized that all of this is HIP – taking what we’ve learned, finding information on the process itself and making our own informed opinion on that very process. It’s almost a Scientific Method for time related events instead of chemical or biological events (which could actually interlope as well!). Some people had a hard time coming up with their own interpretation of the process but that is all a part of the struggle of experiences vs. time, even here in the Navy aboard the USS Anzio. We do it every day, because no matter how much you learn something, there’s always more to learn. Things change, equipment changes, people change.. Did I operate this equipment properly? What does the handbook say is the correct way? How old is this handbook and how accurate? How did the people before me use it? What is the main goal of opperating the equipment, what’s the end goal? How was it done before this piece of hardware and how can I learn how to perform that task just in case we lose this piece of equipment temporarily? Etc. and etc. Whether you take the time to fully analyze and explore the equipment around you is up to you, but the resources to put the Historical Inquery Process to use for your benefit are all at hand.
August 28, 2011 at 7:42 pm
The historical inquiry process is the process of first finding something that sparks an interest, then questioning why, how and for what reason just to name a few. These questions all sparking deep thoughts to pluck the ideas from one’s own mind because of human nature’s own curiosities. The next step is to validate those questions with thorough detailed research from reliable sources, scrutinizing everything down to the smallest details. The last step is to interpret not only what you discovered, but how and what it all means in your own mind, putting the pieces together all in the hopes of answering your original questions.
A few of my own questions of the reasoning of using birch come to mind. How durable is birch bark and will it last? Did they chose birch based on availability or workability? How did they develop the intuitive idea that putting a man into a masterful creation such as this would stay afloat and not sink? How many attempts were made before successfully creating one that was usable? Were they decorated elaborately and if so were the designs limited dependent on status within the tribe?
August 28, 2011 at 8:13 pm
The HIP is a Multi step process in which a person uses to discover the facts and better understand a certain event in history. The first step is to find the questions that come to your mind the most about the event and spark your interest the most. From that you must decide out of the questions which path to follow down because there are so many you could go down and it would take a lifetime to answer all questions one has about a event or topic.
The next step is to find all the answers to the questions you chose to answer. Not just the first one but all. Using all resources you would have to verify that the first is the same as the next.
The last step is to put those answers to your questions into your own words and thus satisfying your needs of knowledge and feeling in the gaps to the event, peoples or anything that you find that you do not know the answer to.
Here are a few questions that come to mind for me when watching the video and reading the blog. First, How long and how many attempts did it take for them to master the crafting of the design of the canoe? Where did they get it from (the design)? How many different types of canoes were there ? Did they ever use any other type of wood and if so why ? WHo crafted the canoe, was it one person’s job in a tribe or was it a group effort or family effort ?
August 28, 2011 at 8:17 pm
The Historical Inquiry Process, like any process, has multiple steps. The first step is to ask your question. Take your time and make it well thought out. Make sure it is the question you want to ask, break it down. If your question is too broad, you may not get a definitive answer. ‘How and why did this happen?’, too complex. You should tackle one idea at a time.
Once you have your well posed question, the next thing to do is to find your resources. Once you have found these, you must validate the information and the source. What is this person’s qualification? Is this information first hand, second hand, or further removed?
If you are satisfied with the results of your research, than what is left for you to do is interpret your findings. Make them make sense to you. Ask, does this answer my entire question?
As for me, I would like to know how the canoe was developed, invented if you will. Was it one person who invented it? Was there trial and error? How many designs came before?
August 28, 2011 at 11:15 pm
HIP is a tool used to validate information about a topic. When we read about a topic we have only learned the views and the analysis of the author. If you check into many sources on one topic you will often find that they disagree with each other because of the time frame in which it was written. Many topics that written about are buyist because of religion or culture of the person writing it which always changes the interpretation, some are sources are outdated due to modern technology and science which often changes the analysis of information. There are many reasons why the information may be wrong or incomplete. HIP is not only used to validate however, it can be used to find out information not written about a topic. If you have questions that you would like to know the answer to, or you would like to scrutinize the information based on questions you would like to the answers to, the HIP process would be an important tool.
My question about canoes is rather simple. Is this the only location-timeframe that canoes were used? It seems unlikely that canoes wouldn’t of been used before the 17th-18th century. Also, is there another form of canoe “small craft”, that was used somewhere else earlier in time?
August 29, 2011 at 1:18 am
Historical inquiry process is a method of proving or disbanding a historical hypothesis. Usually, a researcher will use primary or secondary documents, objects and artifacts to obtain facts that can be used to draw conclusions about the theory in question.
After watching the video, I realized that making a canoe is very complicated procedure. And I would like to know if first canoes where as complicated as the one in the video? I’ve seen documents, boxes and buckets made from Burch bark by Russian farmers around 15-17th century, but their use of bark never transitioned to big projects as a canoe or kayak. That brings me to my next question: Was the set of skills required to make a canoe used for something else in the tribe’s culture or was it developed after invention of a canoe?
August 29, 2011 at 1:25 am
The Historical Inquiry Process (HIP) is a technique, consisting of the creation of various questions by an individual, to help better our understanding of a historical figure or event. More so, HIP is a process to help validate facts or create new ones, based on the answers and research we gather in response to the questions we create about the historical topic.
So, my question is, what was the original intention for the creation of the canoe. Was it meant to simply transport goods across water from one point of land to another? Or was its main purpose to expand their civilization into further parts of the undiscovered world? In any aspect, I’m sure we can all agree that as time passed, the canoe became useful in more ways than its original purpose. It could have been used for traveling to points that could not be reached by foot, or using the canoe as a means of surprise, wether for hunting purposes or attack on an enemy. So many thoughts come to my head as to why they created the canoe, and whether or not they own the idea of it to begin with. It is nearly impossible to know the reasoning for the original creation of the canoe, but with HIPS, we can formulate ideas and back them up with reasonable facts, so that it is easier to find the answers we are looking for.
August 29, 2011 at 7:20 am
The historical inquiry process (HIP) is a means by which a person can look at a time in history and form questions that will help reveal the events of that time. It is a way of looking at an event from a non-biased point of view and revealing the history in its entirety. HIP is a process that helps you look further than just flipping through a few articles or reading a generic history book. In a way, it’s a way for you to discover your own version of the truth by means of thinking of questions about that time or event and comparing and contrasting the various ideas/perspectives of others.
I have several questions about the canoe. How many ways are there to create the canoe? Which ways were attempted first? Were any more successful or more useful than the others? Where there different ways to make the canoes for specific uses? How did they discover these various uses? Those are just the tip of the iceberg for me. Those are the ones that specifically come to mind because I try to think analytically. Figuring out ways to solve problems and puzzles appeals to me and I believe that these canoes are puzzles of their own. Without the HIP, this would be near impossible for anyone to figure out.
August 30, 2011 at 12:32 am
The HIP isnt rocket science, its just a “device” people use to sort out events, organize them in a orderly manner, and help us keep facts from opinion. Opinion comes after the organization and we can take a good overall look and form our own.
My question is why people try and find out which came first? Is it so unconceivable that they both came up with an idea for a mode of “nautical” transportation? These people were already building cities, and had social structures, and had a way to sustain themselves. They did not always have the greatest success in the later, but the did invent corn?
Also, with all these gigantic palisades they built with the thousands of trees, im surprised if they had many canoes? The probably took a long time to make, so they were probably for a certain social class…they higher the class, you had a canoe, the lower, maybe not.
Very interesting how a canoe can stir up such debate and criticism.
March 25, 2012 at 10:14 am
[…] “What’s In A Canoe? Plenty, if you ask the right questions“ Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. Posted in: Research, Uncategorized […]
March 25, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Man, it takes a lot to make a canoe, but when you think about it, each step you take is kinda like a question? ” What to do next and how to explain it would be the answer.”
March 28, 2012 at 8:45 pm
Thanks for checking out the video. I don’t want you to miss the point so I might recommend reviewing the article that surrounded the video. The trick is to come up with a question that you can spend a dissertation on – or at least 100 pages in answering. Remember, questions well-posed!
March 26, 2012 at 8:33 am
This was a very interesting video that really made you think of what is inside a canoe. As the video played on I kept asking myself…where did he learn how to make the canoe in the and how in the heck did the Indians come up with the process of building a canoe in the first place? Just like in anything in life, it takes a process and it takes time. Each step in the process has its own story behind I’m sure. Whether it was trial and error or pure ingenious is was a step in the final process.
So what is in a canoe? I believe tradition, knowledge passed through generations, and blood, sweat and tears…that is what is in a canoe.
March 26, 2012 at 8:37 am
Here is my question. What motivated the Indians to utilize Birch wood bark as opposed to any other kind of bark or material?
March 28, 2012 at 8:42 pm
You first asked “how in the heck did the Indians come up with the process of building a canoe in the first place?” And you gave the rumblings of the beginnings of an answer – that’s the process I am looking for, that’s the HIP…
March 28, 2012 at 8:37 pm
I liked this video a lot because I am double major and one of my majors is Cultural Anthropology. 🙂 There is a lot that goes into making a canoe: the labor, time, materials…it adds up to a huge commitment! Just like anthropologists, historians must look at a document, video, items and come up with questions. Even more importantly, they must connect these questions to the people and culture it represents. The article did help clarify the HIP process of asking good questions, analyzing the data found on the subject, and interpreting it for yourself. I understand that historians take the same steps as anthropologists to find out information about culture, event, etc. What is interesting to me is how these indigenous people made these canoes. My questions would be: Where did this idea for travel on water originate from? How did these people come to the idea that water travel would be a good or better way to transport goods compared to land travel?
March 28, 2012 at 8:39 pm
Jen, I think you’ve got it! Great question, though I am certain it would take an anthropologist to answer it.
April 2, 2012 at 4:04 pm
This video posed a great interest to me, and in some ways as a historian this is great for their H.I.P. It first brings many questions of interest to minds, and everyone and every source is different and posses different answers or will bring up even more questions.
So my question pertaining to this video would be:
How many trial and error canoes were constructed before these individuals figured out what material would float best, and what material or substance would help seal the canoe from becoming to water logged?
April 3, 2012 at 3:14 pm
When the Indians made the canoe, do you think the process of the development of the canoe took more time and effort over the years? When the years past were there advancements in the process? Did they see logs floating and that just gave them the idea to make a canoe?
August 21, 2012 at 7:37 pm
I truly enjoyed this short video! I found the process of making a canoe to be much more involved than I ever imagined. I am utterly amazed at what the Native Indians were able to accomplish using vegetation, wood and simple hand tools! The question I have is “is the art of canoe making still being passed from generation to generation today?” I think the answer to this question would help answer the question of “how important were canoes?” If it is still being passed on today, I would assume it is deeply imbedded in culture and tradition versus simly being a mode of transportation.
August 21, 2012 at 9:48 pm
I, too, was mesmorized by the video, and thus the flood of questions. Hopefully, reading about history, and reading primary documents from a point in history holds the same effect for you. Then, from a flood of questions, you narrow down the list, you become selective, you choose the one or set of questions that interest you and you’re off and running.
August 21, 2012 at 11:45 pm
This video is amazing, so many questions came to mind. Ive never heard of the HIP, but found it very interesting. In the video the canoe builder used a drill to make holes, what tool did Indians use? Was it a rock shaped into the form of a drill bit, or was it made out of wood? Now I must seek the answer!!
August 22, 2012 at 2:30 pm
The trick is to come up with a whole slew of questions, then choose from your favorites. I do know that the Oneida tribe traded for tools from the French as early as the 1680s, but how they created theses canoes prior to then, … ???
August 22, 2012 at 7:04 pm
I have never heard of the HIP before. It sounds like a great process that everyone should go through after reading an article or watching a video. You should always think of questions that you want to follow up on and get answers too. Of course you can’t answer every question you have unless you really have the time too and don’t mind spending years finding out all the answers haha. So it is best to just pick a few that you are very interested in. During this video I also thought of many of the questions that you asked Mr. Krudler. One question i really want to know is why did they only use birch bark to make the canoes. Can you use any other kind of wood to make them. Also i am interested in learning how long that took him to make that canoe.
August 25, 2012 at 1:53 pm
From what I’ve learned, Birch bark is not only light in weight, but water tight!
August 23, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Interesting article. I enjoyed watching the video and using the HIP process. There are tons of questions that come to mind, but I am curious too about the drill used in the video and what tool they used prior to the 1680’s. I will try to seek out this information and reply to my own post to share what I have found.
August 25, 2012 at 1:54 pm
It’s a great question, and when you do fin out, let me know..
January 20, 2013 at 8:22 am
My first question was how on Earth did they discover that? Who thought, ” Let’s take this tree and de-skin it and see if we can make a boat out of it? My mind then wandered out of the history side of it to the, how is this even possible side and then came back to wondering if the pictures represented the person the boat was for, or perhaps the trading they might be doing so it would be easily recognized as they were coming… I look forward to scrutinizing and then giving my interpretation on things from now on using the HIP.
August 27, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Until today, I had not heard of the HIP. Its quite weird to go through life doing something regularly, when reading prompts or analyzing videos, that you don’t notice the little things that spark some interest. But once you learn of what this process is called and you notice that while watching a video or while reading a prompt you pick little fragments of information that stick out to you and pose a question more profound than before because of an explanation.
Everyone uses the HIP differently, that’s why there aren’t many posts here that are similar. The distinction in difference can stem from an experience you had as a child, or a way that a teacher taught you to interpret things. Interpretations are always unique to the person who is make them, even explaining that interpretation can have some ambiguity with some due to people seeing things differently. The levels of differences are endless. No matter how hard you try to feel someones pain sympathetically, you can’t truly understand what they are feeling since emotions are subjective. Without the experiences of building a canoe in any given era, can we truly understand what it takes, or took to build a canoe?
August 27, 2013 at 3:20 pm
I agree. There is a branch in History that studies, of all things, emotions. They ask a very simple question, how do we interpret pauses? Let’s say you do an oral interview, and you write word for word what the person says. Quickly you come to see that the written transcript misses all the pauses, all the sighs, all the scratches, etc. Why was there a pause, what does it mean when someone upset cannot speak? Reading a transcript – all of this missed. You hit the nail on the head. Everything – and I mean everything – in History is subjective.
August 28, 2013 at 8:10 pm
It is interesting to me to see how many questions can come out of something that seems like it is just building a canoe to use for transportation. I have never heard of the term HIP before but I have always been taught similar processes when I was preparing to research for a project or a discussion. It’s interesting how so many factors come together for something amazing to be created such as a canoe which was a very important part of native american life.
There are so many different ways to look at everything, so what I got from this was how to expand your thoughts and create questions that help you study a topic from every angle.
August 28, 2013 at 9:31 pm
Pretty much right. Create questions, then question the questions you just created, and follow the chosen path…
August 29, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Thank you for that insight Joe!
August 28, 2013 at 8:14 pm
HIP is just what I need. I have never had to make a thesis before. HIP is a step in the process which will help with that. After watching the documentary and applying HIP themes, my questions are these: What other processes did the Native Americans use to make canoes ? Was canoe making strictly related to the natives environment ? How was the knowledge of the canoe making process handed down within their communities? What influences did Native American canoe making have on European immigrants ? Fact taking and presentation are indeed subjective. Facts and interpretation mingle which becomes a persons concepts of history. Is this the correct process?
August 28, 2013 at 9:33 pm
Thanks Angelos,
You’re right on target. We historians interpret those “facts” and make a story of them, point to the fact as evidence. Question all, comment enough to make a coherent argument.
August 28, 2013 at 8:39 pm
I’ve never used HIP, until today. I’m just wondering how long it took them to perfect the canoe to stay afloat? What tools did they use, since there was no power tools way back then? How did they figure out that was a way to get from point A to point B? Who showed them? So many questions come to mind. I know they had to have a lot patients in order to construct these canoes, something people today does not have.
August 28, 2013 at 9:34 pm
You, sir, are on your way to some serious thinking.
August 28, 2013 at 10:35 pm
Swell video. Good resolution. Nice commentary. Great story. 10/10 would watch again. ∂____∂
August 28, 2013 at 10:36 pm
Nice answer, Peter.
August 29, 2013 at 6:24 am
Why that’s “Swell”
August 29, 2013 at 6:49 am
Not much here in commentary on the HIP
August 28, 2013 at 10:40 pm
I found this video very interesting, it made me really wonder about the world, you know? Like what if there was no world war II? The Jewish people might have taken over the entire world. Or what if America wasn’t the land of the free? Then it would be the land of slavery. Swell video. Good resolution. Nice commentary. Great story. 10/10 would watch again. ∂____∂
August 29, 2013 at 6:48 am
But what of the HIP? The video is one thing, but the article used the video as an example that even canoe making can creat questions embedded in history.
August 28, 2013 at 11:18 pm
I have never used the HIP. I have always thought how people made things like canoes. how did someone come up with the idea of macking a canoe? or how did they know useing the skin of birch-bark? was it from there god or was it from something they saw and put two and two together? i have always wondered how man got the intelligence to make things out of nothing? even today there is something being made out of nothing and that is why man survied/acomplished this world.
August 29, 2013 at 6:27 am
I find it tremendously interesting – in a scholar-like way – that you refer to the canoe as being made out of nothing. I’ll bring this up in class. It does indeed show how culturally rooted we are and therefore, the value in asking questions about the past – which is otherworldly… culturally speaking, of course.
August 29, 2013 at 12:53 pm
Wow what a great example of what seems to me like a very complicated production process. It makes me wonder about the economic resources available to the builders and how did other skills they had learned for survival lead up to this technology? What inspired the concept of the canoe? Did the Native Americans of the time see something that naturally occurred like a turtle riding on a log and tried to copy it or were there similar technologies even perhaps in different scales or shapes? Were the materials used in the construction of other structures or art? What was the significance of the art on the canoe? Could it be that the natives had some sort of spiritual belief that included nature as the basis of understanding the world they lived in or were the canoes decorated with the things that the builder liked most or needed most to survive. Was the economy of the natives plentiful enough that there was time to invent things instead of living at a purely subsistence level or a hand to mouth lifestyle. How was the canoe used after its invention? What uses did it have other than what was initially imagined for?
August 29, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Spectacular insights. I never thought of your question about why build a canoe in the first place. Brilliant! You’re a thinker, that’s for sure.
January 31, 2014 at 1:43 pm
I didn’t even think of half the questions you did but now that I see them it’s very interesting and would be really cool to find out the answers.
August 29, 2013 at 8:13 pm
as a professor i dont understand how you get through the day! do you like drink? or smoke weed? i mean, i smoke weed a lot… it usually helps me get through the days of lectures and work. let me know your tricks that help you get through the day!
September 1, 2013 at 2:23 pm
[…] For review of the HIP, please read and watch the video again on the blog article “What’s in a Canoe?“ […]
October 3, 2013 at 10:23 am
The Historical Inquiry Process (HIP) is a process to help one interpret facts they read about a historical event. The HIP is a 3 step process which involves: 1. finding questions that peak your curiosity, 2. investigating those historical facts or questions, and 3. your interpretation of the new facts you found.
When I read “What’s in a Canoe? Plenty if you ask the right questions” the questions that peaked my interest are where did the idea originate from? Did the other natives laugh at the one who came up with the idea for the canoe? How did the native(s) know that their design would work especially with the weight used for transporting and their body weight?
January 31, 2014 at 10:37 pm
You sure do have the HIP down. Great!
January 28, 2014 at 7:41 pm
This video is amazing I cannot fathom the amount of time and energy expressed in making a canoe. While watching this video I couldn’t help but wonder how easy our technology has made it for transportation for everyone. If we had to do all that for transportation, There would be a lot of home bodies.
January 31, 2014 at 10:37 pm
Back then, this was the best way to get around the shallow watersheds of the Great Lakes.
January 31, 2014 at 1:41 pm
The video is intriguing to watch. It makes me wonder how the Natives had the ability to make these canoes? How long it took them, and so on. which is probably where I would start my HIP. Some of the questions the author posed sparked my interest as well. The question I have is if you base your research on one of the many topics would you really get the whole story? The author wanted to base his research on “why the canoes began to fade from the North American scene and why?” I think that you would need to do extensive background information on the canoe.
All of the questions that he posed are good questions and to figure out most of the answers you need the whole story. The author said, “You don’t follow up on each and every question, rather you chose which set or category of questions spark your interest. To fully answer all of those questions would take a lifetime, or at least a good chunk of it.” This is true it would take a long time to fully answer all of the questions but to answer his choice of category, wouldn’t he also need to know the answers to some of the other questions. You could never fully answer the question if you don’t know the whole background and story of the canoe.
I guess that is why the HIP kind of confuses me. I understand that it would take a long time to answer all of the questions that someone may have for any given subject, but concentrating on one category could possibly make room for error wouldn’t it?
This whole article and video really made me think about the whole process and how to format questions and get the research portion going.
This to me could create some problems, so it would be interesting to see how historians really do the HIP process.
January 31, 2014 at 10:36 pm
Very insightful on your part. Thanks…
February 2, 2014 at 10:45 am
After watching the short video, I was very surprised at how much pain staking work it took for that canoe maker to put in. Despite that the Native American tribes of that Canadian region were able to build the same canoes as demonstrated in the video. It must of taken them weeks to complete one canoe without the luxury of modern day power tools. Although the methods for building a Birch wood canoe have remained the same for many centuries. I felt very impressed at how much work and craftsmanship was put in these types of canoes, that are nearly created from scratch of a Birch wood tree and it’s bark. Until it becomes a living piece of history once it is finished.
February 2, 2014 at 5:27 pm
That’s what amazed me, as well. Such craftiness out of nothing.
February 2, 2014 at 1:01 pm
After watching this, it shocks me how even with the convince of modern day technology in use, this still took him such a long time to make! I can only imagine how much careful, hard work went into it when people didn’t have access to power tools and other such convinces. I honestly had no idea that the bark of the tree was used, shows how much I know about making Canoes!
February 2, 2014 at 5:26 pm
It truly amazes me how crafty Natives were…
February 2, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Great video. It seem that for every step in the building of the canoe there had to be years of trial and error to get it right. No power tools, simply amazing.
February 2, 2014 at 5:25 pm
I agree.
February 2, 2014 at 2:23 pm
I thought this video about the canoe was amazing. The time he put into perfecting it, and how much time he had to spend on making just one. This video also mad me think of how long making these were for the native Americans and how difficult it probably was. I also enjoyed how he had used detailed work in making it, and that he had used everything from the environment and didn’t take the easy way out by using machines.
February 2, 2014 at 5:25 pm
It was truly a terrific feat.
February 2, 2014 at 2:37 pm
First of all I have to say that man is definitely a master craftsman and the video was very impressive. This topic of canoes definitely hits home with me because I am an avid whitewater kayaker and spend a lot of time around people in canoes.
Necessity is the mother of invention so there what caused the invention of the canoe? After deciding on building a canoe the inventors had the monumental task of actually creating it. The man in the video obviously has the assistance of modern technology, how did the original canoe makers do it? What steered the craftsmen toward birchbark? I am fascinated with boat design,as such, most of my questions involve the design process and shape/materials of the canoe so that is the aspect I would focus on. The HIP is a good tool, I think the part that will help me most is choosing a single area of questions to work with.
February 2, 2014 at 5:24 pm
I love how geography played a role, shallow waters dictated the design of the canoe…
February 2, 2014 at 2:42 pm
It is absolutely amazing how much work was put in to making this canoe. it makes me think about how determined Native Americans were. They didn’t have cars, planes, etc. They hand-made canoes, with no machines, no help, just their determination.
February 2, 2014 at 5:23 pm
Which begs the question (there I go again): why didn’t the majority of Europeans express amazement at Native culture and abilities?
February 2, 2014 at 2:47 pm
The HIP is a way of looking at an occurring event then asking questions to expand your knowledge.
The first step would be to ask the questions. Such as do they use the fallen birch trees for making the ribbing and other structural pieces? Or do they just strip the trees and leave them to rot. How did they figure out to use gum rubber to water proof the seems? How was the skill taught? Were only senior members allowed to build canoes?
The next step is to collect information on the canoe building process of the Natives. You can do this by reading books about the tribe, looking online for information, or even visiting the where the tribe resides and asking first hand.
Lastly you would take this information and use it to draw conclusions and answer your questions.
February 2, 2014 at 5:21 pm
You got the basics of the HIP down. Great job!
February 2, 2014 at 2:58 pm
This video was very interesting. I had never really thought about how long it took to build a canoe or that there were so many intricacies to making one. This video made me wonder how the Native American’s came up with the idea of the canoe I also learned that HIP is a very useful tool when learning about History.
February 2, 2014 at 5:22 pm
Indeed it is…
February 2, 2014 at 3:45 pm
Really incredible video, crafting something like that would take years of trial and error to master and is a long process to create as it is. My HIP is if these canoes were in even higher demand, would the use of mechanical tools speed up the process to produce them faster, and would it still supply a just as good of a product? Even if they were in sudden high demand, would they produce more, or would it be something that they would only create for ceremonial or traditional events?
I’ve actually seen work similar to this, the Yurok tribe on the north coast of California takes huge redwood logs, and hand carves them themselves, with no power tools. They felt it was a way of remembering where they come from, and keeping traditions alive.
February 2, 2014 at 5:20 pm
It’s way cool that you were able to witness such craft making.
February 2, 2014 at 4:03 pm
Interesting video. I always thought how crafty Native Americans were when it comes to their art and craft works. My questions are: who were the first to build a canoe, what inspire him/her to create such amazing craftwork, and What does the canoe symbolize for the Native American? Does it symbolize manhood?
I find HIP to be a useful tool. To fill in the missing pieces of an event, one must be filled with curiosity and to be filled with curiosity one must ask questions related to a specific event. Using reliable sources to search for the answers will fulfills a person’s interest pertaining to a specific event.
February 2, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Yes, it’s the immersion in the documents of those times that gives indications as to how folks handled events and complications.
February 2, 2014 at 7:42 pm
After watching this video it makes me think how crazy it must have been to build those canoes with how little tools and help they had. Now a days we have all these power tools and things that are super helpful now but were not around back then. I wonder how long it would take for people to build them now with all the help we have compare to us now not having the tools? I think the Natives could build one canoe faster then people can now if they were given the same objects because we are so use to this technology and are not as experienced in nature.
February 2, 2014 at 8:14 pm
This video is a starting point for a plethora of questions; the jumping off point of the Historical Inquiry Process. Next, the HIP requires us to research an answer to the questions posed, using a trusted source. The source must be credible and we must make sure that we take in all information with a shrewd and unbiased mind. A clear and well thought out interpretation of data or text is needed if we are to answer our questions.
What time did canoe-making arise in Native American societies? Did this technology spread from tribe to tribe or arise independently on its own? This technology would have been very useful in a society for travel, fishing and exploration. This could have led to trading and the spreading of technology (canoe making).
February 2, 2014 at 9:48 pm
What’s in a Canoe? What a great video! If it wasn’t because you posted this I don’t think I would have ever wondered what’s in a canoe. It’s amazing how Native Americans made their canoes, very detailed. I am very curious to know how long it took to build one. I believe HIP can be useful and a better way to organize ourselves with our writing.
February 2, 2014 at 10:09 pm
Canoe built from scratch by hand, I wonder how much they cost? Fascinating to see that even today human kind can make a living from a skill by hand. Curious to know how long this process would have taken the natives (without electric drills and propane)? How many attempts to get it right? Was canoe building done by the same select few in the tribe or was everyone taught this? How many canoes per tribe? Perhaps they got help from the beavers.
February 2, 2014 at 10:45 pm
Wow this video was amazing. I wonder how long this process actually takes. The detail and craftsman ship is really something. The fact that the entire canoe was made out of wood is so crazy! I also wonder in what region of the world this is done.
February 2, 2014 at 11:30 pm
This was a fantastic video. I makes you think about the struggle, time, and effort Native Americans put into making simple things such a transportation. My question would be if Native American’s used this process so long ago to make canoes, do they still used the same process? or have they modernized the process to become quicker and better built canoes?
February 3, 2014 at 7:09 pm
What an amazing video. It really makes you think about how advanced people actually were before the Industrial Revolution, how faced paced our lives have become, and how dependent we’ve become on unsustainable technologies. Scary! The HIP steps are a new process for me, but one I think will come in handy and be valuable to my studies.
February 8, 2014 at 4:41 pm
the tech that we had was more advance then one thinks, so easy and nature giving to us plentifully, the real question i have is where did we go wrong in society? why do we make stuff so complicated