Historians have traced the Indian canoe back as far as they can, but that's not very far. Indians didn't keep much in the way of written records. The canoes themselves were completely biodegradable, so we don't have archeological remains, either. All we do have are some scanty records left by European explorers after the 16th century. All we really know is that canoe-making was perfected a long time ago and that it stayed static for centuries.
Canoes are shallow-draft boats with a fine, delicate shape.
Their perfect hydrodynamic form has a lot in common with the Viking ship. One advantage over a rowboat is that the paddler faces the direction he's going. Most Indian canoes were small, light, and fast. They'd carry a few people rapidly up and down rivers and lakes. But even they could be portaged by just three people.