Boat Model, Louisiana Pirogue
date: label: date made
content: 1882
notes: label: Description
content: Similar to a canoe, the pirogue was first used by Native Americans in the swamps and marshes of Louisiana, before it was refined by French explorers, hunters and settlers. The pirogue was dug out of a cypress log and could be very heavy, sometimes weighing several thousand pounds. Although similar to canoes, pirogues were flat bottomed instead of concave, which allowed them to glide over obstacles in swamps and marshes. Pirogues were used for the fur trade as well as for hunting, fishing, and transportation along the narrow waterways of the region. Although some pirogues were fitted for sail, most were paddled or poled. This model represents a pirogue 17 feet long and about 3 feet wide. The model was given to the Smithsonian by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries in 1882.
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content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Transportation
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content: Ship Models
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U. S. Bireau of Fisheries
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.55820
label: catalog number
content: 55820
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pirogue
label: Object Name
content: pirogue, rigged model
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 in x 6 in x 34 in; 7.62 cm x 15.24 cm x 86.36 cm