My first time sailing a canoe: the naïve approach

It has been almost 40 years since I first sailed a canoe, and now is the time to share the experience. I’ll ask the reader to do the same when the time is right, especially if it’s a good story.

I was with my Boy Scout troop out of Miami. We went for a canoe trip into the 10,000 Islands area of Florida, a place where the land and sea fight for preeminence over the very southern tip of the state.

We paddled a mélange of canoes out to an island, maybe just a couple three miles or so. We made camp on ground barely above the high water mark, scattered with coral and transient soil. Plants consisted mostly of sea grape and whatever weedy stuff grows in such inhospitable conditions good only for crabs, mosquitoes and the ubiquitous sand fleas.

By that age I had pretty much reached the point where I was too independent to be a Scout anymore and this would prove to be my last trip hanging off the umbilical of a Scout Master, especially one who (in my youthfully arrogant thinking) was better off sitting in front of the tube watching a Dolphins game than trying to lead a hardened outdoorsman like myself. I had already spent many days in the Everglades and practically lived in the drained-swamp pine barrens surrounding our southern Dade County home by then. (Within a couple years of this trip I would find myself held by the foot by trap in alligator-infested, chest-deep water in the Big Cypress Swamp; but that’s another story.)

During one of the many lulls in the camp action, I took off with the canoe assigned to me and my tent mate, a Grumman, if memory serves; aluminum, for sure. Packing a spinning rod and a mullet gig, I went in search of adventure, and maybe some fresh fish for dinner. After sticking myself a black mullet and baiting a hook, I settled down in the bottom of the canoe in my usual repose: horizontal—napping. After a bit, I had a strike. Shark! It pulled hard and began swimming to deeper water with a tin canoe and teenager attached. I hung on and adjusted my rod angle so the boat would stay inline with the fish, knowing a broach would be uncalled for when a shark is on the line.

He pulled.
I pulled.
He pulled harder.
I hung on, (harder).

And then the line parted, but not until after he pulled me and the canoe into open water. (Could I see Cuba from here?)

How cool.

I paddled back to camp with an air of success having caught, and released, a huge shark. Well, so the story went.

The next day we headed home. As we broke camp, I noted the wind was in just the right direction. Having sailed a little on my Uncle Carl’s boat I had a little familiarity with the whys and wherefores of sailing. Not much, mind you, but it was that little bit of knowledge that engendered the idea—sail—don’t paddle. I convinced my tent mate (smaller than me) that this was the way to go. We lashed two sticks—probably two tent poles—together, square-rigged, and tied to them an Army poncho. We lashed the mast to the forward thwart and he would have to act as the step to keep it vertical.

With steering paddle in hand, (now, I’d never seen this before, only surmised it) we left the beach, hell-bent for leather. Well, not right away. For awhile we sailed while others paddled ahead of us. They laughed. I knew better. Tentmate/mast step complained that we’d get in trouble. I assured him we were being good Scouts and told him to stop bawling and just hang on.

Then…we got wind….

It wasn’t much, but we started accelerating, leaving the paddlers behind. He held on for dear life, I held onto the paddle and steered.

Wow.

The flapping poncho filled and tightened as the wind picked up. The sound of water rushing over tin and rivets increased as the mast step got louder in his complaints. We were leaving a wake…the paddlers fell behind. I heard not a word from Scout Master, who was probably aghast at the site of two of his young troops showing him up in such an obvious (and plainly heroic) manner.

I guess we beat the rest of the Troop by close to an hour. Tentmate was scared we’d be in trouble and he complained about being held hostage and I reminded him he wasn’t a hostage, but Pressed, like the British did to American sailors, and should be proud he was part of a grand adventure.

Scout Master was mad we’d left the others behind and castigated me for being irresponsible and what would have happened if we wrecked and all I could think was he was better off living indoors with others of his kind and he was red in the face and I was sure it was because he was shown up by a boy not yet old enough to drive who was twice, no—thrice—the outdoorsman he’d ever be.

And, that, my friends, is how I came to sail a canoe the very first time…and things haven’t been right since….

EDWARD C. MAURER
142 Bobwhite Circle, Cape Carteret, NC 28584
(727) 772-3895 ecmaurer@gmail.com

Professional Summary

Professional with noteworthy experience in adult teaching, teamwork, mentoring, marketing, and written- and verbal communication. Major contributor who ensures goals and objectives are met through the effective use of time and assets. Creative problem solver who develops new and innovative solutions to challenges. Team player who views old roadblocks as new opportunities for success. Team builder who encourages a sense of ownership and active participation among all students and coworkers. Confidence builder and motivator who uses effective, powerful verbal imagery. Mentor who shares knowledge and encourages learning.

Professional Achievements

Teaching: Teaching GED course comprising reading, writing, social studies and natural science, and Written Communications courses at USMC SNCO Academy, Camp Johnson, via community college program. Result: Improving the reading, writing and comprehension skills of adults in the civilian and professional military communities.

Training/Mentoring: Instructed more than 1,000 industrial workers and managers in the proper use and handling of hazardous materials and the appropriate actions to take in the event of a chemical spill. Result: Reduced EPA-reportable spills by 80 % per year.

Facilitating/Presenting: Introduced disadvantaged high school students to classic literature. Result: Developed awareness of and a connection with the lyrical value of “The Odyssey” and how it is still realized in contemporary urban music and story telling.

Marketing: Developed and designed public radio station marketing products including station logo, brochures, media packs, print and broadcast advertising products. Result: Increased public and business community awareness of station by at least 50 percent.

Project Management: Guided creation or refinement of documents for a diverse company with interests and activities in real estate, investments, and online publishing. Result: All company documents met or exceeded industry standards and those of state and federal regulatory agencies.

Leadership/Program Management: Led an understaffed government industrial hygiene/environmental protection office by prioritizing job tasks; training and delegating appropriate responsibility of single-topic programs to less-experienced technicians. Result: Achieved compliance with USAF, OSHA, DOE and EPA regulations for a nuclear missile wing encompassing more than 10,000 square miles and 4,000 employees.

Teamwork: Led Air Force Rescue and Recovery Service rescue helicopter maintenance teams at NATO base, Keflavik, Iceland. Result: Achieved round-the-clock, 90 percent operational readiness stance resulting in complete fulfillment of rescue mission. Unit credited with 20 lives saved in a 12-month period; officially recognized by US and Icelandic governments and NATO.

Process Improvement: Served as lead US Air Force occupational and environmental health advisor to civil authorities in Maine, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. Result: Established and enhanced effective working relationship with civil authorities that improved communication and partnering.

Event Planning/Coordination: Conceived and managed a live public radio fund raising event by organizing a development committee of business leaders; coordinated support from local businesses. Result: Attracted several hundred patrons; raised more than $15K; improved relationships with business community.

Pertinent Work Experience

Educator Coastal Carolina Community College. Teach GED course comprising read, writing, social studies and natural science to adult students. Teach Written Communications to USMC SNCO Academy students.

Communications Consultant, Writer, Editor Self Employed. Provided editing services to companies, organizations and individuals. Edited and developed publications; wrote and published articles; recommended communications methodologies and strategies; provided pro bono assistance to high school and college students. Wrote press releases.

High School English Teacher (interim position) Orange County (Florida) Public Schools. Provided high school English curriculum in a meaningful manner. Maintained a classroom environment conducive to learning.

Development Executive Florida Tech, WFIT Public Radio. Raised operating capital through business, private and government sponsorships. Represented the station at chamber of commerce and other community meetings and events. Hosted news and public affairs program. Developed station marketing strategies.

Superintendent United States Air Force. Successfully managed and directed a 10-person occupational safety and health, and environmental protection office protecting more than 4,000 workers in three states. Managed $50,000 annual budget.

Education

University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida. 2003; BA, Liberal Studies [Communications/Letters] Minor: American Studies. Dean’s List.

Internships

Intersil Corporation Melbourne, FL. Marketing/Public Relations Dept. Wrote magazine articles explaining wireless networking and Internet security principles to a general audience.
The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle Cheyenne, WY. Wrote weekly high school and college sports briefs and stories, and a recurring outdoor column.
Editor Laramie County (Wyoming) Community College. Wingspan news magazine; The High Plains Register literary/arts magazine

Personal Publishing and Writing History

Numerous magazine and newspaper articles on a broad range of topics.
Several creative non-fiction and fiction works.
Online compendium of personal works and commentary.
Publisher, http://CanoeSailingMagazine.com

Awards and Recognition

Air Force Meritorious Service Medal for “outstanding professional skill, initiative. . . inspirational and dedicated leadership.”
Two Air Force Commendation Medals for leadership and personal sacrifice.
Air Force Achievement Medal for leading emergency response to incident in abandoned Atomic Energy Commission site.
American Scholastic Press Association first place with “Special Merit,” High Plains Register
American Scholastic Press Association first place with “Special Merit,” Wingspan
Rocky Mountain Collegiate Media Association first place sports column, Wingspan
Rocky Mountain Collegiate Media Association first place news writing, Wingspan
Wyoming Press Association first place sports column, Wingspan
Outstanding Editor, 1996-97, High Plains Register
Outstanding Student — Journalism, 1996-97

Great support makes it possible, and fun (sorta)

After retiring from the military and attending journalism school, I glommed onto the idea of publishing a magazine once I moved home to Florida. At first, it was to be a print fly fishing publication, but further study made me all too aware of the extraordinary cost of such a venture; it was put on hold. A few months later I researched the possibility of doing an online version, but found little support (okay—no support) for my concept. It seems a fly fishing magazine was not in the cards, though something else was, even though I didn’t know it then.

Back in October of 2007 I was trying to decide whether to restore my reproduction E.M. White sailing canoe, or build a new one. I posted the thread “Time for a new sailing canoe…” in the Woodenboat Forum to pick the collective brains of my fellow WB “Forumites.” Well! After an untold number of responses, various and sundry insights and a lot of brotherly (and sisterly) suggestions, it occurred to me that there was a great potential for a magazine, a canoe sailing magazine. An online canoe sailing magazine.

With the invaluable help of my friend (and ‘IT Department’) Bernadette McCarthy, not a little amount of lost sleep and a whole lot of training and patience on Bern’s part, we went online with Canoe Sailing Magazine January 20, 2008.

During this year, Canoe Sailing Magazine has published about a hundred articles and has been read by more than 27,000 individuals on every continent, save Antarctica, for a total of more than 297,000 pages read and more than 41Gb of data transferred. As far as I can tell, it’s not too shabby for a pastime that’s so unknown to many people. So far.

Read more here

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A world-wide community coming together

I’m sitting here at my desk on Saturday, March 29 trying to figure out what I should say to my readers other than “Thanks.” This, our third issue, has been made possible by the moral support of a lot of readers from all sorts of canoe and kayaking types, and the contributions of quite a few of you, too. So: “Thank you!”

To date, we have readers in more than 52 countries. If you look at the map I have on the bottom, right of the page, and click on it, you’ll see we are joined by fellow canoe and kayak sailors on every continent, save Antarctica. Readers–fellow sailors–range from New Zealand, to China, South Africa, and Micronesia, to Portugal, Germany, Great Britain and Sweden, to Columbia, Paraguay, Canada and the United States. We are–this community–a pretty big and diverse crew.

You have by now noticed the addition of some advertising. As much as I’d rather win the lottery and be able to just publish this magazine, I have to generate some funds to cover costs. You all seem to understand and appreciate that, so I won’t belabor the point other than to ask you to consider making your online purchases through those businesses we advertise. We get a small portion of purchases you make when you access them through Canoe Sailing Magazine, so please allow me to encourage you to spend, spend, spend! For my part, I’ll be selective about what advertisers we do have and will keep the bilgewater out of the pages.

To better serve you, we’ll soon have a “Resources” page for all your canoe- and kayak-sailing needs. This will be the one place you need to stop by to find whatever you want, thus making Canoe Sailing Magazine your best resource, and first (and hopefully—only) place to look.

I’m also working on getting some videos posted as well.

In this issue we have some pretty interesting articles. We don’t have a ‘theme’ for issues yet; we just take them as they come, and will always offer a wide range of topics in each issue.

A common item of discussion is how to steer one’s canoe or kayak. In Issue 2, I had a piece about my kickup, clamp-on rudder. Since then, I’ve had several readers inquire about how it mounts on the boat. I’ve addressed that in this issue, along with a discussion about using a button-and-beckett connector in place of various bronze fittings or knots used to attach sails to halyards, sheets and etc.

One of the aspects of canoe sailing is how, with a little bit of thought and time, a paddling boat can be turned into a sailer, not something so easily done with other boats. To show us how a bit of ingenuity can add to our own sailing enjoyment, Dan Reiber’s “Kayak Sailing Project” discusses his turning a 14′ rec kayak into a sailboat, and Tord S. Eriksson continues with his Klepper project.

There has been an on-going discussion (both in these pages and those of other publications) about how one can cover an open boat’s deck without having to drill (yet) more holes. Tom Lewis shows us a great solution with his PVC clips in “A Simple Gunwhale Clip.”

Not one (apparantly) to take retirement lightly, Keith Wellman shares his seventy mile, seven day sail along the southwest Florida coast. Keith also sent along some beautiful photos we’re sure those of you who are still snowbound will enjoy! (Needle-Needle)

And, of course, there’s much more for you to enjoy as well. Before you go, allow me to mention that Tord, Keith and Dan are all readers who took the opportunity to share their experiences with the rest of us. I, and I’m sure, they, would like to encourage you to share your own insights, experiences and maybe just plain lies, with the rest of us. You don’t have to be a gifted writer to be in these pages, just a part of the family. Contact me if you’d like to see yourself in Canoe Sailing Magazine.

Thanks—Happy Sailing!

A simple guide to selecting a reel that won’t make you broke 

If you’re like me, you get your Orvis or LL Bean catalog or some other “wish book” in the mail and drool over the vast array of fly reels they have to offer. Modern reels are made from various grades of aluminum to high-grade plastic, and alloys unheard of before this century. Regardless of cost or material, there is one attribute they all have in common that you need to keep in mind:

Basically, a fly reel is nothing more than a place to keep your line. Period.

Oh, sure, reels have drag systems and high capacity spools and ball bearings, but, in the end, they are used because it’s hard to store 20 yards or so of fly line and another couple hundred yards of backing in your pocket without it getting tangled. But, really, the basic function of a fly reel is to hold your line in an organized manner.

Now, that being said, reels designed for large fish do require an effective drag system. Reels for most freshwater applications and many saltwater uses don’t need anything more than a rudimentary drag.

“What?” You say, “how can I fight a fish without a drag?” Well, friend, how do you think it was done in the old days before effective drags were developed? It’s simple—you fought the fish by controlling your line by retrieving it or playing it out with your off hand. When a fish took line, you doled it out to it as needed, creating the requisite drag by how tight you held the line. You also retrieved the line by stripping it in by hand. Tension in either direction was metered by your hands as line slipped through them. Obviously this is an iffy proposition when fighting large fish like tarpon and billfish. But that’s the way it was done, once upon a time.

For many of you experienced anglers, especially the older ones, you’ve played your fish by hand more than once and still do whenever reasonable. For you new ones it’s considered old school, which makes it “classical,” which makes it proper, again—when possible.

Okay, all that being kept in mind, how do you select a good reel that won’t cost you a fortune?

1. Buy a name brand. Name brand reels (and rods) can be trusted more so than off-brands for one simple reason: the maker has a name to protect and will not turn out a piece of junk just to make a buck. A good, entry-level reel will benefit the maker because a satisfied customer is more likely to by the same brand when it’s time to upgrade. Call Orvis if you don’t believe me.
2. Buy an exposed rim reel. Even though you may not be able to rely on the drag, you can apply palm pressure to the spool to supplement it. Drag can be increased or decreased as necessary with little effort. Note high-end reels: for the most part, they have exposed rims for that very purpose in spite of having the best drag systems known to man.
3. If buying aluminum, buy machined, not stamped. Stamped aluminum reels can warp and will bend if dropped. Stamped spools are prone to bending because they don’t really have the material strength to support themselves. Stamped reels can also get out-of-round if over-stressed. Only the smallest reels can get away with stamped spools, but always go for a cast or machined body.
4. Buy a reel that will readily hold the line and backing you need. An undersized reel will only cut down on the backing you need to effectively fight a fish by hand.
5. Buy quality, not glitz. The fish don’t care what color your reel is, neither should you if you are trying to buy wisely. If you are drawn to a more expensive reel because of its fancy coloration, spend that extra money on a better reel! “A fool and his money are soon parted” is a truism.
6. Take pride in your new-found ability to fight a fish by hand. When fighting a fish, let it take line as it needs it; don’t keep a death grip on the line, but meter the drag gently. Let your rod absorb shock. Let the line run when the fish goes on a hard run then gradually increase pressure. When the fish jumps, give it slack, “Bow to the King,” as we say in tarpon fishing. As your line goes slack, retrieve it quickly enough to prevent the hook from coming loose. Maintain constant tension without risking your tippet and your fish will succumb just as though you fought him off the reel. Or not.

Buying right the first time will save money and frustration

Buying a fly rod can be easy. Doing it right takes some doing. Here are seven rules of buying right the first time.
1)    There is no “all condition rod,” just as there is no “one size fits all.” When selecting a rod, buy one that will serve the purpose you will mostly likely and most often use it for. If you will fish small streams most of the time, and only fish lakes occasionally, opt for a small stream rod. You will get the most satisfaction out of it the majority of the time.
2)    Choose one that fits your needs, not someone else’s. Regardless of who says what about a rod, select one for you, not one some celebrity, friend or salesman thinks you should have. If it doesn’t suit you, it will be nothing but trouble and you will be unhappy with it.
3)    Buy only rods that have long or lifetime warrantees. Unwarranted rods will cost more in the long run because you will have to buy new when you eventually break it. Additionally—why trust a rod maker that won’t stand behind its product?
4)    Buy the best you can afford. The price difference between a good rod and a not-so-good rod is usually small. If you can’t afford a good rod—wait until you can.
5)    Trust name brands. Well-known manufacturers put their name on their equipment and will generally avoid causing themselves harm by producing cheap products.
6)    Buy the blank, not the fittings. The blank is what makes the rod what it is, the fittings just add to it. While nice fittings are, well—nice, they don’t truly contribute anything to the action and life of a rod. Don’t be confused by shiny objects.
7)    Cost does not equal value. There are plenty of affordable rods on the market that will suit the average angler’s needs.

In a nutshell: Opt for a name brand, warranted rod that suits most your needs and you can’t go wrong.

Buying right the first time pays in the long run.

“A quality fly rod can set you back a pretty penny.” A true statement that many fly fishers already know. Another statement many would also agree with is “A rod with a lifetime warrantee costs a lot.” And, that, my friends, would be wrong. As a matter of fact, except in only a few circumstances, unwarranted rods actually cost more than warranted ones.

A point in demonstration: During last year’s trip to fish Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, I broke my “affordable” four-piece 5wt rod. I contacted the company and found it had no warrantee. Ah…what to do…well, since the break occurred at the male part of ferrule, as so often happens, I repaired it, only to have it break again on the first fish of this year’s Platte River trip. I went straight to the local fly shop (It’s on the river, I just clumped right in, dripping waders and all, with reel in hand chirping about needing a new stick.) and found a truly affordable rod that, while it cost more than the broken one, has a lifetime warrantee. Lucky for me I was close to a shop.

So, the new, more expensive rod, will end up being cheaper over its lifetime because if it breaks, it gets replaced at little or no cost to me. Obvious now, but not when I bought the now re-broken “affordable” one. A quick survey shows that the price difference between warranted and unwarranted rods is often no more than $100. That’s it—a hundred bucks. Some are even in the same price range, and one manufacturer (that of the unwarranted rod I had to replace) even offers less of a warrantee on a rod that’s more expensive than a model with a lifetime warrantee. I know, confusing, isn’t it? Let me state it again: One of their cheaper models has a better warrantee than one of their more expensive ones. Go figure.

What do I make of a manufacturer that won’t warrant a rod when others will? Well, my first impression is that the maker doesn’t have confidence in its product. If it did, it would warrant the rod, right? My second, inescapable impression is that the maker cares less about customer service than it should. In any event, neither case is acceptable, and a buyer should seek out a maker who covers both bases.

Now, if you are in the market for a rod, say you’re a beginner or have limited funds, you cannot afford to buy an unwarranted rod. Break it once (there are two types of people—those who have broken rods, and those will) and you will end up spending more. If you don’t have the money for a warranted rod—wait until you do. Again, the price difference is relatively small. If you can’t afford the additional hundred bucks, you may want to reconsider fly fishing for the time being, because it can be an expensive sport. “Can be,” doesn’t mean it “has to be,” and buying a warranted rod is the first step to controlling costs and keeping fly fishing affordable. Sort of.

AND ITS IMPACT ON THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHEAST 
To The Reader:
   As I began the research for this article I knew I would find enough information to write an interesting piece on firearms and their effect on the lives of the Indians in colonial America.  What I have written here is a very trim version of one aspect of white-Indian relations in the northeastern colonies during the 17th century – I have hit the high points.  Since there is so much known, and so much more being learned even as I write this, I’ve had to continually narrow the scope of this article so I could at least present work with which I hope to pique your interest. 
         Edward Maurer            
                                  

     Of all the trade goods the European introduced to the American Indian, the gun has had the most broad-ranging effect, both positive and negative, on native and settler alike.  As a tool for hunting the gun helped the Indian provide more food for his community, which in turn led to a better standard of living and provided for greater population growth.  On the other hand, this increased efficiency also made it possible for the Indian hunter to harvest more animals than could be removed from the environment without having a negative impact on the ecology.

   Not only did the gun allow for more efficient hunting, it provided a better means of making war. This in one respect could protect a small tribe from a much stronger neighbor, but could eventually allow some nations (as in the case of the Iroquois) to utterly destroy their own weaker neighbors.  The gun, as it still is today, was a helpmate when used as a tool for feeding or defending the family, and was a terror when misused as an apparatus of uncontrolled destruction.

   There were three types of guns on the American frontier which found their way into the hands of not only the Indians, but also the settlers and employees of the trading companies.  The military musket issued to regulars and militia was made available for sale or trade when in surplus or unacceptable condition, or when sold on the black market by deserters or undisciplined troops or officers. Some muskets were also supplied to Indian allies as enticements to fight an enemy of the colony or crown.  High grade sporting guns were brought over for use by wealthy traders and company owners, as well as military officers and some explorers, as presents “From The Crown” to Indian leaders.  Trade guns, in this case a firearm made exclusively as a trade item by the English, Dutch, or French, were of great variety and quality, and were available to all but the poorest or most unsuccessful hunter or trapper.

   The Dutch established Fort Orange [now Albany, NY] in 1618 as a trading post to the Iroquois. It was effectively the seat of the Iroquois Confederacy by 1650.  From here they traded, not only firearms, but also metal cookware, cloth, blankets and other items of European origin.  The fur trade was so important to the Dutch that the entire economies of villages such as New Amsterdam came to be built on maintaining a viable trade, no matter what the consequences were to other settlements in New Netherland.  Unscrupulous traders dealt in guns, powder, flint, and lead, even while the Indians where engaging in active warfare with other Dutch settlers in the area (Russel 12).

   The trade in furs was extremely lucrative for both the whites and the Indians. The Indians were trading furs that were relatively easy to obtain in the beginning, and the whites were dealing in commodities that they found easy and cheap to procure.  The greatest problems the whites had to deal with were maintaining a consistent source of supply, and the constant fear of arming people they considered savages.

   Charles Hansen reports that in 1625 at Ft. Orange alone, 7,250 beaver and 800 otter were taken in trade. T. M. Hamilton reports this number to be 5,295 and 493, respectively, for the same year.  They both agree that 10,000 furs were traded in 1628 (Hansen 5; Hamilton 9).  The original disparity isn’t important. What is important is the impact this amount of hunting pressure had on the environment.  By 1640 the Iroquois country was effectively barren of fur animals to be trapped and traded.  This was of course an unbearable condition and the Iroquois responded as how we would only expect any shrewd businessman to respond: they went after other sources of furs, and the easiest source happened to be the Hurons living to the north and west (Leach 97-98).

   The Iroquois, with great business acumen, approached the Dutch in 1640 with demands for arms so they could invade their neighbors for furs (Hamilton 9).  This being done, they headed north into Huronia, trapped beaver, and even set up ambushes for Huron hunters returning with furs, which the Iroquois then spirited back to Ft. Orange (Leach 98).  In 1641, the Iroquois were even bold enough to send a 500-man delegation (which had only 36 guns among them) to Montreal to demand guns. The French wisely refused (Hamilton 9).  By 1643 the Iroquois were making their presence known in Montreal by carrying on their fur-gathering operations very close to the city, much to the consternation of both the French and the Huron.  During the winter of 1648-49, the Iroquois, apparently having enough of the French and their Indian allies, attacked two Huron villages, destroyed them and a number of their occupants, and drove the survivors west.  Soon after, the Iroquois spread the wealth and gave other native groups, the Petuns, Nuetrals, and Eries, Huron-treatment and took over furring operations in their areas as well.  This continued until the Iroquois came face-to-face with the warlike Ottawa of Lake Huron, who had moved into the Huron trade-gap and picked up the French trade (Leach 98).

   Before and during this whole mess some whites, like the Pilgrim leader William Bradford (noted friend of Squanto), complained that the English, French, and Dutch were providing arms to the Indians.  That same year, William Wood of Massachusetts, also accused the French of supplying guns (Hamilton 9).  Wood complained about this method of procuring beaver furs in his tome “New England’s Prospect.”  As an observer of the trade, what did he expect the Indians to barter for their furs – beads?

   In response to all the complaints, or possibly from its own observations, the Dutch government attempted to meter the trade in guns to the Indians.  It established a system of trading permits, which would be issued to traders by a council.  At the same time, the government enacted price controls that were judged by the Chamber of the Dutch West India Company to be about 1/20 of what the Indians would be willing to pay (Russel 13).  These trade laws were soon rendered ineffective. The Indians wanted guns, and would refuse all transactions with any trader who would not provide them.  Bootleggers were easily found and, in spite of a threatened death penalty for lawbreakers, the illegal trade flourished.  As the few law-abiding communities felt the economic impact of the controls, more and more began to return to an unfettered gun trade (Leach 100).  In spite of all its efforts to control and extend the Indian trade, the Dutch government would soon lose in a big way.

   Three separate wars were fought between the Dutch and their neighboring Indians until a peace treaty was signed in May of 1664.  Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of the colony, had fought long and hard for the survival of Dutch interests in the New World.  But August of that year found the English, who probably smelled the blood of a fledgling rebellion caused by social unrest and economic weakness from too much war, sailing into the harbor of New Amsterdam.  Stuyvesant could not mount a viable defense, and had no alternative but to surrender his colony — lock, stock, and barrel — so to speak.  In spite of this turn of events, or possibly because of it, many Dutch stayed and carried on the trade.  Many English traders of the colony, now called New York, adopted the all-too-successful Dutch methods of trade. Why upset the apple cart (Russel 13)?

   The English in New York now brought the trade fight to the French.  Both shared a long border inhabited by numerous towns and tribes of Indians whose good will had to be fought for in earnest, and the loser could very well forfeit more than just his business.  In 1685 the English began a trade war by flooding the market with guns and ammunition, oft times at a loss.  By trading very generously, the English sought to undermine the French by giving the Indians much more in trade when they came to Orange, than when they went to Montreal.  A typical English trader would take two beaver furs for a gun, while the French would demand five.  A single beaver would purchase eight pounds of powder from the English, while it would take four furs for the same amount from the French.  Forty pounds of lead could cost either one beaver if was English lead, or three beaver if it was French.  To add insult to injury, the English were indifferent about the quality of the skins, whereas the French accepted only the best (Russel 14).   

   The gun trade had a tremendous impact on the social, economic, and ecological order of New England and its residents, both white and red.  Social and economic orders are not mutually exclusive, both rely on one another and are equal influences on a society.  The Indian, who was ill prepared to suddenly change from a society of stone tool users to one of iron and mechanization, could not readily absorb the impact of the new technology.  Nor could any other society in similar circumstances.  This socio-economic impact was expressed in an increase in warfare, genocide, and almost irreversible ecological damage.

   A excellent example of how a rare commodity can be manipulated and used almost as effectively as any weapon is the evolution of the trade in wampumpeag, or what we know as “wampum,” the purple and white beads made from the shells of quahog and whelk shells.

   Wampum was historically a rare commodity among the Indians of New England due to its difficulty of manufacture with stone tools.  It was found only among the higher classes as decoration or as a ritualistic sign of respect or friendship, and occasionally as compensation for a wrongful death.  The Dutch adopted wampum as a commodity for trade in 1622, which they in turn spread from its original area of use in southern New England into the rest of their area of influence. 

   In 1627, the Pilgrims introduced the coastal Maine Indians to wampum as a trade medium.  This was done at the prompting of the Dutch, who pointed the Pilgrims north, and out of Dutch territory.  By 1629 it was the single most important commodity of the Pilgrim trade, and traders from Plimoth colony used it to full advantage to beat out other traders who had only European goods to offer (Cronin 95-96).

   As the trade in wampum grew, the whites supplied iron tools to the Pequot, Mohegan and Narraganset. This gave these coastal Indian nations the ability to produce even more wampum at a lower cost per unit.  This had the additional effect of making once rare wampumpeag available universally, which in turn threatened the social order of the Indians.  What was once accepted as a badge of rank and social standing, was now available to all without consideration (Cronin 95-96).

   Once the wampum inventory was controlled by whites who flooded the market with guns, colonists started complaining that the Indians were too well armed, and they craved a “safer” way of getting wampum without having to trade guns.  (Well, we just can’t eat our cake and have it too, now can we?)  Apparently some folks along the coast of New York and New England thought they could.  Thus we have the Pequot massacre of 1637, which was apparently a political move as well as economic, and the assassination of the Narraganset leader Miantonomo in 1643. With these two events, we have a safer way to obtain wampum, at least for the whites.  By exacting wampum as a military tribute the wampum supply became both safer to obtain and more reliable.  It was at this time that the Indians became acquainted with the idea of “prices,” an established value for a commodity that was in turn traded for a variety of goods, including guns of course (Cronin 97).

   Aside from the socio-economic impact of the trade in just one commodity, there was an even greater, almost irreversible, impact on the ecology of the northeast.  By 1675 the Indians had a large supply of guns and had become quite adept at using them, not only for warfare, but also for hunting (Leach 101).  The native hunter, with his new ability to kill even more effectively than with the bow, coupled with his innate knowledge of his environment and his prey, was undoubtedly the most deadly creature of the forest.  As already seen with the fur-bearing animals, the great lumbering moose, which heretofore had been hunted almost exclusively in deep winter snows, was now easily dispatched with one well placed musket shot.  So many moose had been killed by mid-17th century that they were almost eradicated from much of eastern Canada, a condition soon realized by the rest of New England (Cronin 104).

   The turkey was by 1672 almost entirely eliminated in New England, to the point that one observer commented that hunters had “now destroyed the breed, so that ’tis very rare to meet with a wild turkie in the woods,” only domesticated birds were generally to be found in eastern Massachusetts.  A century later a farmer’s manual stated that they were domestic birds brought from Turkey.

  The Indian hunter’s efficiency, in concert with his limited understanding of the long-term threat he posed to his environment with his new found ability, led to wide-spread disaster for many native people.  Their food source dwindled and they became more and more reliant on Europeans for clothing, weapons, and tools. They were ripe for dissolution of their society.  By the next century, the whites were there to step in and give them the coup de grace: land purchase, relocation, and eventually, reservations.  

REFERENCES

CHANGES IN THE LAND, Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England

William Cronin; Hill and Wang; New York; 1983

COLONIAL FRONTIER GUNS

T.M. Hamilton; The Fur Press; Chadron NE; 1980

GUNS ON THE EARLY FRONTIERS

Carl P. Russel; U. of California Press; Berkely & L.A.; 1962

THE NORTHERN COLONIAL FRONTIER 1607-1763

Douglas Edward Leach; U. of New Mexico Press; Albuquerque; 1966

THE NORTHWEST GUN

Charles E. Hansen Jr.; Nebraska State Historical Society; Lincoln; 1955

A farmer once planted two apple seeds on the side of a wind-blown hill. The first seed was from a nearby orchard that had stood for many years and the seeds from its trees were usually planted only on his farm. The second seed was from an orchard far away. Seeds from this orchard were planted in many parts of the land.  

As the seeds began to grow they sent up shoots that sought out the sun and the moon.  The first grew tall and slender. She would labor hard to grow straight and resilient, bending with the wind. 

The second seed, because he was from trees that had seen the country, grew strong and stout. He would resist the wind and stand strong against all weather. 

As these two seeds grew into trees they found themselves growing closer and closer together. The second grew quickly and spread his limbs above the ground casting shadows where birds would rest from the sun. The first grew in the light the second would not block. She continued to grow straight and slender. With time her limbs intertwined with the branches of the second. They grew so close, one could hardly tell them apart. 

As the two trees grew side-by-side, they produced apples that were said to be the finest in all the land. They were large and sweet and had the reddest skin of apples anywhere. People came from far and wide to see the apples and remarked how good and special they were. 

One day a storm rose in the west. Winds whipped the trees and rain fell and hail pelted them without mercy. The trees stood strong because they had grown together. She bent with the torrent as it lashed the two. He stood strong and let her bend against him as he protected her from the hail and terrible wind. Storm after storm rolled through the farm and beat their way up the hillside where the two trees grew. They stood strong against the tempests and lost not a single apple. 

Then one day a storm came that brought not only wind and rain and hail, but lightning. Fierce bolts struck the earth and caused fires that raged along the countryside. But the trees stood together, hoping the lightning would keep away and move on. But alas, it would not. A huge bolt struck down at the trees, and they were split apart.

The first tree bent away from the second as the howling winds bowed her trunk so it would not touch the second’s. Smoke rolled around her trunk and small flames singed her bark. 

The second tree stood firm, but his bark had been burned and torn by the thunderbolt. Smoke rolled from his torn skin and flames crackled up his trunk and licked at his leaves.  

After awhile the rain quenched the flames, but the trees stood separated.

As they grew they tried to come closer again but the wind that howled up the hillside would not let them touch.  

He spread his limbs far trying to reach her, but he could not bridge the gulf that stood between them. His wounds were deep and after a time his bark grew to cover them, but he would never be strong enough to grow limbs on her side of his trunk. 

She, too, tried, but the storm had made her too flexible. Without being close to him her limbs were too supple to reach very far. The wind bent them so they would only caress his, but never actually touch. 

Each time they tried, the wind would come upon them and separate their branches by the smallest of spaces, but it was enough to keep them apart. 

One day the farmer saw that the trees were not coming together. He decided to move the second tree to another orchard where it might grow strong again. He dug the second tree out of its place along side the first and filled the hole in with soil taken from the orchard. The hole sunk just a little and left a mark where the second tree had stood. 

The farmer moved the tree to a place in another orchard where others of his kind grew. Here the tree might thrive among his own. 

After awhile both trees healed from their wounds. Their bark covered the burns the lightning had made, but the wood beneath would forever carry the mark of the storm.

The trees began to grow apples once again.  

But people said the apples were never as sweet, and as good, and as red, as when the two trees grew together…as one.