For over two hundred years, deep within the swamps and bayous of southern Louisiana, Cajuns have navigated waterways in a small, canoe-like craft called a pirogue.
The origin of this simple little boat was the dugout, in use by native indians of the area long before Cajuns relocated to Louisiana from Nova Scotia after being expelled by the British. Early pirogues were constructed from large cypress logs split lengthwise and hollowed out using primitive wood "scrapers" called adzes (chisels with handles). The process was analogous to halving a cantalope and scooping it out, leaving just the skin.
Amazingly, the pirogue, though now built from planks, plywood and even fiberglass, is still very much in use today, proving a simple, good design is hard to improve upon. The major advantage of a pirogue is its ability to easily navigate and maneuver through low-water marshes or swamps crowded with cypress trees and submerged roots and obstructions. Its shallow draft and narrow beam (width) permit it to glide into areas virtually inaccessible by any other type of water craft. To this day, Cajuns still use pirogues to penetrate deep within remote and pristine areas to hunt, fish, and trap game.
Here's a video of a modern day pirogue in action:
Written by George
www.thecajunsecret.com
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