The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Mohawk and other members of the Iroquois Confederacy were expert sailors who used the inland waterways of the Great Lakes region as their highways. This model canoe recalls that expertise and provides an example of their woodworking artistry. The canoe is carved from a single piece of wood, with separate pieces for the cross-members. The two figures are also carved separately and sit in the canoe on pegs. Canoe models such as this could have been made for a child or specifically to be sold to settlers or visitors as an example of Mohawk culture.