Bullboats

Bullboats, round-bottomed watercrafts, were used by the Mandans, Hidatsas, and Arikaras to transport goods and people along waterways. Bullboats were indispensable for river traffic and for hauling loads of driftwood for cooking and heating fires. They were made by stretching a bison hide over a framework of pliable wood, such as willow or ash, creating a watertight vessel. The bullboats were constructed so that the hide runs length-wise along the bottom of the frame to avoid friction against the water. Generally one person would kneel or sit in the front of the boat and use a single paddle to direct the bullboat forward. If two people were traveling, they might sit side by side and paddle as if in a canoe.

When not in use, bullboats were removed from the water and placed in the shade or taken into an earthlodge. When unprotected from the sun or wind, the bullboat could warp or the hide covering could split.

Owl-woman, a Mandan born about 1840, demonstrated the process of constructing a bullboat to Gilbert Wilson, anthropologist, and Edward Goodbird, Hidatsa, in the early 1900s. This series of photos illustrates the process.

Captions: , Edward Goodbird, Hidatsa, and a woman paddle in their bullboat, circa 1909. , Owl-woman and her daughter Many-growths build the framework for a bullboat. , Owl-woman and her daughter Many-growths trim the hide covering and attach the hide to the frame. The green hide was tied tightly over the completed frame with the hair of the hide on the outer side. , Constructed bullboat with paddle. Owl-woman reported to Gilbert Wilson that once the hide covering was attached to the frame it would dry in the sun for three days with its interior facing the sun. During this time it was protected from rain.