It's All Connected

It's All Connected. . , For generations, the tribes of Quinnehtukqut (Connecticut) have been connected to the animals and fish of the sea. This connection led them to become boat builders., What is a mushoon? , Commonly known as a dugout canoe in the English language, the mushoon (Pequot) was important for traveling, fishing, and oystering. Mushoons are not restricted to Quinnehtuqut but are found all over Dawnland (New England)., People of European descent saw that mushoons were a good type of boat for oystering and incorporated them into their own oystering practices.,

This boat is on fire! , 1. The first step in making a mushoon is choosing the right hardwood log for the job, either pine, chestnut, oak, or tulip tree (most common). , 2. Once the tree is chosen, it is cut down. Traditionally the bark is removed around the base of the tree, and a small controlled fire is started to cut through it. , 3. The bark is removed. , 4. Fire is used to hollow out and shape the mushoon. , 5. The burnt wood is scraped out. The tools used for this were originally shells, but after the arrival of Europeans the tools were switched to metal.

, It's All a Gift , The sea has fed the Indigenous peoples of Quinnehtukqut for generations. A large portion of this food was shellfish. All parts of an animal (sea or land) are a gift., The Quinnehtukqut shore line is home to large beds of oysters thriving in 2 to 26 feet of water. Oysters could be gathered by people of all age groups in the tribes. Oysters are easily collected from the shore or by mushoon, which would be paddled out to where the oysters grew. The fishers would dive into the water for them. The fisher would then bring up the oysters and put them into baskets. The people would then paddle to the mushoon back to shore and bring the oysters home to be eaten raw, cooked in stews, or steamed.