Reconstruction of the hide boat - Curragh
The Curragh Project
When one looks at the history of mankind and human migration, the question arises: how and by what means were natural borders, or big rivers, crossed? Obviously, by various kinds of means of water transport, but what kinds specifically? We know that wooden logboats were already made in the Stone Age, but were any other materials also used to make boats? What was the recourse where there were no trees thick enough? The answer is strikingly simple. Hide. Its properties must have been appreciated by man thousands of years ago. But how could hide have been used to float on water? A skeletal wooden frame covered by animal skin – as simple as that.
What could have been the prehistoric man’s inspiration and how did he arrive at the final form? A piece of a nutshell tossed upon water might have given him the incentive to build a floating construction. These may be far-reached ideas but Mother Nature’s creations have often inspired people to design various items. The end construction of the hide boat might also well have been influenced by everyday items such as skin bottles or woven baskets. The hide boat may also be an improved version of the float (the float being an ancient means of water transport, made of a whole animal skin filled with air or stuffed with straw, used to cross rivers).
Hide boats, known as currachs, were still made and used in Ireland in the early 20th century. Local scientists suppose those could have been made already in the Neolithic. However, there is no clear evidence of that. Original currachs can be viewed at Down County Museum or at the Science Museum in London. Hide boats have never been given a more thorough portrayal in Polish archaeological literature. The issue was mentioned in a description of means of transport in the times of Boleslaus the Brave (Polish: Bolesław Chrobry). The present paper is but an attempt at identifying the properties of the hide boat and animal skin by means of an archaeological experiment.
It takes just a few hours to build a hide boat. This fact supports the view that such constructions could have been made more often than dugouts. It must be considered that human laziness was and still is one of the major factors that determine specific manners of behaviour.
The final effect and the way of combining the branch with cattle sinew
The first step to make a hide boat is to prepare the materials: wood in the form of straight rods, animal tendons and a skin of appropriate size. Obviously, materials readily available at hand must have been used. The construction was determined by the natural environment. One of the best materials to make the boat frame of is hazel (Corylus avellana) as it is easy to shape. In just a dozen or so hours, hazel branches can be bent into an arch without any risk of fracture.
A ready hazel wood frame pulled out of the ground
Rods approximately 1.5 m long are placed into the ground to form an oval shape. The far ends of the rods, once the ready frame is pulled out of the ground, will become the hide cover fastening points. Then, the edge is woven with hazel twigs. It should be a dozen or so centimetres wide so the rods staked in the ground be firmly fixed. This directly affects the durability of the construction.
Remains of raw materials, grass trampled down and holes after branches in the earth - only remains of the work
When the edge is ready, the bottom of the frame can be formed. This is done by slowly bending opposite hazel rods and tying them with tendons. The number of rods placed in the ground should be even. Should there be an odd number of rods, they will be difficult to tie together and therefore, the skeletal frame of the boat will not be fully symmetrical.
Skin of the European bison - fat and tough
When all the elements have been tied together, the structural work is ready and can be pulled out of the ground. Now, the animal skin should be soaked and carefully pulled over the wooden frame. It is important that the skin should have no major deformations which might alter the flow of water over its surface. Once pulled over the frame, the skin can also be fastened to the edge with straps cut out of what is left of the hide cover.
Wetting the skin
The first trying
Hair had not been removed from the raw wisent (Bison bonasus) hide which was used in the present reconstruction, nor had it been water-proofed in any way. That was intended to check its natural properties. Also worth noting is the fact that the hide cover can easily be removed and used for other purposes. After appropriate treatment, it can become an item of clothing or a container in which to cook hot food. The biggest advantage of the hide boat is its light weight – it can easily be carried by one person. The construction is also highly manoeuvrable. After a longer training and getting to know the boat’s capabilities, it can be steered around water obstacles by body balance.
Were constructions of this type made thousands of years ago? Due to the lack of any material evidence, the answer to the above question is pure speculation. However, experiencing such a construction through an experiment enables the contemporary man (the explorer) to draw numerous valuable practical conclusions and thus grasp a better understanding of the environment which once surrounded the prehistoric man.
