Micmac Canoe

Canada's extensive coasts and vast maze of rivers and lakes encouraged the development of many different types of boats by Native People. These craft provided mobility where it was otherwise practically impossible to travel. The Micmacs, early inhabitants of the Maritimes, migrated from the woods to the seashore each spring. Their canoes were designed to be high amidships and curved-in at the gunwales. They confidently navigated rivers, lakes and the ocean, sometimes equipped with a sail derived from the Europeans. Graphic designer Louis-André Rivard and illustrator Bernard Leduc, both of Montreal, together designed these four stamps. They picture the Native craft as first seen by the Europeans. The environments where each boat would characteristically be found form a backdrop for the small craft depicted.