The Manner of Making their Boats - Theodor de Bry

A detailed 1590 engraving by Theodor de Bry depicting the indigenous Secotan method of constructing a dugout canoe using controlled fire.

This engraving, titled The Manner of Making their Boats, originates from the 1590 publication of Thomas Hariot's A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia. Theodor de Bry, a Flemish engraver and publisher, produced these images based on the original watercolour sketches of John White, an artist who accompanied the 1585 expedition to Roanoke. The print depicts the indigenous Secotan people constructing a dugout canoe, a process involving controlled fire to hollow out a tree trunk.

De Bry utilised the burin to create precise, rhythmic lines that define the musculature of the figures and the texture of the wood. The composition is structured to provide a clear, instructional view of the technical process. One figure uses a fan to stoke the flames, while another scrapes the charred interior of the log. The background shows additional figures engaged in similar tasks, providing context for the communal nature of the work. The smoke is rendered with swirling, circular lines, a stylistic choice typical of late sixteenth-century European printmaking.

While the image aims to document the customs of the indigenous population of the Americas for a European audience, it is filtered through the aesthetic conventions of the period. The figures are depicted with anatomical proportions influenced by classical European art, rather than direct observation. This work remains a primary source for understanding the early contact period between European explorers and the peoples of the Atlantic coast of North America. It offers a window into the technological practices of the Secotan, captured through the lens of Renaissance print culture. The clarity of the engraving technique ensures that the details of the tools and the method of construction remain legible, providing a record of maritime craftsmanship from the late sixteenth century.