Prehistoric Origins
Of all inventions no other object can be as simple and efficient at the same time, allowing to move in the snow. That is probably why we had to wait more than 8,000 years for another significant technological revolution - the arrival of aluminium and composite snow shoes, equipped with crampons in the 1980s as a sport accessory.

"The white man always attempted to avoid the snow or skirt it, whereas the Indian always looked for the best way to walk on it and live in harmo-ny with nature".

No research on the subject specifies with exactness who invented the snowshoe, not even what people or culture created it first. "The snowshoe seems to have appeared at an earlier period than the wheel. The earliest documents date the advent of the wheel around 3,500 B.C."
Without it, missionaries and discoverers of the colony's first periods could not have followed the Indians in their peregrinations across the plains and forests.
Without it, trappers and traders would not have been able to hunt the fur animals into their faraway dens. Without it, our ancestors would not have easily been able to communicate between themselves or take care of their work. In ancient times, the snowshoe was, in winter, what the canoe was in summer: an instrument of primary necessity.

The American Indians had developed and perfected transportation means adapted to the seasons. When the cold froze the natural routes, we had to travel by foot. As soon as a layer of snow had fallen, they put on their snowshoes.
At the arrival of the white men in Eastern America, there was no road network, only rivers and a few foot paths (portage) where the small boats had to be carried. So, the white men settled down close to these natural ways and they adopted the transportation means already in existence: the canoe and the snowshoe, according to the seasons. The white settlers put on the snowshoe only because that was the only means to move around on the snow until they were able to modify the surrounding environment.

Very quiet and easy to maneuver, his geometry provide great flotation in soft snow and his long tail is designed to keep the snowshoe in the wal-king movement as needed.
Made with Appalachian White Ash and lacing from cow raw hide.

His wide and short shape allowed efficient & silent movement in crowded areas of the forest. Also offered in a longer version for more versatility in open field (Modified Bear Paw).
Made with Appalachian White Ash and lacing from cow raw hide.

His long narrow tail is designed to keep the snowshoe in the walking movement as needed. Quiet and very stable, his all purpose use make it a great choice for long distance hiking.
Made with Appalachian White Ash and lacing from cow raw hide.

OJIBWE
Ojibwe name took its origin from the Indian nation OJIBWE from Canada that established themselves along the great Canadian lakes of Ontario, in Western Canada and north central area of United States. The Ojibwe model has the most interesting and unique shape of all the wooded traditional snowshoes. This model have similarities with ancient snowshoes used by old civilizations from Siberia, Groenland and Scandinavia many centuries ago.

His unique shape provide a great flotation in opened forest and field where there is a lot of snow. His narrow and lifted nose, combine with the long narrow tail, are providing great gliding properties in down hill on hard snow. It might be the ancestor of the modern alpine ski?

Quiet and stable, it is a good all around snowshoe for long distance adventure.
- The frame is made with Appalachian White Ash and lacing from cow raw hide.

Producer: GV Snowshoes
P.O. Box 87, Loretteville (Quebec) Canada G2B 3W6
Tel.: (418) 842-0321 toll free: 1 866 445-7463
http://www.gvsnowshoes.com

MORE FIRST NATIONS INVENTIONS
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/6001_e.html