Dugout Canoe Burning Coming To Shores Of Lake Quinsigamond

SHREWSBURY, MA — Residents living near Lake Quinsigamond will get a chance this spring to experience an event that would’ve been commonplace in this part of Massachusetts a few hundred years ago.

Project Mishoon on June 1 will begin burning a canoe — called a mishoon — at the Oak Island boat ramp in Shrewsbury on Flint Pond at the south end of the lake.

During the burn, Nipmuc band craftsmen will use fire to hollow out a fresh log. The fire helps cauterize sap in the tree — a natural way of waterproofing. Along with shaping the dugout canoe, the fire from the burning process was traditionally used to cook food and preserve animal hides.

“When the Nipmuc community comes together to burn a mishoon (dugout canoe) it is a gathering that brings together our culture, tradition, ceremony and so much more,” Project Mishoon said “The process is lengthy and tiresome, but the result is a gift that we give each other; one that strengthens our connection to each other and to the water.”

The Nipmuc were the main indigenous group in central Massachusetts before colonial settlers arrived. Their territory generally stretched from the Berkshires to as far east as the Framingham area.

The Oak Island canoe burn will last for about a week beginning June 1. The public will be able to stop by between noon and 6 p.m. each day to view progress on the canoe.