How were dugout canoes made from single logs?

A dugout is a boat created by hollowing out a single log. To transform a raw log into a functional, buoyant, and maneuverable watercraft, builders traditionally employed a combination of three primary techniques:

• Burning: Controlled fire was used to char the wood, making it easier to remove material.12
• Chipping: Builders used tools such as bone, antler, or stone chisels to carve away the wood.2
• Scraping: This process refined the hull, ensuring the boat was properly shaped and streamlined for its intended use.1

Once the initial hull was hollowed, some designs were further refined by warping the sides with hot water to spread them, creating a more spacious or stable form. In many cultures, the basic dugout hull served as a foundation for more complex construction, where the sides were heightened by attaching planks using pegs or by "sewing" them together with lashings passed through holes along the seams.314