Ancient Native canoes in Lake Mendota spur tribal collaboration
More than a dozen ancient dugout canoes have been identified in Lake Mendota in southern Wisconsin, inspiring collaboration between scientists and Native nations to preserve Indigenous history, according to PBS Wisconsin and ICT.
Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society, discovered the first canoe in 2021 during a dive. Radiocarbon analysis dated it to about 1,200 years old. Two additional canoes found the following year were dated at 3,000 and 2,000 years old. A total of 16 canoes were identified in the lake between 2022 and 2025, with the oldest estimated at 5,200 years old, PBS Wisconsin and ICT reported.
Thomsen said consultation with Wisconsin’s Native nations began before any canoes were recovered. Lawrence Plucinski, tribal historic preservation officer for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, said the canoes reflect long-standing Indigenous use of inland waterways for harvesting, hunting and fishing. Two recovered canoes are being stabilized at the State Archive Preservation Facility in Madison.
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