In southwest Louisiana, trappers and moss pickers lived in basic dwellings and worked the wetlands' resources as part of the region's early economy. Trapping was one of the commercial trades in the area, with early trading posts at Opelousas and Attakapas (St. Martinville) centering on furs such as deer, otter, beaver, and mink, and musk trapping becoming a major trade in the early twentieth century. From the 1800s to the mid-1900s, swamp dwellers also gathered Spanish moss for commercial use in stuffing mattresses, furniture, and eventually car seats. In this wetland environment, Native Americans and early settlers lived along bayous and near fresh water lakes and swamps, where boats were essential for transportation. The pirogue, associated with Cajun culture, derived from the dugout canoes of local Native Americans and also had precedent in African and European cultures; originally carved from cypress trees, it required significant woodworking skill. Those skills also supported the carving of wooden waterfowl decoys for hunting among Cajun, Creole, and Isleño residents. French immigrants also brought important boat-building traditions to Louisiana, including the esquif, a small flat-bottom boat with no deck, a sharp bow, and a square stern; the chaland, a large homemade flat-bottom boat with a raked bow and stern suited to larger bodies of water; and the bateau, a smaller variation of the chaland more commonly used on small rivers and bayous. A rowing technique distinct to Louisiana skiffs was the joug, in which tholepins and straps were elevated and extended beyond the sides of the craft so the rower could stand and face forward.