The word "toboggan" is a Canadian  French mispronunciation of the Chippewa word "nobugidaban," which is a combination of two words meaning “flat” and “drag.” The toboggan is an invention of the First Nations Peoples of northeastern Canada, and the sleds were critical tools of survival in the long, harsh, far-north winters.

The long, narrow, runner-less sled, constructed of boards and bent or carved upward in front, could be pulled by people or dogs and were adopted by both early French explorers and later by European settlers. It was but one of many winter tools invented by Indigenous Peoples in northeastern Turtle Island that have evolved into recreational items and pastimes today.

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